Management Sciences for Health
The Surveillance Technical Advisor provides technical leadership for the design, assistance, implementation, and monitoring of surveillance system strengthening activities. This role ensures technical integrity and quality of interventions, supports integration of surveillance with laboratory and public health response systems, and contributes to project planning, documentation, reporting, and coordination.
Key Responsibilities
- • Lead the design, rollout, and monitoring of indicator-based, event-based, and community-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.
- • 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.
- • Facilitate and improve coordination across MOH, national public health institutes, USG agencies, implementing partners, and government and regional bodies.
- • Strengthen systems for timely data and information sharing in line with national policies and USD requirements.
- • Contribute to high-quality project documentation, assessments, reports, and learning products.
- • 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.
Required
- • MPH, MS, MD, PhD, or other advanced degree in epidemiology, public health surveillance, disease control, or related field.
- • Minimum of 8+ 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 and regional bodies, national public health institutes, USG partners, and multilateral organizations.
- • Familiarity with USG supported surveillance platforms and approaches, global reporting systems, and GHS technical areas.
- • Strong technical writing, communication, capacity-building, and stakeholder coordination skills.
- • Fluency in English is required.
Preferred
- • Proficiency in French is preferred.
Benefits & Perks
- • 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
MSH seeks a Surveillance Technical Advisor for a potential 5-year Rapid Outbreak and Response (ROR) project funded by the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD) of the U.S. Department of State. The program aims to advance timely, effective responses to infectious disease outbreaks by supporting immediate response actions during the earliest stages of an outbreak when rapid intervention can significantly limit transmission and reduce morbidity and mortality. The program capitalizes on existing country capacities and partnerships to support swift activation of outbreak response activities, complementing national leadership and established response frameworks.
Activities support countries to 1) Rapid Activation and Surge Response, 2) Early Detection, Containment, and Mitigation, 3) Coordinated and Operationally Effective Response Support, and 4) System Reinforcement and Transition from emergency surge to recovery. 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 the U.S. and other countries where MSH can hire. Candidates can be remote or on-site.
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 activities and interventions and supports the integration and strengthening 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, event-based, and community-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, USG agencies, implementing partners, and government and regional bodies.
Strengthen systems for timely data and information sharing in line with national policies and USD 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 8+ 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 and regional bodies, national public health institutes, USG partners, and multilateral organizations.
- Familiarity with USG supported surveillance platforms and approaches, 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.
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.
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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