Epidemiologist

Introduction

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) translates to Doctors without Borders. We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - bound together by our charter.  Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organization.

MSF was founded in 1971 in Paris by a group of journalists and doctors. Today, we are a worldwide movement of nearly 63,000 people.

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Rationale/Objective for position

Defining, coordinating and monitoring the epidemiological activities, ensuring the development of appropriate methodology and the quality of studies according to MSF protocols, standards and procedures in order to identify risk factors for diseases and to determine the optimal treatment approaches to clinical practice and the preventive medicine to be used in the missions.

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Defining, scheduling and organizing, in close collaboration with other medical team members, the annual epidemiological activity plan as well as its associated budget, to improve early detection of risk factors to better define treatment approaches and preventive practices. Leading the implementation of the protocols and epidemiological methodology, ensuring all related staff follows them to improve research efficiency.
• Supervising, according to the annual plan, the epidemiological research activity ensuring that contacts with community groups and authorities are aligned with the objectives of the research and that the population participating in the research is properly informed. Reporting on the progress of data collection, on ongoing analysis of research or on any issue causing delay, in order to achieve epidemiological goals on time.
• Advising the MSF medical team on epidemiological matters that arise in the course of their activity research, and when necessary, designing and implementing epidemiological tools and data collection to meet new epidemiological needs.
• Ensuring, in coordination with the logistics department, that national or international shipment of laboratory samples acquired for research purposes is done within datelines and according to protocols, following security rules and keeping conditions needed for the sample.
• Supervising data filing procedures, ensuring that all epidemiology software tools are properly used and are updated regularly, to ensure full data traceability and availability.
• Planning and supervising, in close coordination with the HR department and the MSF vision, policies and values, the associated processes (job description, recruitment, training, performance evaluation, development and internal/external communication) of the epidemiological staff to ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required, to improve staff technical capabilities, contribution and commitment to MSF values.
• Supervising, in close coordination with the Logistic Manager that research equipment and materials are properly maintained and stock level is above the minimum point in order to ensure availability and research activity continuity.
• Participating in operational monthly reports and organizing and/or assisting medical staff in preparing epidemiological reports related to health facilities and to researched areas.

Qualifications

• Education
• • Essential, Medical or nursing-related diploma. 
  • Desirable, Specialization or training in tropical diseases.
  • Desirable, degree (or master's) in Epidemiology or Public Health with extensive training in statistics and epidemiology.
• Experience
• • Essential, 2 years minimum working experience in nursing activities-related jobs.
  • Desirable, working experience with MSF or other NGOs.
  • Desirable, working experience in developing countries.
• Languages
• • English.
  • Arabic, or French language.
  • Essential, mission language/Bilingual (English & French).  
    
• Competencies 
• • Computer literacy.
  • People Management.
  • Commitment.
  • Flexibility.
  • Results-oriented.
  • Teamwork