Project Manager/Lead, Laboratory and Surveillance

Full Time

Overview

Through funding from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Jhpiego is implementing the project ‘Expanding Efforts and Strategies to protect and improve public health globally€™ in Zimbabwe and 16 other countries globally. Jhpiego seeks to use technical assistance (TA) resources to improve the quality and accelerate achievement of programs and grants associated with the Global Funds C19RM. Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, is seeking a Technical Manager, Laboratory and Surveillance to provide strategic and technical leadership on this project. This position is based in Harare, Zimbabwe and will lead Jhpiego’s lab strengthening and public health surveillance activities as well as serve as the primary point of contact under this grant in support of the national and provincial governments and in collaboration with CDC/Zimbabwe.

The Technical Manager will provide overall technical and programmatic oversight of the CDC-funded GHS Project in Zimbabwe. S/he will support the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC), COVID-19 pillar leads (primarily for surveillance and lab) and key stakeholders to strengthen surveillance and laboratory activities, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The position will represent Jhpiego in all technical aspects of the CDC-funded project.

This is a contractual position and is renewable based on availability of funding and scope of work.

Responsibilities

    • Represent the project with donors, government and other relevant stakeholders
    • Supervise and manage a team; align their efforts with program goals to ensure project objectives are met within the set timelines and budget
    • Coordinate project activities in consultation with relevant local stakeholders and Jhpiego home office
    • Provide strategic and technical leadership in collaboration with COVID-19 pillar leads for laboratory and surveillance activities in alignment with country priorities
    • Promote the use of best laboratory practices across the intervention sites
    • Ensure continuous monitoring of program activities, as well as timely and accurate evaluation and reporting of progress toward the achievement of program goals and objectives
    • Assure the quality and sustainability of interventions in collaboration with the federal and provincial governments
    • Troubleshoot to prevent and resolve potential problems and review outputs for quality control
    • Strengthen the capacity of surveillance officers and lab staff in the intervention areas through training, mentorship and support
    • Present progress, achievements and lessons learned as a representative of Jhpiego to key stakeholders including CDC, MOHCC, and program partners
    • Work with finance and program staff to develop and track program budgets and to implement activities within approved budgets
    • Monitor and supervise technical officers and/or short- and long-term consultants contributing to program efforts
    • Build and maintain productive working relationships with counterparts from the MoHCC, CDC and other partners/stakeholders.
    • Lead development and on time submission of work plans and program reports including quarterly reporting against program indicators

Required Qualifications

    • Degree in medicine/laboratory sciences or related field; advanced degree in epidemiology/infectious diseases or similar will be preferred
    • At least 7-8 years€™ related experience in quantitative epidemiology and the implementation of public health surveillance, outbreak investigation and response
    • At least five years’ experience in leading and managing donor funded programs and teams
    • Familiarity with laboratory systems in Zimbabwe
    • Proven ability to multitask across various planning and implementation processes within a highly demanding environment
    • Ability to develop systems and standard operating procedures
    • Technical expertise in disease surveillance of infectious diseases
    • Proficiency in analysis, interpretation and visualization of data
    • Proven ability to multitask across various planning and implementation processes within a highly demanding environment.
    • Excellent writing, verbal and interpersonal skills
    • Ability and willingness to travel in the country.

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

Jhpiego is an equal opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Failure to follow the instructions of applying, your application would be denied.

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Previous experience working on donor funded projects (USG/Global Fund etc.)
  • Experience in development of protocols and implementation of public health evaluations
  • Field Epidemiology Training Program experience