Global Health Fellows Program
Technical Advisor II/III: Geospatial 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-P5-188
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. In July 2008, the United States Congress re-authorized the PEPFAR legislation in the amount of $48 billion, $35.4 billion of which is dedicated to HIV/AIDS services, $3.8 billion to tuberculosis, $4.8 billion to malaria, $1.7 billion to research and $2.3 billion to training health care workers. The Global Fund will receive at least $2 billion per year.
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. The Office provides input into USG decisions concerning the strategic allocation of financial and human resources in the sector and supports USAID headquarters and field missions in designing and implementing effective HIV and AIDS programs. 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, health systems strengthening, multilateral coordination, strategic planning and budgeting.
INTRODUCTION:
The Geospatial Advisor (Advisor) will serve as a member of both the Health Informatics (HI) Team within SIEI, as well as the Interagency Collaborative for Program Improvement (ICPI), a newly formed interagency group whose purpose is to enhance PEPFAR’s capacity to analyze and use HIV-epidemic and PEPFAR-specific data. ICPI’s focus is to fill the gap in PEPFAR’s capacity to manage various data streams including, but not limited to, expenditure data, quality assurance data, epidemiological data and PEPFAR program data. Through integrated data analyses, the ICPI hopes to strengthen capacity of field teams in data use, and to support a data-driven, objective and transparent interagency decision-making process. By fostering collaboration around data analysis and data use and focusing on results and impact, it is expected that there will be an improved culture of collaboration during interagency decision making about PEPFAR programming. The ICPI will be staffed by technical and analytical experts from all PEPFAR agencies including USAID, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Defense, Peace Corps, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the US Census Bureau.
The Advisor will work closely and collaboratively with colleagues at USAID/OHA as well as inter-agency colleagues at the ICPI offices, providing support in the areas of HIV-epidemic and PEPFAR-specific data management issues. This support with SIEI’s HI Team will include the interpretation of HIV-related data and report generation in response to Technical Working Group (TWG), country team, and Agency-specific requests. Analyses and their accompanying data visualizations may include reports that are global, by country and by program area. The Senior Advisor is expected to 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 Health Informatics (HI) Team within SIEI:
Provides technical and implementation support to OHA 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. More specifically, the HI Team:
- Leads the development, deployment, and maintenance of USAID-specific data management systems that support HIV/AIDS program implementation;
- 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;
- Facilitates and supports effective use of in-country health data through the promotion of data standards and interoperability along with approaches for improved dissemination and accessibility of HIV/AIDS and health data;
- Plans and coordinates with other Agency operating units, USG agencies, donors, and partners to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of country health information systems while encouraging the use and diffusion of health information technology; and
- Conducts research and evaluations related to the development and operation of HIV/AIDS and broader health information systems.
The Geospatial Advisor will receive technical guidance from the ICPI Agency Leads for USAID and the OHA/SIEI/HI Team Lead. The Health Informatics Team Lead will serve as his/her on-site manager.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Geospatial Advisor will be responsible for:
- Collecting, managing, and analyzing geospatial data to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of USAID’s PEPFAR development assistance.
- Engaging regularly with USAID HIV/AIDS subject-matter experts to understand areas where GIS and geospatial analysis will most effectively support PEPFAR’s overarching goals.
Working closely with the ICPI Agency Representatives and OHA’s M&E/SI teams to identify geospatial data requirements, data sources, and analytical methodologies that will support the work of ICPI and PEPFAR; establishing contacts for data resources, encouraging data sharing, and staying current with new data when it becomes available.
Conducting independent research, analysis, and interpretation of geospatial data and information to facilitate strategically addressing issues.
Generating and delivering high quality cartographic, data visualization and information products on demand.
Providing technical assistance to country teams to support their collection, management and analysis of spatial data.
The Geospatial Advisor will support ICPI and OHA as follows:
Providing Technical Advice to ICPI (63%)
- Working with ICPI and Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) staff, Interagency Technical Working Groups and Interagency Country teams on geospatial analyses in support of optimal data use for program decisions.
Providing Technical Advice to OHA (30%):
- Providing technical guidance to OHA and USAID Missions in geospatial analysis in an effort to reach optimal data use for program decisions.
SENIOR LEVEL III
A Senior Advisor at the level III will be further responsible for:
· Providing technical guidance on the use of advanced spatial analytic techniques such as interpolation and surface modeling, spatial regression, predictive geospatial modeling, spatial statistics, and network analysis.
· Defining and implementing a GIS data management and analysis workflow using GIS best practices in areas such as geospatial metadata standards, data quality assurance/quality control, and data-sharing protocols.
· Defining and implementing a standard cartographic production and data visualization workflow using cartographic production best practices.
· Maintaining a data and metadata inventory that is accessible to USAID PEPFAR countries.
· Participating in various GIS-related coordination meetings, discussions, and initiatives.
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 geospatial analysis and within HIV/AIDS.
· Deepening knowledge of PEPFAR data and data sources, analytics, and display.
· Participating in interagency and intra-agency working groups as appropriate to the scope of work.
· Participating in professional continuing education and skills training within the purview of GHFP-II.
REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s degree or higher in geography, geographic information science, or other relevant discipline.
- Expertise in ESRI ArcGIS 9.x or 10.x, cartographic design, graphic editing, and standard office applications.
- Extensive knowledge of geospatial data from a wide array of sources in international settings.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.).
- Familiarity with any of the following: Google Earth, ArcGIS Mobile, and GPS devices.
- Familiarity with DHIS2, QGIS, ArcGIS Online, and MicroStrategy.
- Strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to articulate complicated GIS concepts in clear and concise terms for audiences with varying familiarity with GIS technology, geospatial data, and mapping.
- Ability to work with and provide capacity building support to a diverse set of individuals having varying degrees of familiarity with geographic data, analysis and maps.
- Ability to collect, manage and analyze remotely sensed and aerial imagery is preferred.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
- Fluency in a second language desirable.
- Ability to travel internationally.
- US citizenship required.
In addition to the above, the position requires the following at each level:
TECHNICAL ADVISOR II
- Minimum five (5) years’ experience in geospatial data management, analysis and cartographic production to support work in global health and other sectors, with at least two (2) years’ experience in an international or resource-challenged setting.
SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVISOR III
- Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in geospatial data management, analysis and cartographic production to support work in global health, with at least three to five (3-5) years’ experience in an 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.
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