Epidemiologist

Volunteering

Overview

Provide field-level epidemiological and operational support for public health emergencies.

You have:

• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in public health surveillance, epidemiology, outbreak investigation, emergency response or communicable disease control.
• Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and translate technical guidance into practical field action.
• Strong epidemiological reasoning, data-quality assessment, analytical writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize competing demands and make timely operational recommendations.
• Good understanding of incident management, surveillance, rapid response, IPC, laboratory referral, contact tracing and emergency logistics.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation and partner-coordination skills, with respect for national leadership and local authority structures.
• Ability to work in difficult field conditions and travel to remote or insecure locations when cleared.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality, accountability and respect for affected communities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and electronic reporting platforms. GIS, dashboard, statistical or mobile data-collection skills are an advantage.
• Practical experience in alert verification, case investigation, line listing, data analysis and production of epidemiological reports.
• Experience working with health authorities, health facilities, communities and partners at state or county level.
• Experience using routine surveillance data to identify gaps and recommend operational actions.
• Experience with WHO, a Ministry of Health, a national public health institute, UN agencies or humanitarian organizations.
• Experience in South Sudan or another fragile, conflict-affected or access-constrained setting.
• Experience supporting viral hemorrhagic fever preparedness or response, contact tracing, cross-border surveillance or point-of-entry monitoring.
• Experience with IDSR, EWARS, DHIS2, mobile data-collection tools, GIS or dashboard platforms.
• Experience training and mentoring surveillance officers, health workers, rapid response teams or community-based surveillance personnel.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The Public Health Officer/Epidemiologist will provide field-level epidemiological, operational and coordination support for BVD readiness and response and for other priority public health emergencies. When designated as Hub Lead, the incumbent will additionally coordinate WHO-supported operations across the hub catchment area, consolidate county needs, deploy technical and logistics support, and maintain a clear link between counties, states and the national Incident Management System. Background

South Sudan continues to face overlapping public health and humanitarian emergencies. These include the risk of importation and local transmission of Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD), as well as recurrent outbreaks and events such as cholera, measles, mpox, malaria, hepatitis E, poliovirus events, meningitis, floods, conflict-related trauma, population displacement, malnutrition and disruption of essential health services. The operating environment is characterized by high population movement, porous borders, weak health-service capacity, insecurity, seasonal access constraints and limited logistics and laboratory coverage.

WHO supports the Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute, state ministries of health and county health departments to strengthen preparedness, readiness and response through the national Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and Incident Management System. For BVD, the response uses a county-centered, hub-and-spoke model with operational hubs supporting clusters of priority counties. The same field platform will also support other ongoing and emerging health emergencies to avoid parallel structures and ensure efficient use of personnel, logistics and information systems.

Objectives

• Ensure rapid detection, verification, investigation and reporting of BVD and other priority public health alerts. • Strengthen county and hub readiness across surveillance, rapid response, IPC, case management, laboratory referral, contact tracing, risk communication, points of entry and logistics. • Coordinate operational delivery across assigned counties and ensure that gaps are escalated and addressed promptly. • Generate timely, accurate and decision-oriented epidemiological analysis, situation reports and performance monitoring products. • Support continuity of essential health services during outbreaks, conflict, floods, displacement and other emergencies.

1. Incident management and operational coordination.

• Support activation and functioning of the county or hub Incident Management System in line with Ministry of Health and WHO emergency procedures. • Maintain an updated incident action plan, operational calendar, action tracker, decision log, risk register and partner responsibility matrix. • Coordinate daily or scheduled operational meetings and ensure that decisions are assigned, followed up and closed within agreed timelines. • Link assigned counties with the relevant state authorities, hub, national PHEOC and WHO Country Office. • Ensure that technical activities are implemented through one coordinated plan rather than parallel partner arrangements • Identify operational bottlenecks related to access, staffing, finance, transport, communications, supplies, referrals or partner coverage and escalate them with practical options for resolution. • Participate in inter-agency, Health Cluster, cross-border and local authority coordination meetings when requested. • Ensure that protection, safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, staff safety and confidentiality requirements are integrated into field operations.

