Malaria Project Officer (National Position)

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Job Overview/Summary:

IRC provides primary health care and environmental health services in several refugee camps in Thailand. IRC provides preventive and curative health care services in the camps, including primary health care, reproductive health, neonatal care and health education. Clinical services include out-patient department (OPD) and in-patient department (IPD) care; laboratories supporting IPD/OPD and reproductive health clinics; pharmacy services for essential drugs; community health education, and mental health care. Environmental health services aim to create a healthy living environment for refugees living in the camps through the provision of quality water and sanitation facilities, leading efforts to improve access to chlorinated water, sanitation, and hygiene in the camps.

The Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative (RAI) has been expanded with a third phase, the RAI3Elimination (RAI3E) program, to accelerate elimination of P. falciparum malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Building on the current progress, the objectives under RAI3E are to achieve high coverage of key interventions using area-based microstratification and targeting the A1 and A2 areas with the aim to eliminate local transmission of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) cases by 2023 and all malaria by 2024. Additional focus will be placed on active Pf foci and in high burden provinc-es which accounts for most of the malaria cases to accelerate elimination efforts, as well as nine temporary shelters on the Thailand-Myanmar borders. IRC Thailand is expected to implement RAI3E in the temporary shelters.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Malaria Project Manager, the Malaria Project Officer will oversee the day-to-day implementation of the RAI3E project funded by the Global Fund in Tham Hin and Ban Don Yang temporary shelters. Further, s/he will be the focal person for the project’s stakeholder engagements in the temporary shelters with overall support and guidance of the Senior Malaria Project Manager.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide technical and operational support to the planning, implementation, management, and monitoring of the RAI3E project and community malaria activities based on the project work plan and timeline. • Conduct training, refresher training, in-service training and provide technical support during training for project relevant trainings to camp-based stipend workers. • Ensure that activities geared towards community level management of malaria activities are effectively supervised. • Coordinate activities with the IRC community health and environmental health teams on provision of Malaria education, behavioral change and vector control. • Assist in translating documents and collecting project data as necessary. • Identify lessons learnt and opportunities for documentation of the project’s work. • Provide overall planning and coordination in training, reporting and supervision visits. • Liaise with key partners including government officials, local leaders, other NGO partners, and other stakeholders to provide synergy for project activities. • Assist the Senior Malaria Project Manager in procurement of materials supplies and completing documentation as necessary in transporting them to the camps. • Attend malaria and community health services related technical working groups and stakeholder meetings at the county, sub county and community. • Provide monthly written reports to the line manager on the progress towards the project’s annual objectives: identifying areas for improvement and those requiring follow-up. • Work with the finance department to prepare financial / payment requests and ensure the timely liquidation and reporting of expenditures. • Assist in preparing and compiling donor and activity reports and success stories for inclusion in the qualitative and quantitative reports submitted to line manager and contributing to the other reports as required. • Any other duties as required by the line manager.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Senior Malaria Project Manager Position directly supervises: camp-based stipend workers Indirect Reporting: N/A Other Internal and/or external contacts: Internal: Health team, Technical/Program Coordinators; Grants and Partnerships; Finance Department; Human Resources Department; Logistics/Supply Chain Department as needed; IRC Thailand’s Protection and Livelihoods teams. External: Ministry of Public Health – Department of Disease Control, the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD), public health offices, etc.

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

• Degree or diploma in a relevant field (e.g. public health, etc.) • Minimum of at least 3 years’ experience in an NGO set up implementing community malaria programs. • Experience working with health service delivery professionals (e.g. Community Health Workers, health care workers, etc.) • Experience with implementing and reporting of malaria initiatives and strong project management skills. • Highly organized, flexible, and adaptable to changing priorities and able to work well under deadlines with minimum supervision. • Good computer skills using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. • Good verbal and written communications skills to include conflict resolution, priority management, and managing expectations of multiple clients. • Fluency in English, Karen and/or Burmese. Knowledge of Thai is a plus. • Experience in the implementation of Global Fund Malaria grants is an added advantage

Working Environment:

The position will be based in the IRC office in Ratchaburi, with frequent travel to the refugee camps in Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi provinces.

Standards of Professional Conduct

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.