Project Manager (Integrated Outbreak Analytics) UNICEF Uganda

Project Manager (Integrated Outbreak Analytics)
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, a future.
Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework. Visit this Link to connect with our mission in Uganda.
On 20 September 2022, Uganda confirmed a case of Ebola (Sudan Virus Disease, SVD) in Ngabano Village of Madudu Sub-County, Mubende district. Concurrently, two sub-counties; Kiruma and Madudu reported a cluster of six unexplained deaths that had occurred between 1 and 15 September 2022 that have been classified as probable cases of Ebola. By 17 November 2022, 60 days later, 141 confirmed cases with 55 confirmed deaths (CFR 39%) had been reported in nine districts: Mubende, Kassanda, Kyegegwa, Bunyangabu, Kagadi, Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and Jinja districts. This includes: 19 health workers (HW CFR 37%), and 35 cases reported among children (child specific CFR 60%). A total of 76 people including children have recovered from the disease. As part of the initial surge response and at the request of the Uganda Country Office, UNICEF PHE HQ deployed its Global Integrated Outbreak Analytics (IOA) lead to support the response through the set up of an IOA Cell under the Ministry of Health. IOA applies a multidisciplinary approach to understanding outbreak dynamics and to inform outbreak response. It aims to drive comprehensive, accountable, and effective public health and clinical strategies by enabling communities, and national and subnational health authorities to use data for operational decision-making. IOA is produced through partnerships and a multi-disciplinary community of practice (a network of agencies and organizations that work or are interested in working with this approach have come together under the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). It is primarily a field-based initiative that leverages support from national, regional, and international experts to reinforce pre-existing local capacity.
Objectives of IOA set up within the Uganda Ebola response
Within the response, the objective of IOA are to
1. Drive comprehensive, accountable, and effective public health and clinical strategies for outbreak management and control
2. Produce data from multidisciplinary perspectives that can rapidly and systematically inform operational decisions
3. Drive a holistic understanding of outbreak dynamics, and highlight the impacts of both the outbreak and response control interventions
4. Advance mechanisms and methods for relevant, useful, and rapid evidence-generation
Build, strengthen and scale-up sub-national and national, regional, and global capacity to conduct IOA
6. Provide support via field deployment, remote assistance (analytics/helpdesk), technical and normative guidance, tool development or dissemination and online trainings.
How can you make a difference?
Under the Ministry of Health (MOH) leadership, the Project Manager (IOA) will be responsible for
1. Support the IOA MoH leadership to manage IOA Cell
1.1. Bring together partners and collaborators, facilitate discussions, meetings and presentations as required
1.2. Support on the identification of key IOA themes and studies over time
1.3. When/if required support the development of an IOA workplan within the Ebola response strategy
1.4. Support the tracking and development of IOA studies with different partners
1.5. Work with MoH to ensure IOA cell can be sustainable as /if requested
2. Provide technical guidance to MoH and partners on key questions for IOA
2.1. to support understanding of outbreak dynamics and identify and support on appropriate methods to collect and analyse data to answer questions
2.2. review routine data from response pillars (case, surveillance, ETU and others); continuity of care (use of healthcare services) and context (community; healthcare worker) to monitor trends in outbreak, impacts of the outbreak and response and communities perceptions and practice over time to identify questions for further investigation
2.3. provide training and technical guidance to MoH and partners on IOA approaches and methods (in person, online, tools etc)
3. Support on data analytics (social epidemiological, statistics, R) based on data types and study questions
3.1. Conduct routine analyses of social epidemiological data (qualitative, quantitative)
3.2. Contribute to reflections around data analytics within other specializations (data science, modelling, anthropology etc)
4. Ensure that studies are robust and of quality through support to data collection (tools, methods) and analyses
4.1. Regularly accompany and support MoH and field teams in different locations to review and adapt data collection methods/tools to ensure they are usable and provide quality data for analysis
5. Support the monitoring of evidence use across response pillars and actors over time
5.1. Contribute to systematic review of IOA presentations, use of evidence (co-development) and ensure that this is being documented and tracked by MoH
5.2. Support all IOA partners to ensure that results are presented in ways which are usable and used and that recommendations are documented across all pillars, response actors and support the MoH to identify the best mechanisms for doing so.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
• Advanced (master’s degree) university qualification in relevant field (social epidemiology, epidemiology, operational social sciences health research, public health).
• 8 years of progressively responsible professional work field-based (operational) experience at national and international levels working in humanitarian settings including in public health emergencies.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex scientific content for multiple audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to develop capacity building tools.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• The individual should be highly proficient in a range of PC/web applications, including but not limited to: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, NVivo/Atlas Ti, Epi Info.
• Experience working in public health emergencies is required. Specific experience is using evidence to inform outbreak and humanitarian response is required.
• Experience working in health research in humanitarian or development programmes is required.
• Working in data science (R, SPSS) is an asset
• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: uni.cf/UNICEFValues
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
1. Builds and maintains partnerships
2. Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
3. Drive to achieve results for impact
4. Innovates and embraces change
5. Manages ambiguity and complexity
6. Thinks and acts strategically
7. Works collaboratively with others.
During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.