Public Health Surveillance Specialist at Palladium Group Full Time

Job Title: Public Health Surveillance Specialist

Ref No: req17617
Location: Abuja

Project Overview and Role

• In April 2019, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded the implementation of the Translating Data for Implementation (Data.FI) cooperative agreement to a consortium led by Palladium.
• Data.FI is a $180 million, 5-year project which will serve as USAID’s primary mechanism for data, technology, and health information systems to support HIV activities across strategic President’s Emergency Program for AIDSRelief (PEPFAR) countries as part of a suite of large-scale global HIV programs representing the next generation of HIV/AIDS programs.
• The project will play a key role in USAID’s goals of helping partner countries on their journey to self-reliance and transitioning local organizations to prime recipients of US Government funding.
• The project’s overall goal is to improve in-depth global, regional, and national analyses of HIV epidemiologic and program data that can be directly applied to expedite the achievement of PEPFAR targets to attain and sustain control of the HIV epidemic.
• The focus also includes directly supporting host country governments and implementing partners to enhance existing health information system platforms further to inform management responses to well-defined HIV/AIDS programming gaps.
• To ensure rapid access to high-quality data, Data.FI is working towards accelerating data utilization to rapidly course-correct and take to scale cost-effective and impactful activities, models, and approaches required to attain and maintain HIV epidemic control; scaling and optimizing in-country health information system capabilities to collect, exchange, adapt, govern, and visualize information to track the attainment and maintenance of HIV epidemic control, and supporting the transition of prime funding and implementation to capable local partners.

Purpose of Position

• Palladium/Data.FI is seeking a Public Health Surveillance Specialist to provide technical expertise and assistance to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), National AIDS/STIs Control Programme (NASCP), the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), and implementing partners (IPs) in the design, implementation, and strengthening of routine disease surveillance and information systems to align with the National Disease Surveillance Plan.
• The Surveillance Specialist will work with the health informatics team to align the Lafiya Management Information System (LAMISPlus) and other applications under development to the national surveillance guidelines as envisioned by the Government of Nigeria (GON).
• The Surveillance Specialist will report to the Deputy Country Director.

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for advanced analyses to evaluate HIV/AIDS epidemic control activities in Nigeria using the LAMISPlus, National Data Repository (NDR), and other reporting platforms.
• Use the information from the Case-Based Surveillance, Recency testing, and Mortality Surveillance to identify performance gaps and challenges, and propose corrective measures.
• Participate in planning HIV-related surveillance activities at the national level and lead engagements with GON and   other stakeholders.
• Work with the health informatics team to align LAMISPlus, the National OVC Management Information System   (NOMIS), and mobile applications under development and deployment to the national guidelines and donor   requirements.
• Assist in the development of surveillance dashboards, situation rooms, and structured surveillance responses at the national level and in focal states.
• Support the development of an Evaluation Framework to guide analysis and triangulation of existing evaluation, research, and surveillance data (electronic or otherwise) to better inform disease control efforts.
• Support capacity-building at national and state levels through training and systems support in surveillance, epidemiology, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Assist with developing investigation and surveillance systems, including the development of protocols, data   collection tools, and reporting procedures
• Summarize and disseminate surveillance data and outbreak data in written/oral reports.
• Coordinate the development of required umbrella protocols Data.FI project as well as provide feedback to all IPs   with individual data systems on the appropriate collection of high-quality data for monitoring the HIV/AIDS   epidemic.
• Analyze data from existing electronic platforms and produce abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, etc. to be   presented at conferences or submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Provide direct guidance and technical assistance to IPs and United States Government staff affiliated with   evaluation activities in activities related to the Data.FI project.
• Represent Data.FI in national technical working groups, meetings with partners, and other stakeholders.
• Other duties assigned by the project and local USAID Mission.

Required Qualifications

• A Degree in a Medical related field (Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy), Public Health, Epidemiology, Field Epidemiology,   Social Sciences, or a related field is required.
• A Master’s or a higher degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Field Epidemiology, Social Sciences, or a related field   is desirable.
• At least 5 years of progressive public health experience and/or research experience within the HIV/AIDS program.
• Demonstrated detailed understanding of Nigeria’s HIV epidemic response.
• Demonstrated knowledge of epidemiology, statistical analysis, and public health relevant to the HIV and TB   epidemic.
• Demonstrated knowledge and use of geospatial tools such as QGIS, ArcGIS, and any other mapping tools is   desirable.
• Demonstrated experience managing research/evaluation projects and resources.
• Demonstrated innovative methods to manage both aggregate and individual-level data to inform epidemic   response.
• Demonstrated experience in managing large datasets from program/survey/surveillance data.
• Expertise in MIS Office, and statistical analysis software such as SAS, STATA or SPSS.
• At least 3 first-author publications in peer reviewed journals.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.