12 Jobs and Vacancies at ABT Associates, Kenya

Abt Associates, a major American business and government research, technical assistance, and consulting company, manages the USAID-funded Vector Control Task Order 1.

Task Order 1 will support the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and USAID to plan and implement an integrated vector control approach with the overall goal of reducing the burden of malaria.
Abt has implemented indoor residual spraying (IRS) for PMI since 2011, delivering high-quality IRS programs and gathering the most comprehensive vector control entomological data in the world.


Under this contract, Abt will expand entomological monitoring to guide programs focused on insecticide-treated mosquito nets and IRS and continue to assist PMI in reducing the burden of malaria through IRS and capacity building in 22 African countries where malaria is endemic. Abt also will continue to support PMI in IRS monitoring and evaluation, as well as environmental compliance.
The PMI VectorLink Kenya Project is led by Abt Associates, an international development organization composed of dedicated professionals who provide technical assistance, research, analysis, and practical training services in more than 128 countries.
Under the supervision of AIRS Kenya’s Chief of Party, the Country Finance & Administration Manager oversees and directs all aspects of finance and administrative support for the PMI VectorLink Project in Kenya.
Country Finance & Administration Manager
Duty Station / Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

·         Develop, manage, and monitor project budgets and annual workplans.
·         Prepare accurate financial reports, and monthly cash fund’s request in close coordination with senior project staff.
·         Prepare annual site office revenue projections and update budget tracker forecast on a monthly basis
·         Ensure that the project operations are in compliance with all USAID and Abt policies and procedures.
·         Support the startup, general operations, and closedown of the IRS program in Kenya.
·         Manage the financial operations and financial reporting of the country program, providing guidance, training and technical assistance to financial and non-financial management personnel.
·         Supervise and coach the project Accountant, Finance Assistants and other Administrative staff
·         Conduct a financial brown bag in a quarterly basis to build the financial capacity of technical and operations personnel on different financial topics including compliance, travel, budgeting, forecasting and procurement.
·         Create and maintain financial reporting and tracking systems that provide basic data measurements on financial performance of project activities and develop/recommned cost cutting and compliant strategies to implement the project with less resources
·         Provide ongoing financial administration to the project, including the processing of approvals for procurements, consultant agreements, and vendor invoices.
·         Manage the timely submission of the monthly field expenses (ROV) to the headquarters office.
·         Serve as the project’s contact with the client on finance and administrative issues, participating in discussions on contract issues and actions, and following up on client requests and concerns.
·         Support the development, execution, and management of subcontractor and consultant agreements.
·         Develop and implement a payment system for seasonal spray operators and community mobilizers.
·         Develop and implement systems to streamline financial practices and procedures.
·         Inform and maintain project FCA at Headquarters updated on all contractual, financial and legal issues affecting the project
·         Perform random audits of inventory to make sure inventory reports prepared by operations team are always accurate and up to date.
·         Oversee Human Resource activities affecting the project including but not limited to the hiring, termination, benefit tracking and legal disputes affecting current and former site office personnel.

Qualification requirements include the following:

·         Bachelors Degree (minimum), or a Masters Degree (desirable), in Business , Administration, or other relevant field.
·         At least four (4) years of professional experience managing financial and contractual aspects of large international development projects, preferably USAID-funded projects.
·         Significant experience managing and supervising financial and procurement management personnel.
·         Familiarity with US Government Cost Accounting Standards.
·         Strong analytical and computer skills, with an emphasis on budget and financial analysis.
·         Experience in logistics, procurement, and supply chain management highly desirable.
·         Fluency in English.


Database Coordinator
Duty Station / Location: Kisumu County, Kenya
Under the supervision of the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Manager, the Database Coordinator supports the implementation of the M&E system of the PMI VectorLink Project in Kenya.

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

·         Participates in the collection, cleaning, analysis, and reporting of M&E data according to the project’s M&E plan.
·         Tests and maintains functionality of the M&E database, including performing periodic updates and improvements.
·         Trains data entry clerks and M&E assistants on the database needs of the program.
·         Supports the preparation and set up of data centers before and during each spray campaign.
·         Assists in the regular monitoring of project implementation against established targets and objectives, including supervising data collection in the field and data entry clerks at the data centers.
·         Support proper record keeping, filing system and archiving plan for each data center.
·         Supports periodic internal data quality assessments and prepares the project for possible external (DQAs) to ensure validity, integrity, precision, reliability and timeliness of all performance data, identifying gaps and suggesting corrective actions on time.
·         Contributes to the project’s work in HMIS, and in linking country-level HMIS to project monitoring and evaluation, as appropriate.

Qualification requirements include:

·         Secondary School completion (minimum), or a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, information technology, Community Health, Sociology, or other relevant field (desirable).
·         At least one (1) year of relevant experience in database management, monitoring & evaluation, or other relevant social science activities.
·         Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative research methods.
·         Computer literacy, including knowledge of analytical software (Microsoft Access and Excel, SPSS, Stata, Arc GIS, etc.)
·         Knowledge of health project implementation in general, with a focus on malaria prevention programs very desirable.
·         Fluency in English.