2. Surveillance, epidemiology and alert management.

• Strengthen indicator-based, event-based, community-based and points-of-entry surveillance for BVD and other priority epidemic-prone diseases. • Ensure that approved case definitions, alert thresholds, investigation tools, line lists and reporting channels are available and used correctly. • Monitor the 24/7 alert system and ensure that credible alerts are notified, verified and investigated within national performance standards. • Lead or support field investigation of suspected cases, clusters, unexplained deaths and unusual health events. • Conduct descriptive epidemiology by person, place and time and identify transmission patterns, high-risk groups, geographic hotspots and surveillance blind spots. • Produce and update epidemic curves, maps, dashboards, line lists, contact lists and analytical summaries.

• Work with laboratory teams to ensure correct specimen collection, packaging, chain of custody, transport and timely communication of results. • Support case searches, active surveillance, mortality surveillance, zero reporting and retrospective record review were indicated. • Ensure immediate escalation of health-worker exposures, linked alerts, deaths meeting the alert definition, or evidence of community transmission.

3. BVD-specific readiness and response

• Validate county readiness for alert management, isolation, rapid response, specimen referral, contact tracing, case management, IPC/WASH, safe and dignified burial, risk communication and logistics. • Confirm that each assigned county has a functional hotline, rapid response team, isolation or holding space, trained specimen collectors, ambulance or referral arrangement, contact-tracer roster, safe burial access and first-push supplies. • Support health-facility readiness assessments, triage and isolation arrangements, health-worker protection and exposure-management procedures. • Coordinate investigation of suspected BVD cases, including exposure history, initial contact identification, safe referral and activation of community engagement. • Support listing, categorization, follow-up and escalation of contacts in accordance with approved national protocols. • Coordinate with points of entry and cross-border teams to manage alerts, traveler referral and information exchange through approved channels. • Plan and conduct tabletop, facility, specimen-referral and end-to-end simulation exercises and track corrective actions to closure. • Protect confidentiality, dignity and community trust throughout alert investigation, patient care, contact tracing and death management.

4. Response to other ongoing and emerging emergencies

• Apply the same incident management, surveillance and field coordination platform to cholera, measles, mpox, malaria, hepatitis E, poliovirus events, meningitis and other priority outbreaks, as applicable. • Support rapid risk assessment, outbreak investigation, case finding, line listing, mortality review, mapping and response monitoring for assigned events. • Coordinate with immunization, WASH, nutrition, clinical, laboratory, risk communication and logistics teams to implement event-specific control measures. • Support public health response to floods, conflict, displacement, attacks on health care and mass-casualty events, including rapid health needs assessments and service mapping. • Monitor continuity of essential services, with attention to emergency care, maternal and newborn health, immunization, nutrition, HIV, TB, malaria and chronic disease services. • Contribute to preparedness planning for new or escalating threats and support rapid reassignment of field capacity when priorities change.

5. Hub leadership responsibilities, where assigned

• Provide day-to-day leadership of the WHO operational hub and maintain a clear span of control across all supported counties. • Prepare a weekly hub plan that consolidates county priorities, deployment schedules, logistics movements, supervision visits, training, simulations and reporting deadlines. • Coordinate deployment of epidemiology, IPC, case management, laboratory, RCCE, logistics and information-management support to counties based on risk and operational gaps. • Maintain an updated picture of staff locations, partner presence, access constraints, transport assets, supplies, referral routes and communications coverage. • Consolidate county requests, verify priorities and submit one coherent hub request to the national Incident Management System. • Oversee hub contingency stocks, replenishment, dispatch documentation, asset use and accountability in coordination with logistics and finance staff. • Ensure routine communication with county teams, conduct supportive supervision and provide rapid problem-solving support. • Coordinate movements with UNDSS and relevant operational partners and ensure compliance with security clearance, tracking and travel procedures. • Lead the preparation of the hub situation report and present operational risks, achievements, decisions required and next steps to national coordination forums. • Ensure equitable support to counties and prevent excessive concentration of resources at the hub headquarters.

