BACKGROUND OF ETHIOPIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY

Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) is seeking for a Surveillance Officer for the newly awarded USAID Ethiopia Health Resilience activity. The ERCS was established on 8th July 1935 by the government decree. And then it became the 48th member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on September 25 of the same year. The Society’s mandate is stipulated in the National Charter revised on 26th January 2018.

The National Society is governed by elected board members at national and branch levels. The board sets the general strategic direction of the Society based on the charter of the NS. A national assembly is convened every two years and elections of governing board members are held every four years.

Ethiopian Red Cross Society is a humanitarian organization working in partnership with the Ethiopian government as an auxiliary to the authority in humanitarian matters since 8th July 1935. Following the Federal structure, ERCS has administrative structure consisted of 12 Regional Offices, 1 coordination offices, and 34 Zonal Branches and 180 District/Woreda Branches and 5871 Kebele Red Cross Committees? This helps ERCS to easily reach the most vulnerable.

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has set a vision of “becoming the leading humanitarian organization in Africa”. This clearly exhibits the ambition of the current top-leadership to revamp the NS and bring it to a new organizational height. ERCS’s mission is “to prevent and alleviate human sufferings, contribute to the wellbeing of mankind and prevalence of peace by mobilizing the public at large and partners in Ethiopia and around the world”.

It works on seven core programs including Disaster preparedness response and disaster risk reduction (DPR /DRR), Resource Mobilization, Volunteers & Members management and Engagement, Image Building and Humanitarian Diplomacy, Capacity Building and Promotion of the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence and partnership.

ERCS is working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC), and 10 National Societies. It is also working with big donors and other non-Red Cross partners such as EU, ECHO, USAID, UNCEF, UNDP, UNOCHA and INGOs like Save the children (SCI) and Management of Science (MSH)

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

The USAID/Ethiopia Health Resilience Activity is a 5-year project (28th Mar 2023 – 27th Mar 2028) aims to strengthen local capacity to detect, prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of public health emergencies and ensure the continuity of essential health services during emergencies. The Activity will result in improved local capacity and health system resilience in focus areas through strengthening woreda leadership and capacity to manage emergencies; improving early warning and alert response system (EWARS) and data management capacity; developing core capacity on gender in emergencies (GiE); and increasing innovative funding for emergencies, leading to reduced morbidity and mortality related to public health crises.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) will work together and in close collaboration with zonal and woreda offices, health facilities (HFs), communities, and other stakeholders to achieve these results. The USAID/Ethiopia Health Resilience Activity will focus on selected woredas in three regions (Amhara; Oromia; and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region [SNNPR]) and one city administration (Dire Dawa).

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Surveillance Officer will be responsible for providing continues technical assistance on Early Warning, Surveillance, Data management and Response (EWARS/PHEM) for PHEM officers, HWs & HEWs at project woredas, health facilities and community levels. The incumbent will also work with zonal health departments and woreda/HF public health leaders to ensure that resilient PHEM systems are built at all levels of the health system.

 SPESIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct supportive supervision and mentorship for Woreda Health Offices (WrHO) and health facilities (HFs) regarding EWARS (Preparedness, Early warning/surveillance, Response & Recovery components of PHEM)

• Provide capacity-building trainings on various PHEM agendas for PHEM officers, HCWs and HEWs.

• Assist WrHOs/HFs to conduct the early warning, alert and response tasks (EWARS)

• Provide technical assistance to WrHOs/HFs to conduct both event and indicator-based surveillances.

• Provide Technical Assistant (TA) to strengthen cross-border surveillance activities at point of entries.

• Assist public health risk communication & community engagement tasks (RCCE)

• Provide technical support to ensure the surveillance data qualities like report timeliness, completeness, etc are kept at national/international standards.

• Assist WrHO, HFs and ZHD in EWARS/PHEM data management and visualization, report-write ups, and dissemination.

• Assist in periodic surveillance reports productions like weekly epidemiological bulletin, feedbacks, SitRep/SpotRep, technical reports, presentations, and ad hoc reports on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.

• Support emergency coordination platforms like PHEOC, RRT, TWG, DRM Council and DMAT in order to establish a functional PHEM system.

• Participate in public health emergencies responses and investigations like epidemic/pandemic response, health and nutrition emergency response and the likes.

• Participates and represent the organization in different regional/sub-regional level review meetings, annual work plan, conference calls, coordination forums, etc

• Prepare different proposals and budget plans to implement surveillance agendas and emergency response.

• Prepare all weekly/quarterly progress reports, annual project report, ad-hoc technical reports, success stories and timely submit to the central team using required formats.

• Monitor and evaluate progress towards annual work plans, expected outputs, including selecting and monitoring progress in meeting indicators.

• Collaborate and work with key technical and program stakeholders on different PHEM agendas.

• Execute other responsibilities as required by the central team.

Work Unit: ERCS Zonal Branch/Borena Yabello/

Reports to:  Senior PHEM Advisor 

Location:     Zonal Level

Duration: of Employment 1 year, possibility of extension Based on performance

Note: The duty station of the officers may be changed during activity implementation if the situation of the activity required necessary change 

Job Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION

• Master in any health backgrounds in Field Epidemiology/Epidemiology is a plus, or other public health fields from a recognized academic institution.

• At least five (5) years’ work experience at regional or sub-regional level in the field of Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM)

• Deep understanding and knowledge of the Early Warning and Alert Response System (EWARS), particularly public health surveillance and emergency response 

• Having previous work experience in PHEOC is an added advantage.

• Experience of conducting trainings, supervision and mentorship

• Experience in proposal development, scientific report write ups and disseminations, as proven with publications.

• Excellent ability in software’s like Microsoft offices, Power BI, DHIS2-PHEM, ODK, SPSS, etc

• Fluency in English and regional Working Language required 

How to Apply

Interested applicants who met the minimum requirements should send and apply ahli.seid@redcrosseth.org within 10 working days This opportunity for and experienced and highly motivated professional and if you meet the required skill, competencies and experience, please submit your application letter with your CV in English details your Experience and skills that are relevant to the post. Please do not attach copies of your transcripts, academic degrees or recommendation letters with the application. You will provide them up on request.

 Women are highly encouraged to apply.

NB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.