Surveillance Officer

Title: Surveillance Officer, Disease Surveillance Systems Strengthening, Global Health Security Project (GHSP)
Position Type: Consultant
Location: General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM) under the Ministry of Health

Please submit a cover letter with your resume in one document describing your interest in this position and how you meet the requirements. To be considered, application materials must be submitted in English and applicants must confirm in their cover letter that they have legal authorization to work in Vietnam. PATH offers a highly dynamic work environment and salary is paid in VND.

NOTE: You are required to be a citizen of Vietnam to apply for this position. We will not respond to your application if you do not meet this requirement.

PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Working in Vietnam since the early 1980s, PATH established a permanent office in Hanoi in 1997 and an office in Ho Chi Minh City in 2014.

As part of a cooperative agreement to support the implementation of Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in Vietnam, PATH seeks a local staff member to be based at the General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM) under the Ministry of Health. In this role one would support ongoing activities for communicable disease surveillance conducted by GDPM, particularly those under the GHSA framework. This individual will work full-time at GDPM, under the technical supervision and direction of GDPM leaders. Periodic performance reports will be provided to the PATH Project Director, with GDPM endorsement.  

Specific responsibilities:

The Surveillance Officer will be given technical guidance and support from GDPM leadership, as well as leaders and officers at GDPM’s Division of Communicable Disease Control (CDC).

Specific responsibilities include:

• Support GDPM in planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of disease surveillance including indicator-based surveillance (IBS), event-based surveillance (EBS) (including expanding EBS to other provinces), and sentinel surveillance.  
• Assist GDPM to monitor and evaluate implementation of disease surveillance, particularly the reporting system from local health authorities, hospitals, and clinics.
• Collaborate with CDC Division staff to conduct reviews of different components of the disease surveillance system, with the goal of making real-time improvements to the overall reporting system, under activities related to emergency operations center (EOC).
• Participate in risk assessment for communicable diseases and public health events conducted by GDPM team.
• Provide consultation for the CDC Division and GDPM leaders about public health events and relevant response measures.
• Support field outbreak investigations and assist GDPM officers in the preparation of reports and propose prevention and control measures.
• Participate in the development of national guidelines on communicable disease surveillance, including national EBS guidelines, surveillance guidelines for arbovirus diseases, and the rapid response team (RRT) operation guidelines.
• Serve as a liaison between national and international experts on surveillance and  reporting of communicable diseases.
• Assist GDPM in identifying issues/challenges and developing strategies for effective implementation of the GHSA roadmap and work plan.
• Prepare progress reports as required by GDPM.
• Participate and coordinate with GDPM officers, or relevant units, to perform other duties related to surveillance activities.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by GDPM leaders.

Rules of work:

• Work as a full-time officer at the CDC Division of GDPM, under the management and task assignment of CDC Division leaders, and follow the regulations and rules of GDPM.
• Proactively initiate the development of a work plan and submit to CDC Division leaders for approval.
• Proactively implement and coordinate activities after the work plan is approved.

Duration of the contract: Apr 15 – Sep 29, 2017

Deliverables:

Monthly progress reports with supporting documents.

How to Apply:

Interested and qualified applicants are encouraged to submit CV and cover letter to the email: [email protected] with the subject “Application for Surveillance Officer”. Deadline for applications: April 30th 2017. Because of the large volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.