Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

This position will support implementation of the VITAL Project: “Vulnerability-based Integrated Timely Access to Lifesaving Services for the Refugee Crisis in Uganda,” a DG ECHO-funded integrated humanitarian response focused on protection, epidemic preparedness and response (EPR), multi-purpose cash assistance, and community-based systems strengthening for refugee and host populations in Uganda.

Job Overview

The Community Health and Surveillance Officer will support implementation of integrated community health and epidemic preparedness interventions in locations as specified. The role will strengthen community-based surveillance, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), referral systems, and community health structures to improve timely identification and response to public health risks, disease outbreaks, and protection concerns among refugee and host populations.

The position will work closely with Village Health Teams (VHTs), Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) where they exist, health facility teams, refugee community structures, district health authorities, and partner organizations to strengthen community-level systems for disease prevention, outbreak preparedness, early warning, screening, referrals, and access to lifesaving services.

The Community Health and surveillance officer will ensure implementation aligns with Ministry of Health (MoH) guidelines, IRC technical standards, DG ECHO priorities, safeguarding principles, protection mainstreaming approaches, and integrated humanitarian programming models.

Major Responsibilities

Community Health and Epidemic Preparedness Implementation

• Support implementation of integrated community health and epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) activities across refugee and host communities in line with project work plans and technical guidance.
• Coordinate community-based disease surveillance, alert reporting, risk communication, screening, and referral activities in collaboration with health facilities, VHTs, CHEWs, Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), and district health authorities.
• Support timely identification, verification, documentation, and reporting of suspected epidemic-prone diseases and public health events in line with MoH and district surveillance protocols.
• Facilitate implementation of community-level outbreak prevention and response interventions, including household sensitization, RCCE campaigns, screening support, and referral follow-up.
• Support integrated outreach activities including immunization, maternal and child health, SRHR, nutrition, infection prevention and control (IPC), and health promotion services.

Community Systems Strengthening

• Strengthen and coordinate community health structures including VHTs, CHEWs, refugee community volunteers, youth groups, and community networks to improve community engagement and service delivery.
• Build capacity of community structures through training, mentorship, supportive supervision, and routine performance monitoring on surveillance, referrals, RCCE, safeguarding, and protection mainstreaming.
• Support establishment and strengthening of sustainable community-to-facility referral pathways for health, protection, SRHR, GBV, child protection, mental health, and other lifesaving services.
• Facilitate community dialogues, awareness campaigns, and engagement sessions to promote early health-seeking behavior, disease prevention, outbreak preparedness, and social cohesion.
• Support implementation of inclusive and community-led approaches that prioritize participation of women, adolescents, persons with disabilities, older persons, and other vulnerable groups.

Integrated Health and Protection Programming

• Collaborate closely with Protection, GBV, Child Protection, and SRHR teams to ensure safe identification and referral of vulnerable individuals requiring specialized services.
• Support dissemination of integrated health, protection, environmental health, and epidemic preparedness messaging through community structures and digital/community communication platforms.
• Promote safe, accountable, and protection-sensitive programming approaches during community activities and service delivery.
• Support implementation of protection mainstreaming approaches across all community health interventions, ensuring services are accessible, safe, dignified, and inclusive.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Data Management

• Support collection, verification, analysis, and timely reporting of community health and surveillance data using approved MoH and IRC tools and platforms.
• Maintain accurate records of community activities, referrals, alerts, trainings, supervision visits, and outbreak response interventions.
• Participate in routine data quality improvement processes and ensure confidentiality and safe management of sensitive information.
• Contribute to development and monitoring of community health work plans, indicator tracking, and activity progress reviews.
• Support community feedback and accountability mechanisms, including client feedback collection and response follow-up.

Coordination and Representation

• Participate in district and settlement-level coordination meetings, technical working groups, and health sector engagements as delegated.
• Maintain close collaboration with District Health Teams (DHTs), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), MoH structures, partner agencies, refugee leadership, and community stakeholders.
• Support integrated coordination between community and facility-based health services to improve continuity of care and timely referrals.
• Participate in joint support supervision, assessments, simulation exercises, and outbreak preparedness activities with district and partner teams.

Environmental Health and Safeguarding

• Promote environmentally responsible community health practices and support implementation of environmental mitigation measures during community activities.
• Ensure safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), confidentiality, and ethical standards are upheld in all interactions with clients and communities.
• Identify and escalate safeguarding, protection, or safety concerns in accordance with IRC policies and reporting procedures.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Public Health, Environmental Health, Nursing, Community Health, Clinical Medicine, or related field.
• Minimum of 2–3 years of experience implementing community health, public health, epidemic preparedness, or humanitarian health programs, preferably in refugee or emergency settings.
• Experience working with community health systems including VHTs, CHEWs, community volunteers, or refugee community structures.
• Knowledge of integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR), RCCE, outbreak preparedness, and infection prevention and control approaches.
• Experience supporting health promotion, referrals, surveillance, and community mobilization activities.
• Familiarity with Uganda Ministry of Health systems, refugee response coordination structures, and humanitarian programming approaches is an added advantage.
• Strong skills in community engagement, facilitation, coordination, mentorship, and report writing.
• Experience using digital or paper-based reporting and surveillance tools.
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural and resource-constrained environments.

