Angola: Malaria Associate, E8 Trans-Kunene Malaria Initiative

Background

The Elimination 8 is a SADC ministerial initiative, designed as a platform for regional collaboration towards malaria elimination within the SADC region. The eight countries which make up the E8 are Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These countries are highly interconnected by population movement as well as shared malaria ecologies, making it impossible for one country to eliminate malaria without collaboration with its neighbours. The Ministers of Health of these eight countries have therefore committed to develop this platform for joint planning and accountability. Achieving elimination involves the design and meticulous execution of advanced disease and entomological surveillance systems, establishment of capacity for quality diagnosis, and control of parasite movement through the region’s porous borders. The E8 Ministerial and Technical Committees have developed a 5-year strategic plan to develop innovative, game-changing programs that will steer the region closer to its goal of zero transmission of malaria by 2030.

The Ministerial and Technical Committees of the E8 are supported by an E8 Secretariat, which coordinates diplomatic and programmatic collaboration between the eight countries. The Secretariat is also responsible for coordinating the execution of the Strategic Plan, in partnership with the funding and technical partners of the E8. The Secretariat is based in Windhoek, Namibia.

E8 Secretariat is expecting to sign a project, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to target sources of malaria infection in southern Angola, to accelerate reduction in morbidity and mortality at the cross-border interface between Angola, Namibia, and Zambia. This is part of a coordinated multi-country effort to gradually eliminate malaria from the SADC region, through multilateral and cross-border collaboration. The project involves the rapid rollout of a series of interventions designed to drain sources of infection and to generate evidence for the gradual rollout of a larger control effort in southern Angola; interventions include integrated community case management, indoor residual spraying, epidemiological and entomological surveys, transmission risk analysis and modeling, operational research, and strategic planning.

The Position

The role calls for an individual who is passionate about global public health, with a proven track record of excellence. He/she must be able to function with limited day-to-day guidance in a complex terrain, and must be resourceful, energetic, and have an exceptional work ethic. The Associate will report to the Program Manager, and will be part of a small team leading the coordination and delivery of the project described above, closely monitoring impact through rigorous analysis of project performance and malaria incidence.

He/she will be an innovative problem solver, who is passionate, keen to learn new skills and take on a wide range of tasks, and with a commitment to serving the SADC region. Flexibility and ability to operate in a complex and dynamic context are important attributes for success in this role.

The Associate will be based in Ondjiva, with significant travel between Luanda, Ondjiva, and Windhoek.

Key Performance Areas

· Analyze and draw conclusions from large volumes of data, inform strategic decision-making and assess the impact of the project

· Manage the development and maintenance of databases to inform quantitative models and forecasts

· Develop analytical frameworks for rigorous review of project performance metrics, including expanded access to health services, and indoor residual spraying

· Contribute to modelling of malaria transmission risk, including collection of data on malaria incidence, and environmental covariates

· In consultation with expert partners, lead implementation of capacity assessments of diagnosis, health information, surveillance, and malaria coordination systems at provincial level in southern Angola

· Synthesize assessment findings, and develop concise, actionable recommendations to inform malaria elimination strategic planning

· Support Program Manager in development of Malaria Elimination Transition Plan for southern Angola, including field capacity assessments, operational planning, and play a lead in costing of the Plan

· Provide strategic, analytical, and operations support to implementing partners contracted by E8 Secretariat to rapidly scale up malaria treatment and prevention interventions, and to generate evidence through field surveys

· Identify key impediments to the successful execution of the malaria strategy and other national guidelines and work with the National Malaria Control Program and partners to develop solutions and leverage partnerships and other resources to address them

· Develop innovative solutions to support systems for health information reporting and capacity, to provide reliable data for project analysis

· Conduct technical needs assessments at national, provincial, and municipal levels at the Ministry of Health of Angola, and frame the findings to inform development of a long-term plan for malaria control and elimination

· Conduct supervisory and technical assessment field visits, closely monitoring results

• Other responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with at least 5 years of work experience

· Ability to learn on the job quickly and to absorb and synthesize a broad range of information Experience working in the NGO/development sector in Angola will be a significant advantage

· Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and qualitative; experience framing and analyzing evidence-based solutions to strategic challenges. Experience with public health research and/or empirical analysis is a significant advantage

• Ability to think proactively and solve challenging problems without extensive structural or operational support
• Experience in conceiving, planning and executing programs or projects with verifiable results and limited external support
• Experience developing and managing demanding workplans in resource constrained environment

· Ability to present information (both written and oral) in a concise, insightful and structured manner

• High level of technical proficiency with MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Word
• Able to adapt to fast-paced and changing environments, both internally and externally.
• Ability to travel at short notice and on a regular basis
• Excellent verbal, visual and written communication skills

· Ability to perform under extreme pressure and take initiative in resolving problems

· Demonstrated fluency (speaking and writing skills) in both English and Portuguese

· Willingness and flexibility to travel and spend significant amounts of time in the field in southern Angola are essential

· Open to all nationalities, although citizens of SADC will be preferred, as per E8 recruitment policy

Applicants are requested to send their CV to vacancies@elimination8.org not later than July 10, 2017, clearly indicating the job for which are applying in the email subject line.