Epidemiology and Laboratory Services Advisor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Full Time

About Us

International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over one hundred countries and implemented over two hundred projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) across many sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, economic growth, education, environment, and global health.

Job Title: Epidemiology and Laboratory Services Advisor (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC)

Department/Location: Institutional Support & Program Implementation (ISPI) Practice/ Accra, Ghana

Reports To: Principal, ISPI Practice

Type: Regular Full-Time (approximately 6/15/2023 to 6/14/2028)

Classification: Employee, to be located in Ghana

Overview: IBTCI is proposing to serve as the Epidemiology and Laboratory Services Advisor for The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Accra, Ghana to assist the CDC’s Influenza Program – West Africa Region. IBTCI seeks a Epidemiology and Laboratory Services Advisor who can establish and maintain effective working relationships with various Ministries, departments, partners, and other related governmental agencies, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and international health organizations, to identify public health issues related to the prevention and control of avian and seasonal influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health importance including the middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV2, and RSV as well as any newly emerging respiratory viruses. The Epidemiology and Laboratory Services Advisor will monitor and measure the outcomes of these programs through evaluations of surveillance and respiratory virus mitigation activities in meeting World Health Organization and national recommendations and policies.

This is a live proposal, the vacancy is dependant on IBTCI being awarded

Responsibilities

Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and assist international and non-governmental organizations carrying out influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health importance (e.g., SARS-CoV2) activities in the West Africa (WA), Central Africa (CA) and as needed, other countries served by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO). This will require travel to countries to coordinate these activities and to attend African Regional meetings.
• Provide focused technical support on surveillance enhancement within ECOWAS and WHO AFRO nations.
• Assure optimal participation of countries in West and Central where CDC works, in the submission of specimens through the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) network.
• Support intra-agency collaborations that promote the successful implementation of programmatic goals and objectives (e.g., CDC Ghana, CDC headquarters initiatives and other CDC programs)
• Conduct regular meetings and ad hoc communications with global, country, and local agencies to effectively facilitate the completion of programmatic and reporting goals and objectives, to include telephone, email, face-to-face meetings, and trainings.
• Coordinate with Noguchi Memorial Medical Research Institute to complete tasks assigned, such as: providing technical expertise in analysis of data on burden of disease for publication, conducting assessments to identify gaps, providing recommendations of influenza partners needing technical assistance, and sharing subject matter expertise to enhance the implementation of surveillance systems.
• Establish and maintain a point of contact in each Ministry of Health and/or National Lab in each West Africa and Central Africa country where CDC currently works. This can include additional countries where future work is planned.
• Assess each MOH/Lab to determine their capability and their needs, encourage them to conduct influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health importance surveillance. o Tools that will be used are the CDC/Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Lab Capacity Review Tool, the CDC Epidemiology Surveillance Review Tool, and the Monitoring and Evaluation for Pandemic Preparedness tool.
• Develop an action plan in English, French, or both languages for each country to prioritize the support that can be offered by CDC.
• Strengthen MOH technical capability through direct Technical Assistance for each MOH/Lab both on laboratory and epidemiology aspects.
• Organize regional collaboration among countries that will be supported by CDC to increase capacity of countries through training, networking, and information sharing of influenza methodologies.
• Organize or conduct regional trainings, e.g., epi surveillance training and lab/polymerase chain reaction (PCR) training.
• Serve as Flu Advisor on Global Health Security (GHS) initiatives associated with influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health importance (e.g., SARS-CoV2) surveillance and laboratory.
• Participate as member of Global Health Security team as subject matter expert on influenza laboratory and surveillance.
• Determine feasibility of CDC providing assistance in the event of an outbreak. Collectively with in-country actors/points of contacts determine need, identify resources available to fulfill need, and provide support as available and appropriate.
• Contribute to enhanced sentinel surveillance in Ghana thorough technical assistance in collaboration with Noguchi Institute.
• Strengthen the WHO/AFRO Influenza Lab Network in West Africa, Central Africa, and other African countries; support new NICs through cross-training national reference labs for base flu diagnostics.
• Provide outbreak response and support in the West Africa region with USG (CDC or USAID), FAO, and WHO/AFRO.
• Confirm reporting of seasonal, avian, and novel influenza reports to WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and CDC Atlanta for West African and Central Africa countries and other African countries.
• Provide scientific and/or technical advice on cooperative agreements awarded by CDC’s Influenza Division.
• Provide scientific and/or technical advice and assistance in the development of criteria and standards for the planning, implementation and evaluation of influenza proposals or protocols.
• Provide technical support to countries in West Africa, Central Africa, and other African countries to analyze and interpret data and produce abstracts for scientific meetings and manuscripts for publication.
• Translate and transcribe documents including correspondence, presentations, and training materials as appropriate.
• Produce influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health importance sentinel surveillance studies, with the goals of determining the circulating strains of influenza viruses, the epidemiology and seasonality of influenza, the burden of influenza at selected health facilities through the establishment of ILI (Influenza like Illness)/SARI (severe acute respiratory illness) surveillance.
• Conduct trainings for country teams on Rapid Response and Outbreak/Pandemic Preparedness, multi-disciplinary team composition, key steps for outbreak response, postresponse.
• Provide technical support to the Africa Region through engagement with WHO-AFRO region and WHO headquarters on prevention and control activities including vaccine implantation and other special initiatives. (e.g., PIP Framework)
• Complete and maintain up to date certification for all CDC- and Noguchi-required trainings to include, but not limited to, Security Awareness and High Threat Security Overseas Seminar (HTSOS) training.
• Attend Integrated Conference Approval Portal (ICAP)-approved conferences and make presentations as required. **Note: These conferences must be approved in advance by CDC before travel is approved**
• Provide technical support to West African countries participating in CDC/Task Force for Global Health initiative to vaccinate health workers and other priority groups against influenza.
• Provide assistance with research efforts of influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health importance (e.g., SARS-CoV2) in West Africa, Central Africa, and other African countries including epidemiological study design, implementation, data analysis, and coordination of laboratory testing for influenza and other respiratory viruses including novel pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2
• Provide technical support to African partners on virus epidemiological and virological aspects of systems to ensure partners incorporate diagnostic capacity for newly emerging SARS-CoV2 into existing platforms.
• Provide assistance to the Regional Influenza Director and CDC staff in the preparation of briefings for Congressional and Executive delegations, VIP visitors.
• Participate as a member and advisor on national committees for surveillance/epidemiology issues to provide expert advice and recommendations to ensure implementation of best practices for health management information systems (HMIS).
• Conduct knowledge, attitude, and practices surveys among health workers in West Africa country programs to determine how pre-pandemic adult vaccination programs impacted acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines; to assess worker likelihood of recommending COVID-19 vaccine to patients; and to apply lessons from influenza and COVID vaccination programs to improve life-course immunization programs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Five (5) years minimum experience in health or public health program management.
• Five (5) years minimum experience in animal and human influenza in an African setting.
• FSI Level 4 required in French language (Level 5 is desired).
• Must be able to obtain a security clearance (Public Trust) by the National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) and a Credit Check, and possible Minimum or Limited Background Investigation.
• Oral and written fluency in English required, fluency in another language preferred.

