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Job Title:   Statistician (Data Management and Statistics Team Lead)

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Position Number: Kampala-2024-030 RA1

Reports to: Data Science and Informatics Branch Chief

About Organisation:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Peace Corps

Job Summary:   The Data Management and Statistician position is in the Data Science and Informatics (DSI) Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Uganda country office and serves as the lead for the Data Management and Statistics (DMS) Team. The job holder is a senior statistician and key public health technical advisor and provides a broad range of statistical, data management, and analytic expertise and support to physicians, epidemiologists, behavioral scientists, public health specialists, and health service researchers working on USG funded projects and activities.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Data Management and Statistical Analysis: 40%

• Job holder serves as a recognized expert on advanced methods of statistical analysis, advanced programming consultation, and the utilization and analysis of complex multi-stage survey data.
• Designs or adapts creative statistical approaches which are implemented or used by other statisticians or researchers within CDC.
• Determines that the appropriate statistical methodology is applied, underlying assumptions are addressed, and the results are interpreted, explained, and disseminated correctly. Programming duties include creation, manipulation, and analysis of large, complex data sets. These programs include appropriate weighting of statistical tabulations of data from surveys.
• Devises appropriate methods for summarizing, interpreting, and presenting the results of statistical analyses of data compiled from studies and projects. Independently defines input and output requirements, editing procedures, and maintenance routines to ensure data quality.
• Reviews and approves analytic plans and statistical approaches for USG funded studies and surveys and provides technical assistance to DSI Branch and program staff on data management and statistical analysis.
• Requires a thorough knowledge of the capabilities of SAS, EPIINFO, STATA, spreadsheet, database software, and/or other PC applications.
• Provides technical support in all phases of scientific studies, surveys, and projects, including study design; design of data collection instruments and systems; planning the analysis of data and selecting appropriate statistical techniques for analysis; data analysis, interpretation, and dissemination; assessing the quality of data; and presenting the results of studies and research.
• Technical support activities include the selection and implementation of the appropriate statistical methodology for analysis; planning data collection activities, including selection of appropriate data capture tools; reviewing the quality of the collected data; and evaluating the precision and validity of the information collected.
• The job holder oversees the work of data managers, statisticians, and data entry clerks.
• The incumbent is responsible for evaluating the quality and completeness of data and provides feedback for areas of improvement including corrective action plans.
• Ensures that data managers develop, implement, and maintain rigorous data protocols for data collection and management, ensuring the timeliness, accuracy, and integrity of data.
• Provides expert technical assistance to program staff on DSI domains and guides multiple technical area program specialists in the use of data for program planning and improvement.
• Provides technical expertise, advice, and direction on the implementation and application of computer software to address statistical and mathematical problems that are technically challenging and demanding in disease prevention and surveillance.
• Works closely with project team leaders and their staff in creating innovative approaches to resolve analytical and operational problems and provides critical advanced technical assistance when needed.
• Develops, modifies, and integrates computer programs from multiple data processing systems.
• Coordinates the development of statistical applications and programs with other professionals in CDC to ensure that programs are consistent with current state-of-the-art procedures for analyses.
• Provides one-on-one and small group instruction and guidance to other statisticians and project staff to assure proper implementation and application of state-of-the-art or new and emerging techniques and methods.
• Provides expert level consultation on statistical and programming problems. Keeps abreast of and evaluates the latest statistical software and its utility for CDC, USG, and Government of Uganda (GOU) applications in public health.

Technical, Program, and Project Management: 30%

• Provide strategic, programmatic, and technical leadership for CDC’s support to data aspects of health systems strengthening in Uganda. Develop and evaluate current plans and activities against short- and long-range strategic information objectives; develop recommendations for CDC and interagency USG support to ensure cost-effective and rigorous data investments at every level in the health sector; and identify and foster opportunities for collaboration, coordination, and integration of support to data science at every level of the health system.
• Engage regularly with multiple divisions of the MOH and other GOU departments, serving as a CDC senior technical point of contact for health data, including data capture, data analytics, and data use for decision making, program monitoring, and program improvement. Advise CDC Uganda and interagency colleagues on matters related to data management, analytics, study implementation and design, statistics, and data use. Coordinate CDC’s support to the GOU for the development, implementation, and improvement of USG and national reporting systems for health programs.
• Represent CDC in national and international level technical and programmatic meetings and consultations with GOU counterparts, bilateral and multi-lateral development partners working in the health sector, Implementing Partners (IPs), and other USG agencies working on DSI domains. Lead the design of programs and activities related to data management and statistics to increase evidence-based planning, programming, and management of Uganda’s health sector.
• Provides expert level advice and recommendations in the areas of DSI to the DSI Branch Chief, CDC leadership, USG, and MOH technical working groups. Leads multiple complex projects concurrently, ensuring priority activities are completed with quality and contribute to organizational goals and objectives.
• Job holder may service as lead activity manager or activity manager on multiple grants/cooperative agreements, providing technical oversight, direction, and management for implementing partners.
• Job holder may participate and/or lead in outbreak response activities for emerging public health threats.

