Public Health Intelligence Officer – Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization

Resolve to Save Lives in Collaboration with the Zambia National Public Health Institute

Job Title:   Public Health Intelligence Officer – Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization

Reports to: Director- Strategic Planning and Information Management

Location:  Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI)

Fixed-term Employment: Through August 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension

The Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) has the mandate to lead health security for the Republic of Zambia. Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), a US-based global public health organization, works closely with Ministries of Health and national public health institutes in Africa to strengthen epidemic preparedness capacity, accelerate disease detection and response, and use data effectively to inform action. ZNPHI is collaborating with Resolve to Save Lives on a new surveillance program to enhance disease and contextual/risk data through strengthened surveillance and innovations in epidemic intelligence, effective use of existing and emergent data throughout the event lifecycle, and development of data tools and products that support key decision-makers from communities, the health sector, and government bodies.

ZNPHI seeks to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced person to be appointed as Public Health Intelligence Officer (PHIO) – Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization under this collaborative project.

Position Purpose:

The Public Health Intelligence Officer (PHIO) will sit under the Strategic Planning & Information Management (SPIM) directorate and serve as a liaison between SPIM, Surveillance Disease Intelligence (SDI), Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) directorate and Laboratory Systems Network. The role will ensure that ZNPHI’s public health emergency management activities are supported by data-driven insights. The PHIO will work closely with the Chief Informatics Officer (CIO) and Data Translation Specialist (DTS) to facilitate the integration and analysis of public health data for actionable intelligence.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Routine and ad-hoc public health data analysis, reporting, and visualization:

Analyze complex and large public health datasets to identify trends, patterns, and insights that support decision-making and strategic planning for ZNPHI’s public health emergency management
Code with statistical software to streamline and automate routine analyses
Develop comprehensive analysis and visualizations (charts, dashboards, etc.) to communicate findings to stakeholders in a clear and actionable manner
Support the Data Translation Specialist in preparing and disseminating regular reports on public health indicators and data-driven insights
Apply advanced statistical models and forecasting techniques to predict future trends and outcomes of diseases/syndromes, providing input for strategic planning, resource mobilization, deployment of preventive actions and public health emergency response activities

Public health data management and quality assurance:

Clean and manage large datasets from various sources, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and consistency
Conduct regular data audits to ensure data quality, resolve discrepancies, and recommend improvements to data collection processes
Work with the Chief Informatics Officer to develop and implement protocols for collecting, cleaning, storing, and analyzing health-related data
Ensure and coordinate access to the key data variables each directorate needs to generate critical public health insight

Other responsibilities:

Support teams to improve analytical outputs meant for out-ward dissemination such as conference presentations, policy briefs, press releases and peer-reviewed scientific journal publications
Develop training programs to enhance the data management, analysis and interpretation skills of Zambia National Public Health Institute staff
Other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Full Grade 12 School Certificate with minimum five O level credits, including English and Mathematics
Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) or PhD with specialization in Biostatistics or Quantitative Epidemiology, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related field
Minimum of 5 years of experience in data analysis to support decision-making, preferably in a development or public sector or within national and/or subnational public health context

Required Technical Skills:

Proficiency in data visualization, geospatial mapping, and descriptive analysis using statistical software such as Stata, R or Python
Advanced knowledge of statistical modeling and familiarity with specific models suitable for a given pathogen/disease. Demonstrated ability to understand academic manuscripts that detail these methods is highly desirable
Intermediate proficiency in R Shiny and Markdown for creating interactive applications and automated reports
Advanced programming skills to organize the scripts to execute complex modeling/visualization tools into replicable and comprehensible structures

Desired Skills and Abilities:

A good understanding of public health, data compilation, management, and analysis
Understanding of public health informatics and the importance of data in supporting health surveillance and emergency management
High level of accuracy and attention to detail, with a commitment to data integrity
Demonstrate agility in responding to evolving public health emergencies, adjusting priorities and approaches as necessary to meet changing demands
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to non-technical audiences in an accessible way
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think critically and propose innovative solutions
Ability to work independently and as part of a team with a collaborative mindset

Please submit your cover letter and resume by September 30, 2024.