Health and Surveillance Officer job at Action Against Hunger

Background

Action Against Hunger (Action contre la Faim) has been operating in Uganda since 1980, providing critical humanitarian aid and sustainable development programs. Under the leadership of Country Director Ritah Kabanyoro, the organization addresses both immediate nutritional emergencies and long-term food security across 16 vulnerable districts and multiple refugee settlements.

Summary of Position

The Health and Surveillance Officer will coordinate and support implementation of project health interventions at district and health-facility levels. The role will support integrated primary healthcare outreach, immunisation and catch-up activities, disease surveillance, identification and follow-up of zero-dose and under-immunised children, and coordination with health facilities, VHTs and District Health Offices. The Officer will monitor activity implementation, support data collection and reporting, and promote adherence to Ministry of Health protocols and project standards.

Purpose

Coordinate and support quality implementation of district-level health activities, strengthening access to essential health services, immunisation coverage, community and facility-based disease surveillance, and timely referral and follow-up.

Engagement

Work closely with District Health Offices, health facility teams, VHTs/CHWs, community leaders, Health Assistants and relevant partners to plan and deliver health activities and link communities to services.

Delivery

Ensure timely implementation, monitoring and documentation of assigned health activities in the district, in accordance with approved workplans, Ministry of Health guidelines and ACF procedures.

Essential Job Duties

Integrated Primary Healthcare and Outreach

• Support district and facility teams to plan, organise and conduct integrated community health outreaches for hard-to-reach, kraal-based and mobile populations.
• Coordinate with health facilities to support delivery of essential primary healthcare, basic health assessments, child illness screening using IMCI approaches, ANC, immunisation and nutrition screening during outreaches.
• Monitor outreach schedules, service delivery, referrals and follow-up to ensure that clients requiring further assessment or treatment are linked to appropriate health facilities.
• Support health facility readiness and identify gaps affecting continuity and quality of essential health services.

Immunisation and Child Health

• Work with EPI focal persons and health facilities to identify, line-list and follow up zero-dose and under-immunised children across antigens.
• Support planning and implementation of routine immunisation, measles vaccination and DTP3/catch-up activities through fixed and outreach services.
• Coordinate with VHTs/CHWs to trace children who have missed vaccinations, follow up defaulters and link eligible children to vaccination services.
• Monitor immunisation sessions, vaccine availability, cold-chain functionality and last-mile vaccine distribution in coordination with responsible health teams.
• Support community engagement and health education to address misconceptions and promote completion of vaccination schedules.

Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Preparedness

• Support facility- and community-based detection, screening, line-listing, reporting and referral of suspected epidemic-prone diseases, particularly measles and AWD/cholera.
• Promote use of Ministry of Health IDSR tools, standard case definitions and required reporting timelines by frontline health workers and community surveillance focal persons.
• Support orientation and follow-up of VHTs/community surveillance focal persons on case detection, screening, line-listing and timely notification.
• Share alerts promptly with District Surveillance Focal Persons and support coordination with District Rapid Response Teams and relevant health authorities.
• Monitor surveillance records and support documentation of alerts, referrals, investigations and response actions.

Maternal, Newborn and Reproductive Health

• Support health facilities to strengthen ANC, skilled delivery, PNC, essential newborn care and referral for maternal and newborn complications.
• Monitor availability and use of priority maternal and newborn supplies and support identification and escalation of service-readiness gaps.
• Support linkages and referral arrangements for pregnant women, newborns and clients requiring higher-level care, in coordination with facility teams.
• Promote community awareness on maternal and newborn danger signs, birth preparedness, skilled delivery and timely care-seeking.

MHPSS, Referral and Community Engagement

• Support integration of basic MHPSS and Psychological First Aid into health outreaches and community and facility platforms, within the scope of training and role.
• Ensure individuals requiring specialised mental-health, protection, GBV or other services are safely linked to established referral pathways.
• Coordinate with VHTs, Health Assistants and community leaders to conduct health sensitisation, follow-up and referral activities.
• Support community dialogues and awareness sessions on immunisation, maternal and newborn health, disease prevention and timely health-seeking.