Entomology Lab Technician
Duty Station / Location: Kisumu County, Kenya
Under the supervision of the Technical Manager, the Entomology Lab Technician will be in charge of all entomology lab activities, will perform all the molecular analyses and sample archiving and will oversee the sample sorting and insectary laboratories.

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

·         Receive samples from the field and verify their condition and number.
·         Perform ELISA tests for detection of sporozoite in mosquitoes.
·         Perform DNA extraction in mosquitoes for species identification PCR to differentiate different species of mosquitoes and real-time PCR for detection of kdr alleles in mosquitoes for insecticide resistance monitoring.
·         Maintain safe working standards in all laboratory procedures and ensure proper storage of biological samples.
·         Keep inventory of all lab equipment and consumables and make requests for additional supplies through the PMI VectorLink Kenya Technical Manager.
·         Generate regular lab reports and submit to the PMI VectorLink Kenya Technical Manager.
·         Submit all lab generated data to the data clerk for entry in timely manner.
·         Conduct WHO susceptibility and CDC bottle assay tests for evaluation of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors.
·         Be available to perform any additional task as assigned responsible for timely and high quality field entomological work and will work with the Entomology
·         Laboratory Technician, Insectary Technician and Data Entry Clerk to ensure uninterrupted, high quality entomological activities.

Qualification requirements include the following:

·         Bachelors Degree in bio-chemistry, laboratory, veterinary or other related health field.
·         At least two (2) years of experience in busy entomoogy laboratory.
·         Knowledge in computer skills including Microsoft Access, Word, Excel and Power Point
·         Knowledge of English bot spoken and written
·         Experience in real time PCR and microarray analysis is an added advantage


Warehouse Manager
Duty Station / Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Positions:
·         Warehouse Manager – Homa Bay County
·         Warehouse Manager – Migori County
Duty Station / Location: Homa Bay County and Migori County Kenya
Under the supervision of the Operations Manager, the Warehouse Manager will serve as the lead person in warehousing and the supply chain activities at the county level.

Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

·         Lead VectorLink Kenya project activities in warehousing at the county and sub-county levels.

·         Provide strategic guidance to the county coordinator and program and supply chain coordinator on warehousing and supply chain issues.
·         Strengthens local project capacity and other government partners in warehousing and distribution.
·         Ensure that all of the VectorLink warehousing best practices and tools are being used for management of IRS commodities, and that all procedures are done in accordance with the IRS Best Management Practices.
·         Promote use of PMI VectorLink computerized warehouse management system, recommend improvements and strategically lead further implementation at all county warehouses.
·         Promote the use of data to inform and guide decision making by continually identifying gaps and developing corrective actions as needed.
·         Develop and Implement a plan to transfer key warehousing functions to the MOH/county government
·         Quality control and receipt of delivered goods.
·         Management of the project’s inventory control system, including storage, quality control, inventory record keeping, and inventory reporting.
·         Directs and supervises the storage, distribution, and transport of IRS commodity goods and equipment throughout the target counties, sub-counties and operation sites stores.
·         Ensuring safety, proper tracking and accountability for all IRS inventory at all levels of distribution
·         Perform any other duty assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification requirements include the following:

·         Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field e.g. procurement and logistics, supply chain management (desirable). Master’s Degree is added advantage
·         At least two (2) years of experience in warehousing, quantifications and supply planning and/or supply chain management systems.
·         Skilled in the design and use of MIS systems for warehouse operations.
·         Skilled in leading and managing high-performing teams.
·         Demonstrated ability to work with cooperating partners in implementing complex programs.
·         Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communications skills.
·         English proficiency required.


Supply Chain Coordinator
Duty Station / Location: Kisumu, Kenya
Under the supervision of PMI VectorLink Kenya’s Operations Manager, the Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for the inventory management, logistics functions, and overall IRS supply chain coordination.

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

·         Provide support, leadership, and management of IRS supply chain at County level in collaboration with CHMTs.
·         Management of the project’s inventory control system, including storage, quality control, inventory record keeping, and inventory reporting.
·         Oversees storage, distribution, and transport of IRS commodities and equipment throughout the project implementation area.
·         Supervises and supports seasonal Warehouse and Store Managers, and organizes capacity-building interventions to elevate their skills.
·         Manages the logistics for all project activities, including spray operations, entomological activities, community mobilization, events such as workshops and meetings etc.
·         In collaboration with the Operations Manager:
·         Ensures health and safety measures are in place and followed at all store and spraying locations.
·         Ensures timely collection and transportation of contaminated, non contaminated and obsolete IRS wastes from the opertation sites stores to their respective disposal facilities. Helps to train drivers, Washers and warehouse managers on environmental compliance issues.
·         Working in close collaboration with the Operations Manager, supports all aspects of an IRS campaign including procurement, commodity distribution, supervision, environmental compliance, Community mobilization and M&E.
·         Perform any other duty assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification requirements include the following:

·         Minimum diploma certificate in Logistics, Business, Management, Administration, or other relevant field. Bachelors Degree in above courses is highly desirable
·         At least four (4) years of relevant professional experience, with significant experience in the Supply chain, logistics and management of commodities.
·         Demonstrated experience in warehouse/stores management.
·         Excellent management, supervisory, organizational, computer, and writing skills.
·         Previous experience in IRS or other malaria vector control efforts a plus.
·         Fluency in English required.


