Health and Surveillance Officer

• PositionHealth and Surveillance Officer
• CompanyAction Against Hunger
• LocationMoroto, Uganda
• CategoryHealth, NGO, International Development Jobs in Uganda
• IndustryHumanitarian aid and international development
• DepartmentHealth programme
• DeadlineMonday, 16 November 2026
• Not in the advertJob type, pay and benefits

Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organisation working to end hunger. It says it reaches about 24 million people each year through hunger prevention and treatment programmes, with around 8,300 staff working across some 50 countries.

Action Against Hunger USA, part of the Action Against Hunger International network, manages operations in eight countries, including Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Haiti. Its work addresses root causes of hunger such as climate change, conflict, inequity and emergencies.

In Uganda, the organisation runs nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection and cash programmes with refugees, host communities and crisis-affected districts, including Karamoja and the south-west refugee settlements.

The Health and Surveillance Officer supports quality delivery of health activities in one Karamoja district. The work covers outreach for kraal-based and mobile populations, IMCI screening, ANC and immunisation, line-listing and tracing of under-immunised children, and promotion of IDSR tools and case definitions so that suspected epidemic-prone diseases are detected and reported on time.

The officer works with EPI focal persons, District Surveillance Focal Persons, Rapid Response Teams, VHTs and community leaders, gives day-to-day guidance to Health Assistants, and keeps outreach, referral and surveillance records that feed weekly and monthly reports and HMIS/DHIS2 reconciliation. The post also supports maternal and newborn service readiness, links people needing mental-health, protection or GBV services to referral pathways, and takes part in district health coordination meetings.

In plain terms, this job splits into 5 areas of work. Each list below restates the employer’s duties in shorter words; the advert linked under How To Apply is the final word.

Outreach service delivery

The officer coordinates services for remote and mobile communities, monitors referral follow-up and helps address gaps in facility readiness.

• Help district and facility teams organise combined services for remote, kraal-based and mobile communities.
• Link facilities to outreach assessments and primary care, IMCI, ANC, immunisation and nutrition screening.
• Track outreach schedules, services, referrals and follow-up.
• Identify facility readiness gaps that threaten continuity or service quality.

Vaccination and disease surveillance

The role supports catch-up immunisation and community tracing, checks vaccine systems and helps report suspected outbreaks.

• Work with EPI focal persons to find zero-dose and under-immunised children.
• Support routine, measles and DTP3 catch-up vaccination.
• Link with VHTs/CHWs to locate children missing doses and contact caregivers who defaulted.
• Check immunisation sessions, vaccine availability, cold-chain function and last-mile delivery.
• Address vaccination misconceptions through community education.
• Use IDSR tools to document possible measles and AWD/cholera, observe case definitions and follow Ministry of Health deadlines.

Alerts and maternal care

The officer shares alerts with district response teams and supports maternal, newborn, mental-health and protection referral pathways.

• Orient VHTs and surveillance focal persons, promptly alert District Surveillance Focal Persons and support Rapid Response Teams.
• Record alerts, referrals, investigations and response actions in surveillance files.
• Help facilities improve care during and after birth, including ANC, PNC, skilled delivery, newborn care and complication referrals.
• Check supplies prioritised for mothers and newborns and report any shortfalls.
• Arrange referrals for pregnant women, newborns and people needing higher-level care; explain danger signs and birth preparedness.
• Include basic MHPSS and Psychological First Aid in outreach activity.

Community engagement and referrals

The role works with local health structures on awareness, follow-up and referral to specialist mental-health, protection and GBV services.

• Refer people requiring specialist mental-health, protection or GBV support through available service pathways.
• Coordinate sensitisation, follow-up and referrals with VHTs, Health Assistants and local leaders.
• Facilitate local conversations on vaccination, maternal-newborn wellbeing and disease prevention.
• Attend district health coordination meetings.

Information and accountability

The officer maintains service records, submits reports, reconciles routine information and accounts for project materials and expenditure.

• Maintain accurate outreach, referral, activity and district monitoring records.
• Prepare weekly, monthly and periodic updates for the Project Manager (Health).
• Review facility and District Health Office data and support HMIS/DHIS2 reconciliation.
• Use project equipment and supplies responsibly and record expenditure.

Required Education

• Degree or diploma in Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, public health nutrition, Environmental Health or another relevant health-related field.

Work Experience

• At least 3 years of relevant experience in primary healthcare, community health, immunisation, disease surveillance or humanitarian health programming.
• Experience supporting facility or community outreach and working with VHTs/CHWs and local government.
• Experience in routine health data collection, reporting, referral and follow-up is an advantage.

Additional Requirements

• Knowledge of Ministry of Health service-delivery systems, EPI and IDSR is desirable.
• Knowledge of local languages in the assigned district is an added advantage.
• Frequent travel to remote communities within the district.

Technical Skills

• Immunisation and MCH: Knowledge of immunisation, maternal and child health, primary healthcare and disease surveillance.
• Health data: Ability to collect, review and report routine programme and health-service data accurately.
• Digital tools: Basic MS Office and digital data-collection tools are desirable.

Soft Skills

• Coordination: Good coordination, communication and community engagement skills.
• Facilitation: Good facilitation, problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Independence: Ability to work independently and travel frequently in remote settings.

Pay and benefits are not listed for this Health and Surveillance Officer post, so raise them only after an offer. To judge an offer, check a gross figure with the Uganda take-home pay calculator (PAYE and NSSF) and compare it with our guide to NGO salaries in Uganda.

• Five posts, one in each Karamoja project district.
• Work directly on immunisation catch-up for zero-dose children.
• Strengthen measles and cholera early warning at community and facility level.
• Guide Health Assistants and VHT networks in your district.
• Work alongside District Health Offices and Rapid Response Teams.
• Build humanitarian health experience with an international NGO.

Apply online through the Action Against Hunger application page, which holds the full job description and application form. Applications close on Monday, 16 November 2026.

• Checked on 12 November 2026 against Action Against Hunger's official advert.
• Closing date confirmed as 16 November 2026. NextRoleHub closes the listing at 23:59 Kampala time that day.
• The application link goes to the employer's own page or email. Applying is free; report anyone who asks for money.
• Before you apply, read our guide: How to find NGO jobs in Uganda. Work out your pay with the take-home pay calculator.