Monitoring, Reporting and Coordination

• Maintain accurate activity records, outreach reports, referral records and district-level health monitoring information.
• Compile and submit timely weekly, monthly and periodic reports to the Project Manager – Health.
• Review routine service data with health facilities and District Health Offices and support reconciliation with HMIS/DHIS2 and other approved reporting systems.
• Conduct regular field monitoring and supportive supervision and report implementation gaps, challenges and emerging health risks.
• Participate in district health coordination meetings and promote complementarity with government and partner-supported activities.

Supervisory Responsibilities

No direct supervisory responsibilities. Provide day-to-day technical guidance and coordination support to Health Assistants and community-level structures where assigned.

Gender Equality Commitments

• Promote equitable access to health services for women, men, girls, boys, older persons and persons with disabilities.
• Ensure community engagement is respectful, inclusive and responsive to cultural and language considerations.
• Identify and report barriers to safe access for vulnerable groups.

Fiscal Responsibility

• Ensure responsible use and accountability of project equipment, supplies and materials assigned for district activities.
• Support proper documentation of activity-related expenditure and use of resources in line with ACF procedures.

Physical Demands

Frequent travel to health facilities, outreach sites and remote communities within the assigned district, including movement to hard-to-reach locations.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

The position is district-based and requires regular coordination with district authorities and health facilities. Work may take place in remote communities and challenging climatic, access and security environments.

Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Degree, diploma public health, Medicine, Nursing, public health nutrition, Public Health, Environmental Health or another relevant health-related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in primary healthcare, community health, immunisation, disease surveillance or humanitarian health programming.
• Experience supporting health-facility or community outreach activities and working with VHTs/CHWs and local government structures.
• Experience in routine health data collection, reporting, referral and follow-up is an advantage.
• Knowledge of Ministry of Health service-delivery systems, EPI and IDSR approaches is desirable.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Good coordination, communication and community engagement skills.
• Knowledge of immunisation, maternal and child health, primary healthcare and disease surveillance.
• Ability to collect, review and report routine programme and health-service data accurately.
• Good facilitation, problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and travel frequently in remote settings.
• Proficiency in basic MS Office applications and digital data-collection tools is desirable.
• Knowledge of local languages used in the assigned district is an added advantage.

Safeguarding and Accountability

• Uphold Action Against Hunger safeguarding, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), anti-fraud, data protection and Code of Conduct policies.
• Promote safe, dignified, inclusive and accountable services; ensure informed consent, confidentiality and the do-no-harm principle.
• Report safeguarding concerns, fraud risks, misconduct, complaints and protection concerns through established organisational channels.

