EVIHDAF Evidence for Sustainable Human Development Systems in Africa – Cameroon
Opening – Malaria Surveillance, Monitoring & Evaluation Advisor

EVIHDAF is currently recruiting for the position of Malaria Surveillance, Monitoring & Evaluation (SM&E) Advisor, for an anticipated USAID project focused on reducing malaria-related morbidity and mortality by improving the capacity of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and other local entities to lead the prevention, control, and elimination of malaria in Cameroon. The project is anticipated to be implemented in the Far-North and/or North region(s) of Cameroon. The position is based in Maroua (or Garoua), and involves frequent travels within the target region and to the Head office in Yaoundé. The successful candidate will report to the Project Director (or Chief of Party).

 

 

 

EVIHDAF is an international research and evaluation organization headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon which serves the West and Central Africa region, providing services in Research, Evaluation & Learning; Data & Information Systems; and Social & Behavior Change Strategies. Our practice areas are Health and Health Systems, Nutrition and Food Security, and Agriculture and Livelihoods (www.evihdaf.com).

 

 

Major Responsibilities
The Malaria SM&E Advisor will lead activities related to improving access to, and utilization of quality malaria data. He/she will be responsible for the provision of technical assistance (TA) to NMCP to strengthen SM&E capacity for malaria data collection, reporting, analysis and use, and for supporting malaria SM&E and health information systems activities as requested by NMCP or PMI Cameroon. Overall, he/she will lead the development, execution, monitoring, adaptation and evaluation of work plans aimed at: 1) strengthening malaria data collection, review, analysis, use, and coordination at the region, districts, and health area levels; 2) improving health management information systems, data analysis and data use, as well as malaria surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation activities coordination; 3) improving detection, reporting and monitoring of malaria data at the community level; and 4) increasing the availability of local scientific evidence to support decision making.
Technical Responsibilities
– Identify malaria SM&E capacity gaps and develop capacity-strengthening plans to address these gaps;
– Provide direct technical support to the NMCP to strengthen staff capacity at the regional and district levels in malaria SME, including data collection, reporting, data management, data analysis, dissemination, and use;
– Support the training and coordination of community health workers on the use of electronic reporting tools;
– Provide TA in efforts to integrate malaria data into national routine data collection and management systems, including identification of data sources, developing/updating protocols and data collection tools, data quality audits, and data processing guidelines;

– Participate in the relevant SM&E technical working groups and identify new opportunities for TA and collaboration with the NCMP and SM&E stakeholders;
– Generate evidence and publish in peer-reviewed journals to support the program and showcase the project best practices and performance;
– Work with PMI implementing partners and provide technical support for implementing standard tools and approaches, as needed;
– Support quarterly data quality review and reporting.

Leadership and Management Responsibilities
– Prepare work plans, monitor their performance, and refine as needed;
– Prepare activity budgets, forecasts, and monitor funding pipeline against critical milestones and deliverables;
– Ensure timely project reporting and participation in relevant project meetings;
– Engage with key stakeholders, including, but not limited, to the following:
o Represent the project at the regional and country levels;
o Coordinate with the Government, US government agencies, PMI implementing partners and other technical organizations for efficient technical assistance and leveraging of limited resources;
o Develop and maintain trusting, professional and cordial relationships with SM&E stakeholders to promote a culture of collaboration, coordination, communication, and learning;
o Contribute to other partner-led activities that advance the country’s malaria strategic goals and objectives.

 

 

Basic Qualifications:
– Advanced degree in public health, biostatistics, epidemiology or other relevant discipline.
– Minimum 10 years’ experience in SM&E of health (especially malaria) or related fields; including familiarity with malaria rapid data quality assessment (M-RDQA) tool, and with DHIS2 data or other health information systems data;
– Strong data analysis and proficiency in standard statistical packages, including SPSS, STATA, SAS, Epi-info;
– Good understanding of malaria epidemiology, control and elimination strategies;
– Demonstrated ability to effectively manage an interdisciplinary team, to interact with and lead a broad range of governmental and non-governmental actors and institutions across sectors, and to foster data use for policy and programmatic decision-making;
– Experience coordinating technical assistance at different levels of the health system;
– Strong interpersonal communication, writing, and oral skills in both English and French;
– Ability to work with minimum supervision.
Preferred Skills/Experience:
– Proven familiarity with US-funded projects and the ability to effectively coordinate with the Government, US government agencies, PMI implementing partners, and other technical organizations;
– Prior experience working in malaria program, disease surveillance or health information, an asset.

 

 

Professional Skills:
– Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities;
– Team player with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment;
– Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment;
– Demonstrated outstanding level of professionalism in providing administrative support, including ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, tact, and diplomacy;
– Sound business ethics, including the protection of proprietary and confidential information;
– Ability to apply detailed knowledge of organizational procedures to make independent decisions and serve as a credible resource for a senior management team;
– Ability to work with all levels of internal staff, as well as outside clients and vendors;
– Excellent problem-solving skills with ability to analyze situations, identify existing or potential problems and recommend solutions;
– Excellent scientific writing and presentations skills with evidence of previous publications and conference presentations –a good track records in peer-review publications, will be an added advantage;
– Proficiency in MS Office Applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel);
– Ability to be flexible to handle multiple priorities and to work limited overtime as necessary.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application online to the address candidate@minajobs.net with the subject line ”Malaria SM&E Advisor”.

 

The application, in English or in French, should consist of: 1) a cover letter not exceeding three (3) pages, showing the candidate’s qualifications for the position, and including his/her current and/or expected salary range; and 2) a CV of no more than six (6) pages, ending with the names, phone numbers and email addresses of three references.

A first round of interviews will be conducted mid-November 2022, but the position will remain open until filled. Final selection is subject to funding.