Surveillance Officer

POSITION SUMMARY

ICAP at Columbia University’s Targeted Programmatic Support Across Countries under the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria under PEPFAR (PSA) is a program that provides technical assistance (TA) and capacity-building support to the Department of Health, in collaboration with key stakeholders and local partners in Central Visayas (VII) and Western Visayas (VI) Regions of the Philippines.

Under the direction of the Strategic Information Officer, the Surveillance Officer will be seconded to the Department of Health (DOH)-Epidemiology Bureau (EB) National HIV/AIDS & STI Surveillance and Strategic Information Unit (NHSSS) and support activities at the national level for HIV recent infection surveillance activities; conduct continuous review of national and regional-level program data; and ensure continuous communication between DOH Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Units (RESU) and the DOH-EB NHSSS Unit.

RESPONSIBILITIES

HIV Recent Infection Surveillance:

• In coordination with the leadership of the DOH-EB NHSSS Unit, s/he support the day-to- day management of HIV recent infection surveillance activities at national and regional level.

• Assist in the management of recent infection surveillance related data, demographic, geographic, and HIV risk variables in the national HIV case surveillance database and server managed by the DOH-EB NHSSS, in close coordination with the DOH-EB NHSSS Database Specialist, and in close collaboration with centers such as the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and selected Certified rHIVda Confirmatory Laboratories (CrCLs) running recent infection tests and recording above- mentioned data.

• Ensure that SACCL and selected CrCLs are trained and equipped with the required data collection tools and procedures to collect and submit recent infection related data.

• Responsible for the implementation of data quality checks, ongoing data cleaning, editing, and monitoring to ensure any identified data issues and inconsistencies in the data are reviewed and addressed, in close coordination with the DOH-EB NHSSS Database Specialist

• Assist with data entry into the One HIV/AIDS and STI Information System (OHASIS) at DOH-EB of hard copies of Rapid Test for Recent Infection (RTRI) results collected from SACCL to allow triangulation of RTRI test result with demographic and risk factor data.

• Support the DOH-EB NHSSS and ICAP SI technical advisor with developing/setting up a recent infection dashboard, at national and regional level, using OHASIS

• Utilize statistical software to conduct data analysis of and provide interpretation on recent surveillance data, and assist with reports or presentations, when needed.

• Support DOH-EB NHSSS in providing feedback to DOH-region on the quality and completeness of data, and performance of HIV-1 recent infection surveillance program.

HIV Surveillance and Program Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Support the DOH-EB in monitoring and operationalizing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for epidemiological and laboratory investigations and surveillance activities across the regions in close collaboration with the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Units (RESUs)

• Work with RESU and ICAP regional M&E officer in supporting LGUs namely in the following: identify capacity and resource gaps within the province and to develop and implement training, supervision plans and capacity building activities to strengthen surveillance capacity

• Contribute to the implementation, and maintenance of various HIV & STI surveillance systems, particularly in data collection, validation, analysis and interpretation, and dissemination, to impact programmatic decision making at the local, regional, and national levels

• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of National HIV and STI reports

• Monitor the HIV cascade and service implementation through the national HIV & STI

surveillance systems and coordinate findings to key stakeholders

• Coordinate HIV and STI surveillance and strategic information activities with different stakeholders and partners, and provide technical support as needed

• Provide technical assistance to facility, local, and regional partners on surveillance, strategic information, and monitoring and evaluation

• Assist the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in the DOH-EB NHSSS in understanding nuances in data and provide pivotal strategic information

• Assist in the enhancement of OHASIS dashboards

• Perform other functions, as assigned by DOH-EB NHSSS and ICAP SI Officer

Minimum Qualifications

• Preferably more than 3 years’ experience in public health epidemic response

• Previous experience working with the DOH-EB at national or regional level is advantageous

• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in operational or clinical research or surveys

• Minimum 2-3 years supervising wide scale electronic data collection activities

• Experience and competency in data analysis and data visualization

• Competent in Microsoft Word and Excel, and statistical software (R, SAS, STATA, etc.)

• Power BI experience is a bonus

• Experience working with health multiple stakeholders providing mentorship and support supervision

• Experience in conducting data QA/QC procedures, including implementation of corrective actions/preventive actions

• Willingness to spend substantial time in the field if needed

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required

• Filipino national

• Fluent in English and Filipino

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree or professional equivalent in Environmental Health Sciences, Nursing sciences, public health, social sciences or health related discipline. A post graduate qualification is preferable

• Familiarity with the national HIV surveillance systems in DOH-EB, particularly

OHASIS, is preferrable

Travel Requirements:

• Domestic travels to project sites/partners as needed.