• Coordinate and support implementation of project health interventions at district and health-facility levels.
• Support integrated primary healthcare outreach, immunisation and catch-up activities, disease surveillance, identification and follow-up of zero-dose and under-immunised children, and coordination with health facilities, VHTs and District Health Offices.
• Monitor activity implementation, support data collection and reporting, and promote adherence to Ministry of Health protocols and project standards.
• Coordinate and support quality implementation of district-level health activities, strengthening access to essential health services, immunisation coverage, community and facility-based disease surveillance, and timely referral and follow-up.
• Work closely with District Health Offices, health facility teams, VHTs/CHWs, community leaders, Health Assistants and relevant partners to plan and deliver health activities and link communities to services.
• Ensure timely implementation, monitoring and documentation of assigned health activities in the district, in accordance with approved workplans, Ministry of Health guidelines and ACF procedures.
• Support district and facility teams to plan, organise and conduct integrated community health outreaches for hard-to-reach, kraal-based and mobile populations.
• Coordinate with health facilities to support delivery of essential primary healthcare, basic health assessments, child illness screening using IMCI approaches, ANC, immunisation and nutrition screening during outreaches.
• Monitor outreach schedules, service delivery, referrals and follow-up to ensure that clients requiring further assessment or treatment are linked to appropriate health facilities.
• Support health facility readiness and identify gaps affecting continuity and quality of essential health services.
• Work with EPI focal persons and health facilities to identify, line-list and follow up zero-dose and under-immunised children across antigens.
• Support planning and implementation of routine immunisation, measles vaccination and DTP3/catch-up activities through fixed and outreach services.
• Coordinate with VHTs/CHWs to trace children who have missed vaccinations, follow up defaulters and link eligible children to vaccination services.
• Monitor immunisation sessions, vaccine availability, cold-chain functionality and last-mile vaccine distribution in coordination with responsible health teams.
• Support community engagement and health education to address misconceptions and promote completion of vaccination schedules.
• Support facility- and community-based detection, screening, line-listing, reporting and referral of suspected epidemic-prone diseases, particularly measles and AWD/cholera.
• Promote use of Ministry of Health IDSR tools, standard case definitions and required reporting timelines by frontline health workers and community surveillance focal persons.
• Support orientation and follow-up of VHTs/community surveillance focal persons on case detection, screening, line-listing and timely notification.
• Share alerts promptly with District Surveillance Focal Persons and support coordination with District Rapid Response Teams and relevant health authorities.
• Monitor surveillance records and support documentation of alerts, referrals, investigations and response actions.
• Support health facilities to strengthen ANC, skilled delivery, PNC, essential newborn care and referral for maternal and newborn complications.
• Monitor availability and use of priority maternal and newborn supplies and support identification and escalation of service-readiness gaps.
• Support linkages and referral arrangements for pregnant women, newborns and clients requiring higher-level care, in coordination with facility teams.
• Promote community awareness on maternal and newborn danger signs, birth preparedness, skilled delivery and timely care-seeking.
• Support integration of basic MHPSS and Psychological First Aid into health outreaches and community and facility platforms, within the scope of training and role.
• Ensure individuals requiring specialised mental-health, protection, GBV or other services are safely linked to established referral pathways.
• Coordinate with VHTs, Health Assistants and community leaders to conduct health sensitisation, follow-up and referral activities.
• Support community dialogues and awareness sessions on immunisation, maternal and newborn health, disease prevention and timely health-seeking.
• Maintain accurate activity records, outreach reports, referral records and district-level health monitoring information.
• Compile and submit timely weekly, monthly and periodic reports to the Project Manager – Health.
• Review routine service data with health facilities and District Health Offices and support reconciliation with HMIS/DHIS2 and other approved reporting systems.
• Conduct regular field monitoring and supportive supervision and report implementation gaps, challenges and emerging health risks.
• Participate in district health coordination meetings and promote complementarity with government and partner-supported activities.
• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and coordination support to Health Assistants and community-level structures where assigned.
• Promote equitable access to health services for women, men, girls, boys, older persons and persons with disabilities.
• Ensure community engagement is respectful, inclusive and responsive to cultural and language considerations.
• Identify and report barriers to safe access for vulnerable groups.
• Ensure responsible use and accountability of project equipment, supplies and materials assigned for district activities.
• Support proper documentation of activity-related expenditure and use of resources in line with ACF procedures.

• Good coordination, communication and community engagement skills.
• Knowledge of immunisation, maternal and child health, primary healthcare and disease surveillance.
• Ability to collect, review and report routine programme and health-service data accurately.
• Good facilitation, problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and travel frequently in remote settings.
• Proficiency in basic MS Office applications and digital data-collection tools is desirable.
• Knowledge of local languages used in the assigned district is an added advantage.

• Degree, diploma public health, Medicine, Nursing, public health nutrition, Public Health, Environmental Health or another relevant health-related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in primary healthcare, community health, immunisation, disease surveillance or humanitarian health programming.
• Experience supporting health-facility or community outreach activities and working with VHTs/CHWs and local government structures.
• Experience in routine health data collection, reporting, referral and follow-up is an advantage.
• Knowledge of Ministry of Health service-delivery systems, EPI and IDSR approaches is desirable.