Key Competencies

• Strong strategic and technical leadership skills.
• Excellent coordination and partnership management abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capacity.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and during emergency responses.
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.
• Commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and client-centered programming.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English required.
• Knowledge of local languages spoken within refugee-hosting districts is an added advantage.

• Support implementation of integrated community health and epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) activities across refugee and host communities in line with project work plans and technical guidance.
• Coordinate community-based disease surveillance, alert reporting, risk communication, screening, and referral activities in collaboration with health facilities, VHTs, CHEWs, Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), and district health authorities.
• Support timely identification, verification, documentation, and reporting of suspected epidemic-prone diseases and public health events in line with MoH and district surveillance protocols.
• Facilitate implementation of community-level outbreak prevention and response interventions, including household sensitization, RCCE campaigns, screening support, and referral follow-up.
• Support integrated outreach activities including immunization, maternal and child health, SRHR, nutrition, infection prevention and control (IPC), and health promotion services.
• Strengthen and coordinate community health structures including VHTs, CHEWs, refugee community volunteers, youth groups, and community networks to improve community engagement and service delivery.
• Build capacity of community structures through training, mentorship, supportive supervision, and routine performance monitoring on surveillance, referrals, RCCE, safeguarding, and protection mainstreaming.
• Support establishment and strengthening of sustainable community-to-facility referral pathways for health, protection, SRHR, GBV, child protection, mental health, and other lifesaving services.
• Facilitate community dialogues, awareness campaigns, and engagement sessions to promote early health-seeking behavior, disease prevention, outbreak preparedness, and social cohesion.
• Support implementation of inclusive and community-led approaches that prioritize participation of women, adolescents, persons with disabilities, older persons, and other vulnerable groups.
• Collaborate closely with Protection, GBV, Child Protection, and SRHR teams to ensure safe identification and referral of vulnerable individuals requiring specialized services.
• Support dissemination of integrated health, protection, environmental health, and epidemic preparedness messaging through community structures and digital/community communication platforms.
• Promote safe, accountable, and protection-sensitive programming approaches during community activities and service delivery.
• Support implementation of protection mainstreaming approaches across all community health interventions, ensuring services are accessible, safe, dignified, and inclusive.
• Support collection, verification, analysis, and timely reporting of community health and surveillance data using approved MoH and IRC tools and platforms.
• Maintain accurate records of community activities, referrals, alerts, trainings, supervision visits, and outbreak response interventions.
• Participate in routine data quality improvement processes and ensure confidentiality and safe management of sensitive information.
• Contribute to development and monitoring of community health work plans, indicator tracking, and activity progress reviews.
• Support community feedback and accountability mechanisms, including client feedback collection and response follow-up.
• Participate in district and settlement-level coordination meetings, technical working groups, and health sector engagements as delegated.
• Maintain close collaboration with District Health Teams (DHTs), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), MoH structures, partner agencies, refugee leadership, and community stakeholders.
• Support integrated coordination between community and facility-based health services to improve continuity of care and timely referrals.
• Participate in joint support supervision, assessments, simulation exercises, and outbreak preparedness activities with district and partner teams.
• Promote environmentally responsible community health practices and support implementation of environmental mitigation measures during community activities.
• Ensure safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), confidentiality, and ethical standards are upheld in all interactions with clients and communities.
• Identify and escalate safeguarding, protection, or safety concerns in accordance with IRC policies and reporting procedures.

• Strong skills in community engagement, facilitation, coordination, mentorship, and report writing.
• Experience using digital or paper-based reporting and surveillance tools.
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural and resource-constrained environments.
• Strong strategic and technical leadership skills.
• Excellent coordination and partnership management abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capacity.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and during emergency responses.
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.
• Commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and client-centered programming.

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Public Health, Environmental Health, Nursing, Community Health, Clinical Medicine, or related field.
• Minimum of 2–3 years of experience implementing community health, public health, epidemic preparedness, or humanitarian health programs, preferably in refugee or emergency settings.
• Experience working with community health systems including VHTs, CHEWs, community volunteers, or refugee community structures.
• Knowledge of integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR), RCCE, outbreak preparedness, and infection prevention and control approaches.
• Experience supporting health promotion, referrals, surveillance, and community mobilization activities.
• Familiarity with Uganda Ministry of Health systems, refugee response coordination structures, and humanitarian programming approaches is an added advantage.