Health Module Developer & Training Specialist - Supportive Supervision Tool for VPD Surveillance

Project: Gabay Bakuna Consequential Immunization Geographies Initiative Project (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s [CDC] Strengthening Immunization Program Implementation in Sub- National Consequential Geographies - Philippines)

Rationale: In 2020, an estimated 17 million children worldwide were completely unvaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis in 10 countries where 65% of these children live. The Philippines was included among the 10 countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children for the said diseases, or what are called “zero-dose” children. Hence, the United States Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (US CDC) has included the Philippines as one of the countries in Asia for a project on consequential geographies to address zero-dose children, measles, polio, and vaccination during public health emergencies.

The “Gabay Bakuna” Consequential Immunization Geographies Initiative Project aims to improve public health surveillance capacity at the national and subnational levels; two (2) strategies are included. These are: 1) supporting and continuously improving comprehensive VPD surveillance systems, and 2) preparing for and responding to VPD outbreaks in targeted subnational areas. As part of national capacity strengthening and technical assistance to the Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau (DOH EB), the development of a supportive supervision (SS) tool for disease surveillance officers and technical officers of Regional, Provincial, City, and select hospital Epidemiology
and Surveillance Units (ESUs) was prioritized to improve the quality of reporting VPDs. This was part of the recommendation of the functionality assessment done by the DOH EB. The primary goal of the development of the SS Tool is to greatly enhance the capacities of disease surveillance officers (DSOs) at the regional and local government levels in the identification, recording, and reporting of VPD cases. Improving these crucial procedures, the program hopes to provide more accurate and timely data for public health action. A critical component of this initiative is to build the capacity of managers and supervisors at the Department of Health's (DOH) Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit and Provincial DOH teams, as well as the Provincial and City Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (PESU / CESU) in conducting supportive supervision in the project sites. To standardize and facilitate this training, an interim module on supportive supervision for supervisors and supervisees for VPD surveillance will be developed.

The Project is looking for a “Health Module Developer and Training Specialist” who will be contracted as a short-term consultant. He/She will develop the manuals, modules, and guides for supportive supervision for supervisors and supervisees involved in vaccine-preventable disease (VDP) surveillance. He/she will provide technical expertise in the field testing and validation, advanced implementation in selected LGUs, and roll-out of the developed modules, including the training of supervisor trainers and hospital disease surveillance officers on the use of the supportive supervision manual, modules, and guides.

The Health Module Developer and Training Specialist will participate in meetings of the Jhpiego Immunization Team, US CDC, Gabay Bakuna partners, and the concerned offices of the DOH and the DOH CHD IV-A, and provide technical recommendations in the finalization of the tools, workshop or training course designs, course evaluations, and participants pre- and post-training assessments, and strengthening learning and development initiatives of the DOH.

Responsibilities:

1. Work closely with the Immunization Technical Advisor, the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer, Project Coordinator, other Jhpiego Immunization Portfolio staff, and other Gabay Bakuna Project consultants involved that require coordination or collaboration, to ensure the quality of implementation of the Project;
2. Work closely with the Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau (DOH EB) and the Department of Health Center for Health Development IV-A CALABARZON Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (DOH CHD IV-A RESU), with logistical assistance and support from the Jhpiego Immunization Team;
3. Develop and design modules and tools for the supportive supervision (SS) of disease surveillance managers, officers, and coordinators, including those in hospital settings, involved in vaccine-preventable disease surveillance;
4. Develop a learning and development matrix for learner participants and other target audiences or populations on learning activities, knowledge, skills, and practices, assessments, and learning competencies and outcomes;
5. Co-develop, in partnership with the Jhpiego Immunization Team, an implementation plan for the activities of the development of the supportive supervision tool and the conduct of supportive supervision visits;
6. Analyze data of entry level competencies, baseline knowledge, skills, and practices of supervisors, supervisees for the supportive supervision module and tools;
7. Compare and analyze data of post-intervention level competencies, baseline knowledge, skills, and practices of supervisors, supervisees for the supportive supervision module and tools from their baseline levels;
8. Prepare technical recommendations for policy and operational guidelines to be used by the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and local government units (LGUs);
9. Prepare summaries and documentation of meeting agreements, technical inputs of DOH partners and stakeholders for the development of the modules and tools; and,
10. Prepare and submit activity and progress reports, and the final report

• A graduate with a degree in any of the following disciplines: Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, Midwifery, Medical Technology, Public Health, Psychology/Behavioral Sciences, Occupational Therapy, Elementary or Secondary Education (Major in Science or Health Education), or Doctor of Medicine, or another health-related course;
• Has completed units or a Master’s (MA, MS, Master of Education) degree (preferred) in Health Professions / Health Professional Education (MHPEd) or Learning Design, Innovation and Technology, or equivalent;
• Equivalent professional experience in any of the following sectors: health, health education, academe, or other development sector, either at the national, subnational, or local government level, is also preferred;
• Minimum of at least two to three (2-3) years of experience teaching in a higher education institute for undergraduate or graduate degree health-related (or social science) courses (e.g., at least as an instructor, associate professor or equivalent);
• Minimum of at least one (1) year of experience working with teams of development agencies, international or local non-government, or non-profit organizations involved in capacity building, module development, or instructional design for health human resources or related professions;
• Good understanding and knowledge of public health, Philippine health system, immunization, including vaccine-preventable diseases, disease surveillance, reporting of notifiable diseases, outbreak responses, etc., will be an advantage but not a requirement;
• Good understanding of project management and the relationship of capacity-building activity components
  Work experience in developing training or capacity building modules for health workers, including facilitating or conducting a training of trainers (TOT) course, and roll-out adoption or implementation of developed modules
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Ability to work under pressure, priorities, schedule, and balance workloads in the face of conflicting and uneven demands;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software applications, e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Should be able to identify and solve problems that may arise during administrative and logistical processes;
• Should have excellent attention to detail to ensure that all administrative and logistical tasks are complied accurately and efficiently;
• Should be able to manage multiple tasks at once and prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance;
• Experience in report writing and good communication skills; and,
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Filipino.
• Amenable to travel within Metro Manila and Region IV-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) as needed.