Program Background
The Global Action Towards Epidemic control in Sub-national units in Nigeria (4GATES) program is a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment program being implemented in Abia, Delta, Enugu and Imo States. It is a 5-year program (October 2017 to September 2022) implemented by Caritas Nigeria and its consortium partners; Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Pro-Health International as the sole Implementing Partner for PEPFAR in these states.

Summary of Role

The Technical Specialist, Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance, under the supervision of the Technical Advisor, Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance, will be responsible for conducting, monitoring and leading disease surveillance and epidemiological investigations in the state in accordance with the 4GATES program strategic direction by initiating appropriate interventions and informing health programs. The incumbent will collaborate with all technical areas and State Teams to ensure a coordinated and collaborative response.

Description of Roles and Responsibilities

The Technical Specialist, Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance will provide overall state and regional level leadership in the following regards:

• Coordinates the ongoing surveillance activities (Case-Based Surveillance [CBS], Mortality Surveillance [MS] and Recency Surveillance, and other routine surveillance activities in the state.
• Use routine data to track performance and provided strategic information at the state-level for each of the PEPFAR 95-95-95 targets.
• In conjunction with the program teams, use the information from the CBS, recency testing, MS and other ongoing public health surveillance to identify performance gaps and challenges, prioritize and respond accordingly.
• Participate in planning for disease surveillance activities including HIV-related surveillance activities at state and country level.
• Assist in the development of surveillance dashboards, situation room and structured surveillance response in the state.
• Assist with developing investigation and surveillance systems, including the development of protocols, data collection tools, reporting procedures.
• Work with other members of the state team to mentor staff to ensure provision of high-quality services.
• Participate in all meetings, both within the organization and with relevant stakeholders as may be required.
• Summarize and disseminate surveillance data and outbreak data in written/oral reports.
• Preparing timely routine progress reports as may be required.
• Represent 4GATES surveillance team at all state level meetings, meetings with partners and other stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain healthy relationships between 4GATES partners at various levels
• Perform other duties, tasks and special projects, as required.

 Reporting & Supervision

The Technical Specialist will work under the supervision of the Technical Advisor. S/he will also work in collaboration with different Unit Leads in the State and the Head Office as required.

Additional Responsibilities

The Responsibilities (Above) are not all-inclusive. The employee will also perform other related tasks as required and will be responsible for reporting and communicating progress and achievement of the specific assigned tasks.

Desired Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Advanced Degree in Public Health or Biostatistics, or Epidemiology or Medical Science or Data Science or Management or Social Sciences. A primary degree in Medicine or Pharmacy or Nursing is an added advantage.
• Professional qualification(s) or certifications in data analysis, data science and data use will be an added advantage, including the use of statistical software packages including Epi Info, SPSS, SAS, Stata, R, Python or Power BI.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ mandatory knowledge and experience in the design, implementation and management of public health programs including quality improvement and/or implementation science in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment program.
• Experience and knowledge of ART Surge Response is a major requirement.
• Experience designing and managing M&E plans, tools, and activities for donor-funded HIV programs is required.
• Knowledge of surveillance, mortality review, quality improvement and project management (traditional, agile or other project management methods) will be a very good advantage.
• Good understanding of and experience working with the MoH Surveillance systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a project in a HIV/AIDS service delivery setting, including working with government authorities.
• Analysis and Critical Thinking, ability to make informed decisions based on key project data findings, trends, comparisons between sub-groups of data, and by making assumptions.
• A culture of continuous learning and improvement but individually and collectively as a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with diverse team and staff at all levels.
• Demonstrated people management and interpersonal skills.
• Proven experience working with and through partner organizations in both the public and private sectors.
• Working knowledge of and experience with USG projects will be an advantage.
• Ability to interface with multiple stakeholders, representatives, and partners in a professional manner on an ongoing basis.
• Excellent analytical and information-seeking skills and good decision-making skills.
• Experience with participatory planning and evaluation methods preferred.
• Strong professional ethics.
• Ability to follow protocol, procedures, guidelines, carry out written or verbal instructions and resolve recurring problems.
• Time management skills; ability to establish priorities.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and other data analytics software.