Merlin Job Description 1 Job Description Position: Epidemiologist / Health Data Manager Responsible To: Senior Health Coordinator Working With: All Merlin and Non-Merlin Zimbabwe Partners (e.g., GoZ Ministries, Donors, UN agencies, International/National NGOs, etc) Location: Harare and throughout country Contract Duration: 3 months Starting Date: ASAP Salary & Benefits: Between £15,821 and £19,529 per annum dependant on relevant experience, an annual cost of living allowance, insurance cover, accommodation and return flights. Although Merlin is not currently operational in Zimbabwe we are looking at opportunities to respond to the current cholera outbreak and this may mean rapid deployment with either Merlin or other partners. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date. Please note that this is an unaccompanied position. Merlin International Profile Merlin is the only specialist UK charity which responds worldwide with vital health care and medical relief for vulnerable people caught up in natural disasters, conflict, disease and health system collapse. Each year, Merlin helps more than 15 million people in up to 20 countries. Context and Background Members of Merlin's Emergency Response Team entered Zimbabwe recently in response to worsening conditions there. Merlin had earler (April 2008) sent a reconnaissance team into Zimbabwe to gain preliminary insight into the country's needs. In addition Merlin has a staff member in country on a long-term secondment to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The country's health indicators are shocking: average life expectancy at birth sits at 42 years; under-five mortality has risen sharply to 105 per 1000; and nearly one quarter of all Zimbabweans live with HIV and AIDS (UNICEF, 2006). These statistics are staggering and are likely to worsen considering current political, economic and environmental conditions. The current political stalemate has rendered national health systems unable to cope with the sharp rise of immediate and chronic health needs. Indeed the political situation in Zimbabwe has directly prevented those most in need from accessing an adequate level of health care: until last month most international charities were restricted from operating in Zimbabwe, and reports of political attacks and beatings of subsistence farmers continue. Related to Zimbabwe's state of political turmoil, the country suffers from acute hyper-inflation, which is now estimated at 230 million percent (BBC, 2008). This has contributed to the steady rise of food insecurity, which has left approximately 5 million people unable to meet their minimum food requirements (Red Cross, 2008). Alternating floods and droughts in recent years have aggravated this chronic food crisis and caused the latest harvest to fail completely. The current cholera outbreak, plus food insecurity, the HIV and AIDS pandemic, combined with a weak health system and human resources deficits are likely to be Zimbabwe's most immediately harmful health crises in coming months. Overall Objectives (scope) The epidemiologist will provide oversight of existing health information systems as well as recommending improvements to data gathering methodology. He/she will contribute to the design/design disease surveillance systems as well as gather/analyse information related to patterns of morbidity and mortality. Disease surveillance will be targeted towards relevant infectious diseases as well as malnutrition prevalence levels. This role is also responsible for ensuring that systems are in place in order to gather relevant information required for healthrelated, donor-funded project indicators. Responsibilities Emergency response * To undertake an emergency response to the present cholera outbreak, in coordination with the Senior Health Coordinator or Opsco Technical Duties * Responsible for ensuring hiring/training data entry staff, developing health databases, coordinating with field staff, ensuring data entry of data from ORS points, reviewing contextual analysis and assisting with data analysis, producing reports for dissemination to relevant clusters and donors * Identifying M&E tools relevant to the project needs, conceptualising, designing, developing and pre-testing of the tools and implementing in the field. * Overseeing and ensuring data management as per the project needs including collection, collation, analysis and reporting. * Design / and provide training to Merlin staff in data management, analysis and outbreak investigation/response * Assist the Senior Health Co-ordinator and/or local officials in outbreak investigation * Support staff in diagnosis and treatment of identified diseases and outbreak investigation and analysis * Represent Merlin from a technical (epidemiology) perspective to national and regional governmental bodies, international agencies, other NGOs, and donors Human Resources * Managing national staff team including the recruitment, team building, and conducting of appraisals. * Implementing administration pertaining to national staff regulations * Assessing the continuing training needs of the both International and National project staff involved in epidemiological information gathering and support ensuring that training needs are appropriately met and within budget * Maintaining good inter-team communications and engendering positive team dynamics. Merlin Job Description 3 Security * Participation in the on-going monitoring of the security situation on the ground. Implementation of security measures according to Merlin security guidelines and monitoring of Merlin security guidelines. * Reporting on security incidents in the field to Project Co-ordinator Person Specification Essential Qualifications, experience and competences * Masters degree in infectious disease epidemiology * Experience in primary health care and / or cholera programmes * Experience in designing and conducting epidemiological studies (surveys, case-control studies), qualitative and quantitative operations research * Experience in humanitarian work in a developing country context * Ability to analyze and interpret health data, and present findings to technical and non technical audiences. * Ability to write clear and concise reports, under short deadlines. * Ability to work independently to a high professional standard * Sensitivity to the cultural & political environment with the ability to be adaptable, practical, and diplomatic * Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office, Epi Info and SPSS - and ability to teach others * Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English * Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures * Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines * Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues * An understanding of and commitment to Merlin's mission and values Desirable * Some relevant experience in Zimbabwe * Knowledge of a local language * Extensive experience in teaching, training, and capacity building in epidemiology To apply for this position Please download an application form from our website www.merlin.org.uk Completed form should be emailed to applications@merlin-uk.org stating in the subject field the job title, country and reference number (if any). Data Protection Please note, on submitting your application, you are agreeing to Merlin holding and using the information that you have given for the purposes of recruitment and employment - should an offer be made. In order to process your job application, it may be necessary for your application Merlin Job Description 4 to be sent to the Country Director (in the country you are applying for) for consideration. If you do not agree with this, please state so when applying.