Education: Medical Doctor and specialized degree in virology.

Working Environment: Work is typically performed in an office environment.

Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Travel: Travel needs during option periods will be evaluated at the time of task order renewal.

Place of Travel (Continent, Country, City, etc.)

*Duration (*duration of trips may vary)

Cote d’Ivoire

7 days

South Africa, Johannesburg

8 days

Atlanta, GA

9 days

Congo, Brazzaville

7 days

Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

7 days

Nigeria, Abuja

7 days

Mali, Bamako

5 days

Atlanta, GA

9 days

Togo, Lomé

7 days

Senegal, Dakar

7 days

Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

7 days

Nigeria, Abuja

7 days

Niger, Niamey

7 days

Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa

7 days

Cameroon, Yaoundé

7 days

Work Authorization: Only U.S. citizens or non-U.S. citizens who have lived in the U.S. at least three of the last five years are eligible to provide services under this task order. The exception to this is an incumbent non-U.S. citizen contractor employee with current, valid security clearance for physical and logical access to CDC and embassy facilities and network. If the exception stated above is used, do not include any contractor employee who is considered an ordinarily resident in your proposal. Ordinarily resident: A U.S. citizen or Third Country National who: (1) is a local resident;(2) has legal, permanent resident status within the host country; and (3) is subject to host country employment and tax laws. This also includes host country citizens.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About the Organization:

IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management and Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education, energy & Infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance.
Are you looking for a company that offers worthwhile opportunities for your professional growth? At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.

IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact Talent Acquisition at TalentAcquisition@ibtci.com. (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).

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