Snr. Program Specialist, Health Information System Strengthening at US Embassy

Duties

The incumbent under the supervision of the Lead, Health Information and Health System Strengthening Team will be responsible for providing technical expertise to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) by providing oversight, coordination, and supervision of Health Information System Strengthening activities including Human Resource for Health and Health Information System for CDC in collaboration with other USG agencies, implementing USG partners, and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).  To carry out this responsibility job holder provides the USG team, Ministry of Health, National AIDS Control Agency and other implementing partners technical recommendations and expertise in the design, development, improvement, and maintenance of information systems that strengthen health service effectiveness and efficiency. Both the advisory and managerial roles require HMIS technical expertise, results-oriented analysis, clear communication, advocacy, and close collaboration with implementing partners and donors. Due to the highly integrated nature of HMIS in all PEPFAR programmatic decision making, job holder represents the agency on HMIS issues at technical working group, policy, and strategic planning meetings, including meetings with collaborators and donor agencies.

Qualifications and Evaluations

EXPERIENCE: 

• Minimum of 5 years progressive experience in designing, developing, implementing and maintaining health data information systems to support and evaluate health-related program activities is required, inclusive of two years of managerial responsibility.

JOB KNOWLEDGE: 

The incumbent must possess extensive knowledge of health delivery information systems, health information technology and applications, especially the application of program management and the translation of evaluation data as it pertains to the improvement of program operations, guidelines, and policies. The incumbent must have a detailed understanding of the structure and functions of PEPFAR, including detailed knowledge of the agency’s role and function in support of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Incumbent must have extensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS, STD or TB prevention activities, and broad knowledge of host government health care system and structures including sound understanding with Nigeria Ministry of Health policies, program priorities and regulations. Good working knowledge of team management techniques to plan, organize and direct multi-disciplinary project teams and activities is required.

Please address this factor in your ERA application under Major Duties and Responsibilities

Education Requirements:

• Masters Degree in Public Health, Health Planning and Management (MHPM), Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Information Science/Systems or Biological Sciences (or Biostatistics), is required.

Note: NYSC Certificate/Exclusion/Exemption document is required.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES : 

Ability to analyze, understand and inform new health management information systems, health ICT program design, management and implementation approaches is required. This includes application of public health informatics techniques and use of ICTs and methods for data collection, analysis, use, and reporting. Ability to design or modify sophisticated computer applications to meet data collection, exchange, retrieval, and reporting requirements is required. Strong oral communications skills are required to develop and maintain effective, sustainable working relationships with ministry, national and international working partners. Ability to plan, organize and facilitate health information management related capacity building programs (e.g., Trainings, workshops, trainings, internship etc.) is required.

Good drafting skills are required to provide regular progress reports on various HMIS activities. Good leadership skills are required to operate independently with limited direct supervision of day-to-day activities and to lead results-driven project teams and workgroups. The incumbent will be expected to exercise tact and diplomacy in applying PEPFAR guidelines to unique and different public health settings, as the programs are highly complex and can be threatening to stakeholders. Highly developed persuasive skills, ingenuity and innovation are required. Advanced keyboarding skills that include both speed and accuracy are required. The incumbent should be technically proficient in database design, development, and administration; conversant with all of the software packages and tools necessary for successful health information system development e.g., Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and statistical programs such as SAS, SPSS, or STATA); SQL programming, understanding of both transactional (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) data environments related to health including spatial analysis, GIS etc.