MSH seeks a Surveillance Technical Advisor for a potential 5-year CDC-funded Global Health Security (GHS) program aimed at improving countries' ability to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. The project will partner with Ministries of Health and other governmental institutions to strengthen systems needed to address naturally occurring outbreaks as well as intentional or accidental releases of high-consequence pathogens.
Building on ten years of U.S. Government investments in GHS and lessons learned from COVID-19 and other public health emergencies, this activity will support countries to (1) improve prevention of avoidable epidemics; (2) strengthen early detection and characterization of emerging biological threats; and (3) enable rapid, effective response to public health events of international concern. MSH is a global health nonprofit that works with local partners from the Ministry to the community to build strong, resilient, and equitable health systems in more than 150 countries.
This position is subject to project award and funding. The job location is flexible to candidates in Arlington, VA and other locations in the U.S. OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES The Surveillance Technical Advisor ("TA") provides technical leadership for design, technical assistance, implementation, and monitoring related to surveillance system strengthening activities. The TA ensures the technical integrity and quality of all surveillance interventions, works closely with Ministries of Health, CDC counterparts and other health system actors, and supports the integration of surveillance with laboratory detection and public health response systems. The Surveillance TA contributes to project work planning, documentation, reporting, and coordination across MSH teams and partners. They will also contribute to business and resource development activities as requested.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES Technical Strategy and Implementation - Lead the design, rollout, and monitoring of indicator-based and event-based surveillance strengthening activities.
- Support MOH and national public health institutes to improve pathogen detection, case reporting, and verification of public health events.
- Strengthen early warning systems, including digital platforms, data flows, interoperability, and real-time analytics.
- Support development of national protocols, guidelines, and SOPs for surveillance, data quality, and reporting to national and global systems.
- Provide technical direction for integrating surveillance and laboratory systems to improve detection-to-reporting cycles.
Capacity Strengthening - Lead capacity strengthening activities and mentorship for national, regional, and other surveillance and epidemiology teams within the health system.
- Provide ongoing technical support to strengthen data analysis, visualization, and epidemiological interpretation for decision-making.
Coordination and Representation - Facilitate and improve coordination across MOH, national public health institutes, CDC, implementing partners, and government and regional bodies.
- Strengthen systems for timely data and information sharing in line with national policies and CDC requirements.
- Contribute to high-quality project documentation, assessments, reports, and learning products.
Project Management and Collaboration - Contribute to annual work planning, MERL processes, and performance tracking related to surveillance outputs and outcomes.
- Support cross-cutting GHS activities, including preparedness, workforce development, outbreak investigations, and rapid response.
QUALIFICATIONS- MPH, MS, MD, PhD, or other advanced degree in epidemiology, public health surveillance, disease control, or related field.
- Minimum of 7+ years of experience supporting or managing surveillance systems in low- or middle-income countries.
- Demonstrated expertise in disease surveillance, early warning systems, IBS/EBS, data analysis, and data-use systems.
- Experience working with Ministries of Health, government bodies, national public health institutes, USG partners, and multilateral organizations.
- Familiarity with CDC surveillance platforms, global reporting systems, and GHS technical areas.
- Strong technical writing, communication, capacity-building, and stakeholder coordination skills.
- Fluency in English is required and proficiency in French is preferred.
The expected salary range for this position is: $85,600.00 - $120,600.00 annually (U.S. locations only).
MSH considers multiple job-related factors when determining an offer, including but not limited to, business and organizational needs, candidate qualifications, internal equity, location, and internal budget.
Salary is just one of many aspects of our total rewards package; at MSH, our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive set of competitive benefits that includes a substantial vacation, sick and holiday policies, training and development programs, competitive insurance coverage for health, vision, dental, life, short-term and long-term disability, 401k plan, Flexible Spending Account, among others.
The selected candidate will have a flexible work schedule combining remote and in-office work from one of MSH's US offices at a set frequency.
MSH is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws. MSH complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, as amended, and all related applicable regulations.
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