Job Summary

The Infection Prevention and Control Coordinator will provide strategic, technical and operational leadership for the implementation of Baylor-Uganda’s Infection Prevention and Control programme under the Global Health Security Programme. The coordinator will lead the planning, implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement of IPC interventions in GHS project districts. The position will support districts and health facilities to establish and maintain functional IPC programmes, improve healthcare-worker and patient safety, prevent healthcare-associated infections and strengthen readiness for outbreaks and other public-health emergencies. The coordinator will ensure that IPC assessments, mentorship, training, surveillance, quality-improvement activities, supply monitoring and reporting are implemented consistently and translated into measurable improvements in IPC practices.

Overall Responsibilities

1. Technical Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Provide strategic, technical and operational leadership for Baylor-Uganda’s IPC programme within the assigned districts and health facilities
• Lead the implementation of the National Infection Prevention and Control Policy, strategy, guidelines, standards, procedures, standard operating procedures and approved IPC training curricula.
• Translate national IPC priorities into district- and facility-level workplans, budgets, implementation schedules, performance targets and monitoring frameworks.
• Provide technical advice to District Health Officers, hospital directors, medical superintendents, district IPC committees and health-facility leadership on IPC programme planning, implementation and performance improvement.
• Support districts and health facilities to integrate IPC into routine health-service delivery, emergency preparedness, outbreak response, patient safety, antimicrobial-resistance programmes and quality-improvement systems.
• Ensure that IPC activities are aligned with Ministry of Health requirements, programme objectives, donor commitments and Baylor-Uganda quality standards.
• Identify emerging IPC risks, implementation bottlenecks and policy gaps and recommend appropriate corrective actions to district, programme and national leadership.

2. IPC Programme Planning and Implementation

• Develop and coordinate annual, quarterly and monthly regional and district IPC workplans based on national priorities, facility assessments and identified performance gaps.
• Coordinate implementation of IPC activities across hospitals, health centres and other supported service-delivery points within the assigned districts.
• Support health facilities to establish, strengthen and maintain functional IPC committees, designated IPC focal persons, regular committee meetings and documented action plans.
• Ensure that each supported facility has access to current IPC guidelines, standard operating procedures, job aids, assessment tools and reporting templates.
• Coordinate implementation of IPC interventions
• Support facilities to develop and implement practical IPC improvement plans based on assessment findings, surveillance data and observed practice gaps.
• Coordinate with other district partners to ensure that IPC activities are harmonised, complementary, appropriately resourced and implemented without duplication.

3. Capacity Building, Mentorship and Support Supervision

• Assess IPC knowledge, skills and practice gaps among district IPC focal persons, facility IPC focal persons, healthcare workers, cleaners, waste handlers, laboratory personnel, ambulance teams and other relevant staff.
• Develop and implement competency-based IPC training, orientation, mentorship and continuing professional-development activities.
• Ensure that IPC training uses approved national curricula and addresses both routine service-delivery requirements and outbreak-specific IPC measures.
• Provide regular on-site mentorship and supportive supervision to district teams, health-facility IPC committees and healthcare workers.
• Support trained staff to translate IPC knowledge into routine practice through demonstrations, observation, coaching, simulation exercises and structured follow-up.
• Build the capacity of IPC officers and facility focal persons to conduct assessments, analyse IPC indicators, develop action plans and monitor implementation.
• Maintain an updated database of trained personnel, mentorship visits, competency assessments and identified capacity gaps.
• Promote multidisciplinary IPC learning involving clinicians, nurses, laboratory staff, pharmacists, cleaners, waste handlers, administrators and facility managers.

4. IPC Assessments, Quality Improvement and Compliance Monitoring

• Coordinate routine IPC assessments at regional, district and health-facility levels using nationally approved assessment tools.
• Conduct regular visits to supported health facilities to assess compliance with IPC standards and identify operational, infrastructure, behavioural and supply-related gaps
• Support health facilities to develop time-bound corrective-action and quality-improvement plans based on assessment findings.
• Monitor implementation of facility IPC improvement plans and provide targeted technical support where progress is inadequate.
• Analyse trends in IPC performance and identify facilities, service points or practices requiring intensified mentorship and follow-up.
• Promote the use of quality-improvement approaches, including root-cause analysis, plan-do-study-act cycles, performance dashboards and peer learning.
• Support facilities to prepare for national, district and partner-led IPC assessments, accreditation processes and quality-of-care reviews.
• Document good practices, innovations and lessons that can be replicated across supported districts and health facilities.

Required Qualification, Experience and Competencies:

Academic and Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in medicine, Nursing, Environmental Health, Public Health, Clinical Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory Sciences or another relevant health-related discipline from a recognised institution.
• A master’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control, Health Services Management or a related field will be an added advantage.
• Completion of recognised specialised training or certification in Infection Prevention and Control is required.
• Current registration with the relevant professional council, where applicable.

