POSITION SUMMARY Reporting to the Strategic Information Unit Deputy Director, the Strategic Information (SI) Specialist provides technical assistance to ICAP country teams and Ministries of Health on enhancing the quality of and building capacity in M&E and surveillance with a focus on building sustainable government systems. Establishes or improves systems for routine data collection and surveillance, and strengthens data use and dissemination at the facility, community, subnational, or national levels. Provides technical assistance in specific technical areas and provides support for program evaluation and operations research activities. This position is grant funded.
NOTE: Please note that the job title is listed as a Senior Staff Associate “ – ICAP” on the Columbia University Job Posting Site.
MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES
• M&E and surveillance technical assistance to ICAP country programs
• Provides high-level technical guidance to country programs in planning and implementing M&E systems and surveillance
• Develops M&E strategies, frameworks, plans, logic models and indicators to assess project performance and impact
• Develops and/or adapts Standard Operating Procedures for data quality assurance, reporting, data dissemination, and other routine M&E processes and support their implementation
• Provides technical assistance to country programs on second generation surveillance methods, size estimation and sampling approaches for most at risk populations; develops surveillance protocols/SOP, and supports other surveillance related capacity building projects
• In collaboration with in-country M&E/SI teams, contributes to the timely implementation, accurate and appropriate reporting of project activities and results to funders, including quarterly, semi-annual and annual progress reports
• Reviews routinely collected M&E data, provides feedback to country teams, and supports country teams in using findings to improve program performance
• Provides technical guidance for use and dissemination of routinely collected and data from surveillance systems; dissemination approaches include slide sets, meetings, abstracts, and manuscripts
• Supports the development of technical assistance and capacity building for proposals being developed by ICAP y reviewing SI related activities for new and continuing awards and gathering the information required to submit along with the proposals
• Maintains regular communication with in-country M&E/SI teams regarding work planning and technical assistance
. • Communicates regularly with New York implementation and clinical staff as well as in-country leadership presenting key data trends/findings, as well as ongoing and upcoming SI activities and challenges
• Based on understanding of the country program and/or expertise in a technical area, develops and/or contributes to the development and implementation of program evaluation and other operational research proposals, protocols, data collection tools, databases, SOP and IRB submissions
• Leads, collaborates with or assists New York and in-country staff on development and preparation of abstracts, posters, presentations, and manuscripts resulting from program evaluation and operations research
• Leads or participates in regular meetings of the SI Specialist working group to keep colleagues abreast of recent country-specific SI developments, challenges and lessons learned
. • Perform other related duties as directed
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:
- Requires international travel of 3-4 trips per year with each trip lasting approximately 10-14 days
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree or higher
EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
-8+ years of related experience working with monitoring and evaluation and/or surveillance systems
Experience and knowledge in monitoring and evaluation and/or public health surveillance systems
Demonstrated problem-solving skills and analytical capabilities
Excellent written and oral communications skills
Demonstrated interpersonal and team-building skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s degree or PhD in Public Health or related discipline
Experience working with U.S. government or other bilateral donors, especially CDC
Experience collaborating with MOH, NGO and/or CDC
Experience working in low or middle-income countries
Experience in HIV/AIDS surveillance and/or monitoring and evaluation
Fluency in French, Portuguese, Russian or African languages
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