4 Field Officers Jobs in Kenya - NGO

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Position: Field Officer – Environmental Surveillance for STH (ESTH) Project
4 Positions
Reporting To: Research Associate
Deadline to Apply: 5th March, 2019
Start Date: 1st April, 2019
Location: Nairobi
Eligibility: Position open to local Kenyan hires only
Duration: 1 Month
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting effective solutions to global poverty problems.
In close partnership with decision makers, the policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors working with the poor around the world. IPA designs and evaluates potential solutions to poverty problems using randomized evaluations, the most rigorous evaluation method available.
We also mobilize and support these decision makers to use these solutions to build better programs and policies at scale.
About the project: Environmental surveillance for Soil Transmitted Helminths (ESTH) project seeks to develop, validate, and field test a standardized protocol for employing molecular-based assessment methods to detect and quantify soil transmitted helminth (hookworm, Trichuris, and Ascaris) material in soil, water, animal feces and assess its ability to predict community level human infection for STH control programs.
Studies have shown that environmental surveillance has been successfully used as a tool for monitoring transmission of poliovirus and has been integrated into surveillance guidelines by the World Health Organization’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Despite strong evidence that STH are commonly found in the environment, little work has been done to explore the role of environmental sampling in STH surveillance. Environmental surveillance of STH could serve as a low-cost tool for monitoring STH human infection prevalence levels or transmission break within populations.
Duties and Responsibilities:
·         Explaining project objectives and obtaining informed consent from all respondents before data and sample collections.
·         Assist with translations, pretesting and piloting surveys, providing feedback during debriefs on field operations and survey instruments that will inform and monitor improvements in survey tools.
·         In the morning, collect all the equipment and supplies needed for sample collection as per field checklist.
·         Administer samples collection survey tool and collect drinking water, soils, stool samples from all eligible study households using survey CTO.

·         Ensuring samples are collected handled aseptically according to the SOP during transport to the lab without cross contaminations or loss.
·         Ensure that samples collected from the field are timely delivered, received and logged at KEMRI lab every day at the end of field work.
·         Ensure that all the supplies and equipment are returned to the lab at the end of field work and liaise with supervisors to ensure that materials, such as icepacks, gloves, stool, water and soil sampling containers are enough for the next day’s exercise.
·         Ensure that at the end of field work, all used cooler boxes and ice packs are returned to KEMRI and sterilized, ready for use the following morning.
·         Maintain professionalism when working with the collaborator (KEMRI)
Qualifications and Experience:
·         Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Public Health / Environmental Health or Biological Sciences.
·         Diploma or bachelor’s degree in biological or social sciences with previous field experience in sample collection preferred.
·         Excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and Swahili
·         Excellent management and organizational skills
·         Flexible, self, motivating, and able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, a team player.
·         Computer literate
How to Apply
CLICK HERE to apply online
Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Field Officer-ESTH Project. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment or request any form of payment for any document processing from an applicant.. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA.