Country: United States of America
Closing date: 17 Jan 2018
Global Health Fellows Program
Technical Advisor I/II: Health Informatics Advisor
Strategic Information, Evaluation and Informatics Division, Office of HIV/AIDS, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
Location: Arlington, VA
Assignment: Two year fellowship
GHFP-II-P7-261
The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five-year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
GHFP-II’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by addressing the Agency’s immediate and emerging human capacity needs. The program seeks to accomplish this goal first through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels. These program participants include fellows, interns, corporate volunteers and Foreign Service National professionals. The program then provides substantial performance management and career development support to participants, including annual work planning assistance, and ensures that professional development opportunities are available.
Looking to the future, GHFP-II also seeks to establish a pool of highly-qualified global health professionals that will ensure the Agency’s ongoing technical leadership and effectiveness. This objective is supported by an extensive outreach program that brings global health opportunities and specialized career advice to a diverse range of interested individuals, with a particular focus on those underrepresented in the field of global health.
BACKGROUND:
The US Government (USG) has made the fight against HIV/AIDS a top priority, not only for humanitarian reasons, but because the HIV/AIDS crisis threatens the prosperity, stability and development of nations around the world. USAID has been, and continues to be, at the forefront of the USG response in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, funding 10 billion dollars in activities since inception of its international HIV/AIDS program in 1986 with programs in nearly 100 countries worldwide. The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest commitment ever made by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.
The Bureau for Global Health’s Office of HIV and AIDS (OHA) is the locus of technical leadership for HIV and AIDS programming implemented by USAID. Within OHA, the Strategic Information, Evaluation, and Informatics (SIEI) Division provides technical and programmatic expertise to help the Agency develop and implement strategies and programs that respond to USG and USAID priorities, particularly in relation to innovations, best practices, and lessons learned in advancing the goals of PEPFAR. SIEI provides technical expertise and support to field Missions in cross-cutting areas such as monitoring and evaluation, expenditure analysis, and health informatics. Within the SIEI Division the Health Informatics Branch leads the development, deployment, and maintenance of USAID-specific data management systems that support HIV/AIDS program implementation, and develops and strengthens the capacity of OHA/USG personnel to plan, manage, and use advances in electronic health information systems to support HIV/AIDS programs.
Health Information Systems (HIS) activities are a key component of PEPFAR Strategic Information (SI) programs. At the facility and community level, HIS assists health care workers in providing high quality and timely care. At the national, regional and Headquarters level, HIS assists public health managers in finding answers to key questions about the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the delivery and process of prevention, care and treatment services, the effectiveness of these services, the capacity needed to improve programs, as well as to plan, report and reach goals impacting the epidemic.
INTRODUCTION:
The Health Informatics Advisor (Advisor) will serve as a member of the Health Informatics (HI) Branch within the SIEI Division. The HI Branch provides technical and implementation support to USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS and its Missions for a wide range of health information technology products and systems, and promotes the application of health information technology and communication (ICT) and methods, tools, and research for improved HIV/AIDS and public health outcomes. The Advisor is expected to work closely with the HI Branch to determine PEPFAR/OHA business and information technology (IT) requirements and priorities, and to support the use of informatics standards to ensure that data needs of end users and stakeholders are met. Further, the Advisor will work with a variety of data sources including but not limited to annual and quarterly-reported programmatic data and quality of service, budget, expenditure, and epidemiologic data. The Advisor will receive technical guidance from the Health Informatics Branch Chief in SIEI, who will serve as his/her onsite manager.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Support to OHA 93%):
The Health Informatics Advisor will be responsible for the following:
- Working with subject matter experts at USAID Headquarters (HQ) and USAID Missions to ensure that data collection, management, and reporting activities align with business requirements for managing PEPFAR programs.
Supporting the GH Site Improvement through Monitoring System Mobile App Team in the ongoing development, testing, and deployment of the Global Health SIMS Mobile Application, including the generation and documentation requirements, software testing activities, training, and end-user communications.
Analyzing the data quality of multiple datasets covering both global- and country-level data to evaluate data integrity, consistency and accuracy, and recommending strategies and processes to ensure and/or improve data quality.
Conducting data analyses using a variety of technologies including SQL Management Studio, NoSQL, MicroStrategy Analytics, and Microsoft Excel and Access to determine quality, costs, utilization and effectiveness of a multitude of HIV/AIDS initiatives and outcomes.
Ensuring a high level of communication and close working relationships with Missions and in-country project teams, project implementers, and other key stakeholders operating in the health informatics arena.
Documenting results, research and evaluation evidence, and lessons learned on related HIS projects and GHSMA implementation.
LEVEL II
An Advisor at the level II will be further responsible for:
- Making recommendations to USAID HQ and Missions on all aspects of business analysis in an effort to reach optimal data use for HIV/AIDS program decisions.
International and domestic travel approximately 25%
TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (7%)
- Keeping abreast of literature and latest developments and technological innovations in the field of Health Information Systems and data analytics within HIV/AIDS.
- Deepening knowledge of PEPFAR data and data sources, analytics, and display.
- Participating in PEPFAR inter-agency and intra-Agency working groups as appropriate to SOW.
- Participating in professional continuing education and skills training within the purview of GHFP-II.
REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s degree or higher in a relevant technical field (e.g., health informatics, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, computer science, data science, etc.).
- Knowledge of data management, data analysis and statistical analysis techniques; operations research techniques (e.g., simulation, linear programming); high-level computer languages (e.g., SQL); methods of problem definition and analysis; and interactive database manipulation.
- Knowledge of a broad range of batch and transaction computer programming applications.
- Knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS programming and PEPFAR business cycle highly desirable.
- Strong query language skills (SQL, PL/SQL, etc.).
- Proficiency in using business intelligence tools including MicroStrategy, SQL Server Integration Service and SQL Server Database, in all applicable data warehouse functions.
- Demonstrated ability to design and develop effective databases, end-user interfaces and reports to meet client needs.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Access and Excel.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively.
Ability to travel internationally.
US citizenship or US permanent residency required.
In addition to the above, the position requires the following at each level:
TECHNICAL ADVISOR I
- 0-7 years’ experience with database management in HIV-related field with or without experience in an international or resource-challenged setting.
TECHNICAL ADVISOR II
- Minimum five (5) years’ of relevant HIV/AIDS programming experience, including database management and report writing experience in preferably HIV-related field, with at least 2 years of experience in international or resource-challenged setting.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
Salary based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs.
TO APPLY:
All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All online applications must be submitted by January 17, 2018 by 5:00 pm Eastern time.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.
How to apply:
TO APPLY:
All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All online applications must be submitted by January 17, 2018 by 5:00 pm Eastern time.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.