The Reaching Impact, Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE) project is funded by the U.S. Department of State currently supporting malaria prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance in Kagera, Pwani and Zanzibar. RISE works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government, regional and council health management teams, health facilities, communities, and U.S. Government partners to strengthen resilient health systems and responsive service delivery. RISE has received funds to support Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD) preparedness activities in Kagera Region as part of the national BVD contingency plan.

For the period of August to November 2026, the Special Task BVD Preparedness Coordinator will provide overall coordination of the day-to-day implementation of the RISE BVD Preparedness Work Plan in Kagera Region. The role will ensure timely, high-quality, and well-documented delivery of activities that strengthen frontline BVD readiness and facility-linked risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) in priority health facilities, their catchment areas and destination venues. The BVD Preparedness Coordinator will report to the RISE Technical Advisor and work in close coordination with the RISE Kagera Field Team Leader, the Regional Health Management Team (RHMT), respective Council Health Management Teams (CHMTs), health facilities, and community structures.

Responsibilities or duties

Work Planning and Day-to-Day Coordination

• Translate the approved BVD Preparedness Work Plan into detailed activity schedules, roles, logistic plans, and follow-up actions in collaboration with the RISE Technical Advisor and Kagera Field Team Leader.
• Coordinate day-to-day implementation across Kyerwa, Ngara, Misenyi, and Bukoba Municipal Council, ensuring activities remain aligned with approved scope, budget, timelines, and government priorities.
• Maintain an updated implementation tracker, identify bottlenecks early, and ensure timely escalation and follow-up with the appropriate RISE and government counterparts.

Strengthen Frontline BVD Readiness

• Support RHMT, CHMT, and facility teams to strengthen early recognition of suspected BVD cases, temporary separation/isolation, safe referral, infection prevention and control (IPC), surveillance, and continuity of essential services.
• Coordinate facility-based tabletop exercises and ensure that lessons, action points, and follow-up responsibilities are documented and completed.
• Support timely availability, appropriate use, and accountability of approved IPC and preparedness materials for planned activities.

Strengthen Facility-Linked RCCE

• Coordinate orientation and engagement of facility-linked change agents in priority villages and destination venues, including community leaders, traditional healer representatives, bodaboda representatives, and venue managers.
• Ensure RCCE messages reinforce early care-seeking, safe referral, IPC practices, and accurate information linked to the readiness of nearby health facilities.
• Support feedback loops between community structures, destination venues, health facilities, and council teams so that concerns, rumours, and emerging risks inform action.

Government and Partner Coordination

• Serve as RISE’s operational focal point for BVD preparedness coordination in Kagera, under the guidance of the RISE Technical Advisor.
• Work closely with other emergency partners, coordination mechanisms and community structures to support coherent implementation and avoid duplication.
• Participate in relevant coordination and technical meetings, including appropriate pillar meetings, and provide current implementation updates and action points.
• Coordinate routinely with U.S. Government global health security implementing partners and other relevant stakeholders as directed, ensuring complementarity with existing investments.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Accountability

• Ensure accurate activity records, attendance lists, facility coaching tools, tabletop exercise reports, community engagement records, and other required documentation.
• Track implementation against agreed indicators, including facility visits, tabletop exercises, and community and destination-venue engagement, and use findings to guide follow-up.
• Prepare concise weekly bullet-point updates for the RISE Technical Advisor and contribute to timely donors, government, and internal reporting, as required.
• Support orderly close-out of activities, reconciliation of materials and records, documentation of results and lessons learned, and handover of outstanding action points

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, medicine, nursing, health systems management, epidemiology or a related global health field.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Kiswahili and English, including the ability to prepare concise implementation updates.
• Competency using MS Office applications, including email, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Experience needed

• At least five years of experience coordinating health program implementation through regional, council, facility, and community structures in Tanzania.
• Demonstrated experience working with RHMTs, CHMTs, health facilities, and community-level stakeholders, experience working in a donor-funded or NGO environment is an advantage.
• Experience supporting outbreak preparedness and response, surveillance, IPC, emergency coordination, RCCE, and other global health security activities is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing donor-funded health programmes and familiarity with U.S. Government-funded programming is desirable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong coordination, planning, problem-solving, documentation, and follow-up skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under short implementation timelines.
• Willingness to be based in Kagera and to travel frequently within the region.

• Translate the approved BVD Preparedness Work Plan into detailed activity schedules, roles, logistic plans, and follow-up actions in collaboration with the RISE Technical Advisor and Kagera Field Team Leader.
• Coordinate day-to-day implementation across Kyerwa, Ngara, Misenyi, and Bukoba Municipal Council, ensuring activities remain aligned with approved scope, budget, timelines, and government priorities.
• Maintain an updated implementation tracker, identify bottlenecks early, and ensure timely escalation and follow-up with the appropriate RISE and government counterparts.
• Support RHMT, CHMT, and facility teams to strengthen early recognition of suspected BVD cases, temporary separation/isolation, safe referral, infection prevention and control (IPC), surveillance, and continuity of essential services.
• Coordinate facility-based tabletop exercises and ensure that lessons, action points, and follow-up responsibilities are documented and completed.
• Support timely availability, appropriate use, and accountability of approved IPC and preparedness materials for planned activities.
• Coordinate orientation and engagement of facility-linked change agents in priority villages and destination venues, including community leaders, traditional healer representatives, bodaboda representatives, and venue managers.
• Ensure RCCE messages reinforce early care-seeking, safe referral, IPC practices, and accurate information linked to the readiness of nearby health facilities.
• Support feedback loops between community structures, destination venues, health facilities, and council teams so that concerns, rumours, and emerging risks inform action.
• Serve as RISE’s operational focal point for BVD preparedness coordination in Kagera, under the guidance of the RISE Technical Advisor.
• Work closely with other emergency partners, coordination mechanisms and community structures to support coherent implementation and avoid duplication.
• Participate in relevant coordination and technical meetings, including appropriate pillar meetings, and provide current implementation updates and action points.
• Coordinate routinely with U.S. Government global health security implementing partners and other relevant stakeholders as directed, ensuring complementarity with existing investments.
• Ensure accurate activity records, attendance lists, facility coaching tools, tabletop exercise reports, community engagement records, and other required documentation.
• Track implementation against agreed indicators, including facility visits, tabletop exercises, and community and destination-venue engagement, and use findings to guide follow-up.
• Prepare concise weekly bullet-point updates for the RISE Technical Advisor and contribute to timely donors, government, and internal reporting, as required.
• Support orderly close-out of activities, reconciliation of materials and records, documentation of results and lessons learned, and handover of outstanding action points

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Kiswahili and English
• Competency using MS Office applications, including email, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Strong coordination, planning, problem-solving, documentation, and follow-up skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under short implementation timelines

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, medicine, nursing, health systems management, epidemiology or a related global health field.
• At least five years of experience coordinating health program implementation through regional, council, facility, and community structures in Tanzania.
• Demonstrated experience working with RHMTs, CHMTs, health facilities, and community-level stakeholders.
• Experience working in a donor-funded or NGO environment is an advantage.
• Experience supporting outbreak preparedness and response, surveillance, IPC, emergency coordination, RCCE, and other global health security activities is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing donor-funded health programmes and familiarity with U.S. Government-funded programming is desirable.
• Willingness to be based in Kagera and to travel frequently within the region.