Senior Technical Officer - Epidemiology & Biostatistics (AfCDC) at African Union(AU)

Purpose of Job

• Africa CDC is looking for an experienced technical officer in epidemiology and biostatistics to support the organisation's epidemiological and statistical analysis of public health data.

Main Functions

• This role is also instrumental in providing the Africa CDC and Member States with cutting-edge epidemiological and biostatistical support. The aim is to improve the availability of evidence and its use to improve policy and strengthen practice.

Specific Responsibilities

• Provide data analytics expertise to Africa CDC and Member States in data management, analysis, and interpretation to improve surveillance and disease intelligence capabilities.
• To support strategic interpretation and use of the data and analytical findings to guide Africa Union Member States.
• Support AU Member States in planning and implementing epidemiological studies, such as seroprevalence surveys, surveillance studies, and research studies, enhancing their ability to monitor and respond effectively to disease outbreaks.
• Supported advanced analytical activities, modelling, simulation, and visualization of data related to event-based surveillance, EPR, and surveillance, enabling the identification and response to public health threats promptly.
• Conduct training and mentoring activities, significantly improving the capacity of Africa CDC HQ and Regional Coordinating (RCC) staff to perform and interpret basic and advanced data analysis.
• Developed strategic plans for public health surveillance programs, setting clear objectives and ensuring alignment with Africa CDC’s mission and vision.
• Facilitate and coordinate the development of tools and systems for analyzing, interpreting, and using surveillance data to inform public health policymaking and guide decisions on allocating public health resources.
• Facilitate and coordinate the development of planning tools and a reference guide for strengthening regional surveillance capacity, working in collaboration with the NHPIs.
• Facilitate and coordinate crosscutting surveillance support across Divisions and Regional Collaborating Centres as appropriate. Particular emphasis will be placed on surveillance and disease intelligence and Emergency Operations Center activities involving outbreak response, including disease surveillance, investigations, analysis, and reporting of disease threats across Africa.
• Dissemination of research findings.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master’s Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Public Health, or a related field with a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience conducting, managing, and disseminating public health research, preferably in surveillance, disease intelligence preparedness and response, infectious disease prevention and control, outbreak response, or strengthening of health systems with at least 3 years of managerial experience .

Or

• Bachelor’s Degree in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Public Health, or a related field with a minimum of ten (10) years of work experience conducting, managing, and disseminating public health research, preferably in surveillance, disease intelligence preparedness and response, infectious disease prevention and control, outbreak response, or strengthening of health systems with at least 3 years of managerial experience.
• Advanced analytical skills with STATA, R/Python, SAS, and SPSS software. 
• Experience in public health research, focusing on surveillance, disease intelligence preparedness and response. 
• Demonstrated knowledge in research design, methods, analysis, and dissemination using quantitative approaches. 
• Experience leading and coordinating multi-country or multi-institutional research projects or networks involving diverse stakeholders and partners. 
• Experience developing and implementing research policies, strategies, and plans aligning with organizational goals and priorities. 
• Experience managing research grants, contracts, and budgets, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and reporting standards.

Required Skills:

• Experience in developing predictive models with health-related data. 
• Capacity to develop innovative and creative approaches to communicate public health data.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Collaboration and Teamwork with strong interpersonal skills
• Good leadership skills with a focus on empathy and inclusivity.
• Research and data interpretation skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Cultural intelligence.
• Negotiation and diplomacy skills.
• Creative problem-solving.
• Knowledge of international health frameworks and policies.
• Results-oriented mindset.
• Passion for public health.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Insight
• Developing others
• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Building Relationship
• Foster Accountability Culture
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual thinking 
• Job Knowledge and information sharing:
• Drive for Result 
• Continuous Improvement Orientation

Tenure of Appointment:

• The Appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of one (1) year, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables. 

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Language:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Remuneration

• The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$  96,921.34  (P3 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 78,461.08 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.