Environmental Health Officers

Requisition ID: req11820

Job Title: Environmental Health Officer

Sector: Health

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Bidibidi, Uganda

Job Description

 

BACKGROUND

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict development services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC is currently working in over 25 countries around the world, addressing both the immediate and lifesaving needs of conflict affected people in emergencies and the reconstruction needs of post-conflict societies. 

The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998 supporting refugees and vulnerable host communities. IRC Uganda has it country office in Kampala and regional offices in Amudat, Imvepi, Isingiro, Kitgum, Kyegegwa, Lamwo, Moroto and Yumbe. The current program portfolio includes health, protection and rule of law, women’s protection and empowerment, and economic recovery and development programming. Since May 2020, IRC Uganda has been implementing an ECHO-funded, IRC-led emergency Preparedness and Response project and this was incorporated with the COVID 19 pandemic preparedness and now response programming in Yumbe, Lamwo, Terego and Madi districts, as part of a consortium with Medical Teams International (MTI).

SCOPE OF WORK

The EH Officer-Hygiene Promotion and IPC will be responsible for day-to-day implementation of EH Hygiene Promotion activities and staff involved in direct implementation of IRC’s COVID 19 IPC interventions and other communicable disease outbreak preparedness Response Project Strategy. The Environmental Health Officer will hold the overall responsibility for all Environmental Health (EH) and IPC activities of the assigned Health Facilities in Bidi Bidi Settlement camp, Yumbe District,  the development and implementation of IPC/WASH improvement plans, supervise adaptation of existing structures and protocols to include COVID-19 related IPC, training of health care workers on IPC/ Hygiene Promotion. S/he will work under the supervision of the  Health Manager and the Environmental Health Manager to ensure that COVID-19 triage and isolation facility and all program services meet IRC IPC protocols. The Technical Coordinator Environmental Health and Deputy Health Coordinator will be available to provide any technical guidance and support remotely when needed. This position will enter the red zone of the COVID-19 isolation facilities to ensure that all standard protocols are adhered to including HCWM.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical

• Take full responsibility for ensuring that all hygiene promotion and IPC activities meet stated objectives within the timeframe.
• Implement rapid IPC infrastructural and operational analysis of designated health facilities in line with IRCs Standard Operating Procedures for Health facilities,
• Propose and support implementation of necessary adaptations leading to compliance in line with the national standards.
• Build capacity of front-line health care workers jointly with the IPC mentor in IPC and WASH through scheduled mentorships.
• Strengthen overall IPC competencies at health facilities through training of practitioners and support staff in IPC and Health Care Waste Management and assessing isolation units’ readiness.
• In consultation with the Community Health Officers, IPC mentor and Protection teams, develop timely messages on EH/IPC to be disseminated to the community.
• Work closely with the Community Health Officer, IPC Mentor and Protection teams to ensure IPC messages are provided to the community.
• Lead on EH/IPC COVID-19 IPC materials and supply procurement plan.
• Contribute to revision of SOPs, guidelines, and standards on IPC for COVID-19 response.
• Ensure all program health facilities in the Triage and Isolation facilities meet standards; making recommendations on upgrading facilities and procedures as needed
• Submission of weekly activity plans and end of week update reports.

Monitoring

• Take the lead on ensuring that monitoring and data collection of all IPC and hygiene promotion indicators are in line with the approved monitoring framework, using all the correct monitoring tools and at the frequency prescribed.
• Lead on and participate in monitoring data analysis and trends in the field site. 

Other duties

• Support the Health Manager with assessing staffing requirements against the size and scale of the project.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures
• Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of the team; promptly reporting concerns or incidents to the Health Manager and EH Manager and when liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment for IRC programs
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

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, and Accountability. 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.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, 

gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

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

Deadline for receiving applications is January 19th,2021

 

Qualifications

 

• The ideal candidate will have an Environmental Health background and experience in Implementing water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for health facilities such as cholera treatment centers and disease-specific treatment units. “Highly desired criteria” include previous work in Triages and isolation facilities, and knowledge of infection control and prevention.
  

• Minimum university degree in Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences, Health Sciences, or another related field.
• At least 2 years’ experience in working in healthcare setting, field epidemiology or emergency management.
• Desirable: expertise in infection prevention and control, within healthcare settings or in the context of outbreaks.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of IPC and/or Healthcare Waste Management
• Ability to report on the rapid IPC infrastructural and operational analysis of isolation and treatment units of designated facilities. This should include HCWM infrastructure, supplies needs, capacity/no. of beds, staffing needs for HCWM, coordination, diversion of non-essential staff, supplies, equipment, etc.
• Preparation of regular reports documenting all activities including gaps and recommendations.
• Ability to live and work in stressful environment.
• Excellent initiator and able to manage multiple tasks.
• Able to work under pressure and good at timely decision making.
• Competent in Microsoft Office, Word and Excel as well as online platforms such as zoom, teams, etc.
• Excellent professional approach and strong team building skills.