The Project

The Fleming Fund Country Grant (Papua New Guinea) is part of a £265 million UK aid investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) AMR in low- and middle-income countries. AMR is an issue of great global concern: health economists estimate that, by 2050, AMR could result in $100 trillion lost in economic activity and up to 10 million deaths each year if current trends continue.

In Papua New Guinea, the FFCG is led by the AMR-One Health working group of the Burnet Institute, in collaboration with stakeholders including the PNG National Department of Health (NDoH), the National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA), and National Fisheries Authority (NFA). The recently concluded Phase One of the FFCG in PNG had the following objectives:

• Strengthened One Health approaches to information sharing;
• Strengthened Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) , AMU (Antimicrobial use) & AMC (Antimicrobial consumption) surveillance and monitoring systems in the human health sector; and
• Strengthened AMR, AMU & AMC surveillance and monitoring systems in the animal health sector.

Phase Two commenced in April 2024 and seeks four main outcomes:

• Produce quality AMR/C/U and burden data
• Conduct quality data analysis
• Share quality data analyses with decision-makers
• Contribution to sustainable investment in AMR at country and global levels

The FFCG project is working to Establish an AMR National Reference Lab at the Central Public Health Lab, has 5 Human Health AMR Surveillance Sites – Port Moresby General Hospital, ANGAU Memorial Hospital, Mt Hagen General Hospital, Nonga General Hospital and 1 Animal Health Surveillance Site – National Agricultural Food Testing Laboratory (NAFTL) at Sabama.

We are looking for qualified and experienced professionals for the following position:

Role: Fleming Fund Country Grant Provincial Site Coordinator – Lae

Classification: Part-time: 24 hours per week

Location: Lae, Morobe Province

Salary Band: K60-65000 per annum

Main Purpose of Position:

This role will support the coordination of all Fleming Fund Country Grant activities delivered at the surveillance site or provinces. It will require general support to hospital laboratories with more support in microbiology units. From time to time the project will require coordinating with PHA Executive Management regarding laboratory infrastructure work, installation of laboratory equipment, coordination of meetings, support to One Health activities, assist and support the implementation of laboratory quality management activities at the laboratory, and general coordination of all activities of the Fleming Fund Country Grant delivered at the surveillance sites.

The Surveillance Site Coordinator position will be based in Lae, Angau Memorial Hospital and initial contract will run to 31^st Dec 2025.

Reporting and supervision:

This role will report directly to the Fleming Fund Country Grant Team Leader working closely with the in country technical team (Microbiology & Surveillance Thematic Leads) & Australia based thematic Advisors. Further support will be provided by Port Moresby based Coordinators for Fleming Fund technical areas. The roles will also work closely with Chief Executive Officer, Hospital Manager, Lab Manager of the respective PHAs.

Essential criteria:

• Completion of Bachelor in Health Management or Bachelor in Health Sciences or other relevant qualification that includes pharmacy, medical laboratory, and/or animal health.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating and managing projects.
• Demonstrated experience in working with PNG Government departments & Stakeholders
• Demonstrated attention to detail and high degree of accuracy.
• Computer literate, particularly in the use of Microsoft Office programs.
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently exercising strong judgement, decision-making, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to build strong relationships with colleagues & partners
• Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Fluency in English.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience in pharmacy, medical laboratory, and/or animal health thematic areas

Please contact the Human Resources Manager by email to pnghr@burnet.edu.au or phone 982 8610 or 7121 0261 for further information.

Applicants must send a covering letter including a statement outlining suitability against the responsibility areas and key competencies and qualities (2 pages max) and a current CV including qualifications, recent positions and two referees (3 pages max).

Applications close on 8th November 2024 and can be sent by email to pnghr@burnet.edu.au.

Please note: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Burnet Institute is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and any offer of employment is contingent on completion of a National Police Check and endorsement of the Institute’s Child Protection Policy and Safeguarding Code of Conduct.

Burnet Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We value inclusion, diversity, and gender equity at the Institute, and we are committed to providing our people with a supportive work environment.

Burnet is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, their families and the communities we work with. Burnet must do all that is reasonably practical to ensure the health and safety of workers and others at the workplace