One Health Coordinator

Department

OUCRU – HN – Nam Dinh

Location

This position will be based in Nam Dinh City, and will require extensive travel within Nam Dinh, as well as some travel within Viet Nam to coordinate with our Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City units, and possibly internationally to attend conferences and workshops.

Hours of work

Full time Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours per week, extra hours may be required.

Tenure

Initially for 01 years, including a 02 month probation period, with possibility of extension based on annual performance appraisal and research approval

Reporting to

The Principal Investigator/Senior Epidemiologist, and Director, OUCRU Hanoi

Vacancy reference

JDHAN_0621_007

Background

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit, with sites offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam, Jakarta in Indonesia and Kathmandu in Nepal. In Vietnam, we are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. OUCRU-Nepal is hosted by the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, and in Indonesia we exist in partnership with the Eijkman Institute as the Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Programme (EOCRU). As a Wellcome Trust Africa Asia Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.

OUCRU’s vision is to have local, regional and global impact on health by leading a locally driven research programme on infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals where we work, and to the countries as a whole where we operate: Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals, but also to help improve patient care throughout Southeast Asia.

OUCRU employs approximately 320 people across Viet Nam and has an average annual budget of USD 12mil.

Please see more information on OUCRU website: www.oucru.org

Job summary

The main research interests for the Hanoi office are antimicrobial resistance and influenza. As part of our work on antimicrobial resistance we are partnering with the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology to develop community-based and facility-based interventions to change the way antibiotics are currently used, in order to reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. We are looking for a One Health Coordinator with experience working with different stakeholder groups in Vietnam.

The One Health Coordinator will coordinate activities in communities around antibiotic stewardship, in order to inform the development and implementation of One Health interventions. They will coordinate the activities with Animal Health workers across 3 districts in Nam Dinh Province. They will work with Animal Health workers in 48 communes, and will lead the formation of action groups within 16 communes, using participatory methods to generate dialogue and develop collective solutions. They will actively seek novel and creative ways to create opportunities for dialogue and interaction between researchers, community members, farmers, animal health workers, veterinary pharmacists, and the public.

The One Health Coordinator will work closely with other members of the research and public engagement teams. The One Health Coordinator will coordinate with local animal health workers, governmental departments and institutes in Viet Nam and with the other national organizations on our projects in Nam Dinh, principally focusing on projects related to antibiotic use and resistance. They will coordinate engagement and quality improvement projects through dialogue and discussion, using participatory methods to gain a better understanding of the perspectives and practices of multiple stakeholders.

They will be personable, organised, enthusiastic, creative and highly motivated. They will be able to work independently but also be a team player.

They will be expected to contribute to wider research and partner with the other Nam Dinh Coordinators when needed.

Key responsibilities and tasks

You will be working in a team to implement One Health activities under the guidance/mentorship of the Senior Epidemiologist based in OUCRU Hanoi, and will also be supported by other senior researchers based in OUCRU offices in Hanoi. This involves the following:

· Initiate discussions and handle paperwork with relevant stakeholders to formalize the involvement of animal-health authorities in OUCRU Hanoi’s projects in Nam Dinh Province.

· Serve as OUCRU Hanoi’s focal point for all communications with Nam Dinh partners about animal health, making sure that OUCRU Hanoi’s project activities/roadmaps are clear to the partners.

· Organize training for animal health workers and facilitators.

· Lead the production of communications materials on antibiotic use and good farming practices, with inputs from researchers and farmers.

· Establish action groups to address antibiotic overuse in farming, and empower and supervise 16 facilitators to maintain those groups.

· Manage a team of fieldworkers across 3 districts;

· Seek inputs from researchers and veterinary practitioners to create surveys for farmers and animal health workers; take charge of the implementation of those surveys.

· Conduct qualitative research (e.g. interviews, direct observations) to understand the experiences of participants and non-participants of OUCRU Hanoi’s animal-health activities.

· Run workshops and discussions with animal health workers and farmers;

· Travel to districts to set up and implement activities;

· Write up summaries of project activities;

· Draft reports, research papers, and presentations.

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated above, the ideal candidate for this position will be an experienced project/program coordinator who is passionate about improving the quality of life in their community by listening to and supporting farmers and animal health-workers to bring about change.

Other Requirements

· Where the applicant is unfamiliar with the job they may be required to spend time learning the fundamental aspects of this discipline.

· Other tasks requested by Line Managers

Selection criteria

Essential criteria

- BSc, preferably with a background in veterinary medicine, veterinary pharmacy, public health/one health, or social science

- Project planning, management, and budget experience

- Excellent communication and facilitation skills

- Evidence of success in working with communities

- Experience using a One Health approach

- Experience using participatory approaches

- Excellent written Vietnamese

- Some spoken and written English

- Highly organized and able to work independently

Desirable criteria

- MSc, or higher degree, preferably with a background in veterinary medicine, veterinary pharmacy, public health/one health, or social science

- Experience producing communications materials

- Experience delivering training on participatory approaches

- Experience supervising others

- Diplomacy skills and evidence of working with government

- Problem solving skills

- Energetic and creative; open to new approaches and ideas

- Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, and yet be a team player

Benefits

- Contracted salary: Negotiate (depending on actual experience and education).

- Optional insurance: In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage

- Two-month salary for annual bonus and clothes

- Annual leave 18 days/year for the first year, a maximum of 30 days.

- Other responsibilities and benefits are based on Viet Nam Labor Law.

How to apply

Interested qualified candidates are invited to send their detailed resume and cover letter in English, including copies of relevant degrees, certificates by email to trangbh@oucru.org

* The cover letter should detail:

- What part of your education, training or employment history has best equipped you for this position and why you would be a good candidate?

- Contacts of two referees who are your latest HR/ line manager and can provide details of relevant work experience and attitude

* We thank all applicants for their interest but only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Contact person

Ms. Bui Huyen Trang

Deadline for submission

27th June 2021