Entomology Technical Coordinator
Duty Station / Location: Kisumu, Kenya
Under the supervision of the Technical Manager, the Entomology Technical Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing all entomology work conducted including field experiments and collections, laboratory analysis of samples, data management and ultimately assisting with report writing including preparation of tables and graphs.
The Entomology Technical Coordinator will be responsible for developing schedules for field entomology testing and laboratory analysis of samples as well as close supervision of field entomology teams and implementation of standard operating procedures.

Specific tasks include the following:

·         Develop schedules and targets for the field, laboratory, insectary and data teams.
·         Ensure that quality assurance measures are put in place and adhered to in all data collection.
·         Provide regular supervision of field, insectary, data and laboratory teams to ensure accuracy of data.
·         Monitor progress and meet milestones according to a predefined work plan.
·         Conduct preliminary analysis of data and report writing as required by the Entomology Technical Manager.

Qualification requirements include the following:

·         Minimum BSc in Biomedical sciences or related fields with at least 2 years experience working in a busy entomology research environment.
·         Detailed knowledge of field and laboratory entomology procedures.
·         Must be experienced with budgeting for laboratory reagents to monitor consumption and timely placement of new orders
·         Management and supervision experience.
·         Must be able to work independently with minimal support from the Entomology Technical Manager.
·         Excellent computer skills, including MS Excel, Word, Powerpoint.
·         Fluent in English both spoken and written
·         Ability to perform data analysis is an added advantage


IT Specialist
Duty Station / Location: Kisumu, Kenya
Under the supervision of the Kenya Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager, the IT Specialist manages the project’s computer network and mobile technology at all locations in Kenya.

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

·         Provide technical support for major and/or urgent problems with LAN or any of its components (server crash, firewall, virus attack, hard drive failure, etc.).
·         Reimage and join laptops to the domain.
·         Provide on-call assistance to individuals as needed.
·         Provide training to staff upon orientation on various IT policies and procedures of the organization as well as ensuring non IT staff are provided with adequate and appropriate training based on the needs identified.
·         Proactively notify Tier2 support (Abt IT) about issues and work with Tier2 to resolve.
·         Perform Window Server maintenance and administration, including installing Windows 2008 patches and upgrades (Service Packs).
·         Monitor server logs and perform necessary operations to ensure the proper state of the systems.
·         Monitor that the Symantec Antivirus software and virus definition updates are being deployed to the server and client PCs. Ensure that any PC deployed to the field has the project standard antivirus protection and is configured to receive virus definition updates via Internet/Symantec LiveUpdate. Run a weekly antivirus status report from the Symantec Antivirus Console.
·         Perform File Server backups (weekly full backup, daily incremental on file server, and monthly backups of file server and users data). Using Symantec
·         BackupExec 2010, confirm scheduled backup jobs are successful. In conjunction with International IT, perform quarterly data recover validation from backup.
·         Monitor site firewall, managing VPN accounts, if any.
·         Monitor File Server (Group Policy, NTFS permissions, EFS).
·         LAN Administration: create and modify user accounts and privileges/rights (for network and exchange); manage disk space, printer queues, and internet connection; and update antivirus software and definition files.
·         Perform desktop and laptop computer support, including performing routine preventive maintenance (disk scan, deleting temp files, defragmentation, etc.); install software patches and upgrades, troubleshoot hardware or software problems; and ensure users are backing up their data files on the server.
·         Maintain IT Equipment Inventory (format provided).
·         Write and maintain a Disaster Recovery Plan (template provided).
·         Provide basic training on MS Office 2010 products.
·         Work closely with and supervise the M&E/IT assistants.
·         Participate in monthly All IT Manager Meetings with Abt IT Management.
·         Initiate monthly conference call and written summary report with Abt IT Management. Review monthly activity, articulate and implement Action Plans relating to identified IT needs.
·         Ensure a consistent frequency for backing up project data.
·         Performing any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification requirements include the following:

·         Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Programming, or other IT-related field.
·         At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in IT network administration in a Windows NT environment, including internet access support
·         Ability to manage and provide technical oversight to junior programmers and consultants. Work in collaboration with the database manager to ensure project data system is working and backed up.
·         Strong communication skills and the ability to work in collaboration with high level managers and technical advisors.
·         A demonstrated ability to work independently.
·         Fluency in English.
How to Apply
Interested candidates are encouraged to send a cover letter and updated CV to Kenya_IRSJobs@abtassoc.com with the title of the position being applied for in the e-mail subject line e.g. “County Coordinator” by COB Friday, May 11th, 2018.