Experience

• At least five years of relevant professional experience in infection prevention and control, public health, clinical service delivery or health-programme implementation.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating IPC activities at district, regional, hospital or programme level.
• Experience conducting IPC assessments, training, mentorship, supportive supervision and development of facility improvement plans.
• Experience working with District Health Teams, hospital management teams, health-facility IPC committees and Ministry of Health structures.
• Experience supporting outbreak preparedness or response to Ebola, Marburg, COVID-19, cholera or other infectious-disease emergencies is highly desirable.
• Previous experience supervising multidisciplinary programme staff will be an added advantage.
• Experience working with donor-funded or Global Health Security programmes will be an added advantage.

5 Years Relevant Experience

NOTE:

Applications should include a cover letter, CV, daytime telephone contact, three traceable professional references, and academic documents

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Company profile

Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation - Uganda

• Provide strategic, technical and operational leadership for Baylor-Uganda’s IPC programme within the assigned districts and health facilities
• Lead the implementation of the National Infection Prevention and Control Policy, strategy, guidelines, standards, procedures, standard operating procedures and approved IPC training curricula.
• Translate national IPC priorities into district- and facility-level workplans, budgets, implementation schedules, performance targets and monitoring frameworks.
• Provide technical advice to District Health Officers, hospital directors, medical superintendents, district IPC committees and health-facility leadership on IPC programme planning, implementation and performance improvement.
• Support districts and health facilities to integrate IPC into routine health-service delivery, emergency preparedness, outbreak response, patient safety, antimicrobial-resistance programmes and quality-improvement systems.
• Ensure that IPC activities are aligned with Ministry of Health requirements, programme objectives, donor commitments and Baylor-Uganda quality standards.
• Identify emerging IPC risks, implementation bottlenecks and policy gaps and recommend appropriate corrective actions to district, programme and national leadership.
• Develop and coordinate annual, quarterly and monthly regional and district IPC workplans based on national priorities, facility assessments and identified performance gaps.
• Coordinate implementation of IPC activities across hospitals, health centres and other supported service-delivery points within the assigned districts.
• Support health facilities to establish, strengthen and maintain functional IPC committees, designated IPC focal persons, regular committee meetings and documented action plans.
• Ensure that each supported facility has access to current IPC guidelines, standard operating procedures, job aids, assessment tools and reporting templates.
• Coordinate implementation of IPC interventions
• Support facilities to develop and implement practical IPC improvement plans based on assessment findings, surveillance data and observed practice gaps.
• Coordinate with other district partners to ensure that IPC activities are harmonised, complementary, appropriately resourced and implemented without duplication.
• Assess IPC knowledge, skills and practice gaps among district IPC focal persons, facility IPC focal persons, healthcare workers, cleaners, waste handlers, laboratory personnel, ambulance teams and other relevant staff.
• Develop and implement competency-based IPC training, orientation, mentorship and continuing professional-development activities.
• Ensure that IPC training uses approved national curricula and addresses both routine service-delivery requirements and outbreak-specific IPC measures.
• Provide regular on-site mentorship and supportive supervision to district teams, health-facility IPC committees and healthcare workers.
• Support trained staff to translate IPC knowledge into routine practice through demonstrations, observation, coaching, simulation exercises and structured follow-up.
• Build the capacity of IPC officers and facility focal persons to conduct assessments, analyse IPC indicators, develop action plans and monitor implementation.
• Maintain an updated database of trained personnel, mentorship visits, competency assessments and identified capacity gaps.
• Promote multidisciplinary IPC learning involving clinicians, nurses, laboratory staff, pharmacists, cleaners, waste handlers, administrators and facility managers.
• Coordinate routine IPC assessments at regional, district and health-facility levels using nationally approved assessment tools.
• Conduct regular visits to supported health facilities to assess compliance with IPC standards and identify operational, infrastructure, behavioural and supply-related gaps
• Support health facilities to develop time-bound corrective-action and quality-improvement plans based on assessment findings.
• Monitor implementation of facility IPC improvement plans and provide targeted technical support where progress is inadequate.
• Analyse trends in IPC performance and identify facilities, service points or practices requiring intensified mentorship and follow-up.
• Promote the use of quality-improvement approaches, including root-cause analysis, plan-do-study-act cycles, performance dashboards and peer learning.
• Support facilities to prepare for national, district and partner-led IPC assessments, accreditation processes and quality-of-care reviews.
• Document good practices, innovations and lessons that can be replicated across supported districts and health facilities.

• Infection Prevention and Control
• Public Health
• Clinical Service Delivery
• Health Programme Implementation
• IPC Assessments
• Training
• Mentorship
• Supportive Supervision
• Development of Facility Improvement Plans
• Outbreak Preparedness and Response
• Supervision of Multidisciplinary Programme Staff
• Quality Improvement Approaches

• Bachelor’s degree in medicine, Nursing, Environmental Health, Public Health, Clinical Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory Sciences or another relevant health-related discipline from a recognised institution.
• A master’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control, Health Services Management or a related field will be an added advantage.
• Completion of recognised specialised training or certification in Infection Prevention and Control is required.
• Current registration with the relevant professional council, where applicable.