Open Position: Senior Health Systems Advisor

The U.S. Government’s (USG) engagement to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS is a top priority worldwide. The USG response includes coordination among the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Peace Corps (PC), and other entities. This initiative is collectively known as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). USAID has been at the forefront of the USG’s response to provide quality HIV/AIDS services to over one hundred countries to mitigate the health crisis that threatens the prosperity, stability and development of these nations.

The Bureau for Global Health’s Office of HIV/AIDS (GH/OHA) is the center of HIV/AIDS technical leadership for USAID and has primary responsibility for the Agency’s HIV/AIDS program. OHA provides strategic direction, technical leadership, and support to field programs in HIV/AIDS. It provides input to decisions concerning the strategic allocation of financial and human resources in the sector and assists in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs. 

The Strategic Information, Evaluation, and Informatics Division (SIEI) within OHA, to which the Senior Health Information Systems Advisor (the Senior Advisor) will be assigned, provides technical expertise to advance and support country-owned, sustainable strategic information systems and promotes data-driven program planning. The SIEI Division has primary responsibility of supporting USAID headquarters and its Missions to build capacity in managing and utilizing data systems to improve impact and accountability of HIV/AIDS programs.

Health Information Systems (HIS)/ Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) 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 assist 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 and report and reach goals impacting the epidemic.

Many countries lack robust health information systems and the related information and communications technology infrastructure (IT) needed to access and report high-quality data. Wherever possible, PEPFAR HIS activities build on existing data and information system standards and infrastructures in program countries. HIS activities target the design, development, implementation, operations, maintenance and evaluation of information systems and technologies.

The Senior Advisor will be a member of the Health Informatics Branch in the Strategic Information, Evaluation and Informatics (SIEI) Division in the Office of HIV/AIDS within USAID’s Bureau for Global Health. Broad responsibilities will include providing technical guidance to USAID, interagency partners, ministries of health, and implementing partners in the design, development, improvement, and maintenance of information systems that strengthen health service quality, effectiveness, and efficiency. The Senior Advisor will work closely with and receive technical guidance from the SIEI Division Chief. The Chief, Health Informatics Branch will be the Advisor’s USAID point of contact (POC).

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. The Senior Advisor will be responsible for:

• Providing HMIS technical assistance and capacity building to Missions for in-country systems requirements, analysis, design, specifications, and oversight of project management, development, piloting/testing, implementation and evaluation.
• Applying software project management principles and/or Strategic Information (SI) components to health IT-related projects in developing countries.
• Providing leadership and guidance in developing national as well as sub-national information systems architecture and network topologies.
• Providing technical input to systems integration and use of data management information systems, e.g., HMIS, District Health Information Software (DHIS2), Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Health Information Exchanges (HIE) and tools to facilitate data entry, transmission, and use.
• Helping to define and enforce software development methodology and processes, with a focus on moving towards more agile processes.
• Providing guidance and advice on information security best practices.
• Providing guidance and technical support to develop country-wide as well as area-specific information technology policies, guidance, and frameworks.
• 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. Communicating lessons learned and best practices globally, across countries, partners, agencies and donors.
• Ensuring the presence and use of adequate administrative controls, information and data quality, procedural efficiencies and adherence to internationally recognized information systems and standards for interoperability.
• Facilitating business and systems analysis discussions and translating findings into clearly defined specifications, including rough orders of magnitude (ROMS).
• Providing technical assistance and implementation support to different projects engaged in country-specific HMIS activities and global needs. This includes attending technical calls, reviewing project materials, and documenting project progress to management teams and other stakeholders.
• Serving as technical lead in designing systems and training tools to strengthen capacities of PEPFAR Implementing Partners on data use and data governance.

International and domestic travel approximately 33%.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required.

• Master’s degree or higher in Computer Sciences, Management Information Systems (MIS), public health or a related social science field or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 9+ years of experience in project management including designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining health information systems in large-scale program activities, with at least three (3-5) years’ experience in an international or resource-challenged setting.
• Knowledge and experience in federal information systems development, such as the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Clinger-Cohen, FedRamp, among others.
• Knowledge of health information technology and public health IT standards including, semantic, exchange, privacy/security, etc., and applications, including EMRs, laboratory information systems (LIS), DHIS, HIE, and others.
• Demonstrated experience managing the full software development life-cycle of mid- to large-sized projects (i.e., crossing multiple program areas and conflicting needs; requiring integration of multiple non-standardized applications or business processes; and requiring complex reporting and communication at the Agency and executive level) with minimal supervision.
• Extensive knowledge and experience with applying general software development lifecycle (SDLC) and project management best practices methodologies, e.g., Agile, PRINCE2, RUP, etc.
• Substantial knowledge and experience with common relational databases, i.e., SQL, MySQL, Oracle, etc., and a good understanding of extracting, transferring and transforming data (ETL).
• Proven ability to develop rapport and effective working relationships with USG, host ministry, national and international working partners at all levels, local organizations, and other program partners, highly desirable.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is preferred.
• User and proponent of Open Source solutions.
• Strong software development, networking, and IT security knowledge and experience.
• Ability to travel internationally.

• US citizenship or US permanent residency required and the ability to obtain and maintain a clearance.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Must have excellent writing skills in English.

For full job description and to apply, visit the Camris website.