Scientific Writing and Presentations: 15%

• Job holder works with a multi-disciplinary team to produce and review high-impact scientific reports, manuscripts, and presentations, ensuring quality statistical and epidemiologic content.
• Prepares advanced statistical reports, graphs, charts, tables, and narrative material of study and program data for publication, oral presentation, and dissemination.
• Collaborates with senior level professionals, host country government, international organizations, and other public and private organizations involved in HIV/AIDS research to ensure that CDC Uganda research activities are consistent with and complimentary to in-country HIV/AIDS epidemiologic and implementation science activities.
• Prepares regular and frequent oral and written reports to the CDC Country Director, DSI Branch Chief, and the USG PEPFAR interagency management team on the progress of PEPFAR funded surveys, surveillance, and implementation science projects.
• Writes reports, abstracts, and manuscripts on research results and findings for presentation at national and international conferences and meetings. Participates and delivers presentations in national and regional conferences, meetings, and workshops on HIV implementation science and statistics in public health. Responds to requests from NGOs, health care organizations, and medical professionals for information and technical assistance on HIV statistics, mathematical modeling, and implementation science.

Interagency Collaboration and Coordination: 15%

• As a regional expert on strategic information matters pertaining to HIV/AIDS prevention, job holder represents CDC Uganda at technical meetings, including meetings with collaborators and donor agencies. Briefs agency officials on the results of such meetings and prepares written reports for submission to other interested parties.
• Represents CDC in discussing and developing financial commitment proposals for HIV prevention and treatment programs at administrative and strategic planning meetings. This includes all USG agencies. Serves as chair or rotating chair on inter-agency technical working groups to ensure effective coordination of work plan development, implementation strategies, and evaluation plans for all USG agency prevention and treatment activities in Uganda. Serves on intra- and inter-branch PEPFAR and other division health projects. These projects are generally short-term in nature and most often have to do with special requirements for VIP visits, special PEPFAR taskings, etc.
• Services as the interagency strategic information point of contact for multiple technical areas, providing data and analytic support to public health specialists and program staff across agencies. Plays an active role in national strategic information technical working groups, advising on data management, statistics, mathematical modeling, epidemiologic methods, and data analysis for public health studies and programs.

Note: This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the incumbent. Incumbent will be required to perform other duties as assigned by the agency.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

• The applicants for the United States US Embassy Statistician (Data Management and Statistics Team Lead) job should have relevant qualifications should hold a Masters Degree in Public Health, Biostatistics/Statistics, Epidemiology, Data Management, or Informatics is required.
• Post entry training may include professional seminars to expand knowledge, skills and abilities in statistics, data management, informatics, and HIV/AIDS practices, procedures, and administrative and fiscal management. PEPFAR and agency-specific training in approaches to program design, implementation, and reporting. Agency-specific leadership development training, and COR/CTO or Project Management of cooperative agreements training are required. Additionally, scientifical ethical training including human subjects’ ethical trainings will be required.
• Four years of progressively responsible experience in statistics, data management, programming, monitoring and evaluation, or research in health is required. At least 3 of these years focused on advanced analysis using SPSS, SAS, STATA, R, or other statistical software, is required.
• One year of experience supervising staff is required.
• In-depth, comprehensive, and evolving knowledge of statistical and mathematical analysis techniques integrated with computer applications is required. Higher mathematical ability with a solid background in statistics and the calculus of probability is also necessary, especially for high priority and major projects that require approaches that are technically demanding or rely on advanced technical expertise to efficiently meet complex project demands on time.
• Knowledge of parametric and non-parametric techniques, along with categorical data analysis is required to provide statistical support.
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in HIV/AIDS prevention areas is required.
• Thorough public health knowledge of current HIV/AIDS issues is required.
• Detailed knowledge of the host government health care system and structures including familiarity with MOH policies, program priorities and regulations is required.
• Detailed working knowledge of USG HIV/AIDS public health programs, strategies, methods, processes, and techniques used to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate results is required.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships with national and international health partners are required.
• Good working knowledge of team management techniques to plan, organize and direct multi-disciplinary project teams and activities and overall administrative requirements, budgeting, and fiscal management in support of cooperative agreements and contracts is required.
• The ability to lead results-driven project teams and workgroups is required.
• Advanced user level of word processing, spreadsheets, and databases is required.
• Numerical skills for data analysis are required.
• Must have statistical and research skills in HIV/AIDS, TB, or STIs as demonstrated by published, peer-reviewed articles in professional journals, national, or international presentations.
• Language Proficiency – List English and other host country language(s) proficiency requirements by level (1-5) for speaking, reading, and writing.
• English: Level 4 – Fluent; written/spoken, including the ability to translate

How to Apply:

All those interested in working with the United States Embassy, US Mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 12th July 2024

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