Innovations
for Poverty Action (IPA)
Position: Field Officer – Environmental Surveillance for STH (ESTH) Project
Eligibility: Position open to local Kenyan hires only
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
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.