6. Information management, reporting and accountability

• Ensure timely submission and quality control of daily, weekly and event-based reports from assigned counties. • Prepare concise situation reports that highlight epidemiological trends, operational progress, gaps, risks, decisions required and follow-up actions. • Maintain current dashboards for alerts, investigations, laboratory results, contacts, facility readiness, stocks, deployments and response indicators. • Validate data with source records, investigate inconsistencies and ensure that corrected datasets are documented and shared through approved channels. • Monitor agreed key performance indicators and recommend corrective action when targets are missed. • Document WHO and partner contributions, lessons learned, after-action findings and examples of public health impact. • Ensure responsible handling of identifiable health information and compliance with WHO data-protection and confidentiality standards.

7. Capacity building and partner support

• Orient and mentor county surveillance officers, rapid response teams, facility focal points, contact tracers, community informants and partner personnel. • Organize competency-based training, drills and on-the-job coaching using approved national tools and standard operating procedures. • Support county authorities and partners to develop realistic micro plans, rosters, referral pathways and contingency arrangements. • Promote respectful teamwork, clear accountability, duty of care and performance feedback across the hub and county teams. • Identify persistent capacity gaps and propose targeted technical support or surge deployment.

8. Administrative, financial and logistics responsibilities

• Prepare accurate activity plans, budgets, travel requests, procurement needs and operational justifications within delegated responsibilities. • Ensure that activities, deployments, supplies and service requests are properly authorized, documented and reported. • Work with finance and administration staff to track implementation against approved workplans and budgets and promptly resolve outstanding documentation. • Confirm receipt, custody, use and distribution of programme supplies and assets and support regular physical verification.

Competencies and values: • Teamwork. • Communication • Producing results • Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences • Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond • Moving forward in a changing environment

Functional competencies • Field epidemiology and surveillance • Planning and organizing • Analytical thinking • Knowledge sharing • Quality assurance • Sound judgement and decision-making under pressure

Atleast 3 years of relevant professional experience in public health surveillance, epidemiology, outbreak investigation, emergency response or communicable disease control. • Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and translate technical guidance into practical field action. • Strong epidemiological reasoning, data-quality assessment, analytical writing and presentation skills. • Ability to work under pressure, prioritize competing demands and make timely operational recommendations. • Good understanding of incident management, surveillance, rapid response, IPC, laboratory referral, contact tracing and emergency logistics. • Strong interpersonal, negotiation and partner-coordination skills, with respect for national leadership and local authority structures. • Ability to work in difficult field conditions and travel to remote or insecure locations when cleared. • High standards of integrity, confidentiality, accountability and respect for affected communities. • Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and electronic reporting platforms. GIS, dashboard, statistical or mobile data-collection skills are an advantage. • Practical experience in alert verification, case investigation, line listing, data analysis and production of epidemiological reports. • Experience working with health authorities, health facilities, communities and partners at state or county level. • Experience using routine surveillance data to identify gaps and recommend operational actions.

Desirable: • Experience with WHO, a Ministry of Health, a national public health institute, UN agencies or humanitarian organizations. • Experience in South Sudan or another fragile, conflict-affected or access-constrained setting. • Experience supporting viral hemorrhagic fever preparedness or response, contact tracing, cross-border surveillance or point-of-entry monitoring. • Experience with IDSR, EWARS, DHIS2, mobile data-collection tools, GIS or dashboard platforms. • Experience training and mentoring surveillance officers, health workers, rapid response teams or community-based surveillance personnel.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 days ago - Updated 6 hours ago - Source: unv.org