Polio Surveillance And SIA Field Associate (SSA)

Organizational Context

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Angola is responding to circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks. Despite vaccination rounds, surveillance indicators remain suboptimal in several provinces, posing a risk of undetected poliovirus transmission. This role supports efforts to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and improve the quality of Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) at the municipal/district level.

Job Purpose

This position aims to provide crucial technical assistance for polio outbreak response activities in high-risk, densely populated, border, and underperforming provinces across Angola. The primary focus is to intensify Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance and enhance the quality of supplementary polio vaccination campaigns. This involves improving planning, implementation, supervision, and monitoring of these activities, with a specific emphasis on supporting these efforts at the municipal/district level to close immunity and surveillance gaps and achieve polio eradication goals.

Responsibilities

The role involves supporting accelerated activities to enhance Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance, including training and orienting district staff, implementing facility-based active surveillance using online tools, and conducting community sensitizations. Responsibilities also include collaborating on micro-planning and executing mopping-up immunization activities to eliminate poliovirus transmission. The associate will participate in municipal/district-level activities to improve SIA quality, focusing on identifying and immunizing unvaccinated children and ensuring high coverage. Conducting supervisory visits to immunization teams, preparing reports, and conducting debriefings are key duties. The role also includes performing other assigned tasks as requested by the supervisor.

Work Experience

Essential: 10 years of experience in notifiable disease surveillance and/or immunization service delivery at district, provincial, or national levels. Experience in responding to polio or other vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks is an asset. Field experience in public health surveillance and immunization response at the sub-national level is also beneficial. Desirable: Experience with WHO or another UN agency.

Skills

Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is mandatory. Experience with analytics tools like ODK is advantageous. Fluency in Portuguese is essential, and French is an added advantage.

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