PATH is hiiring a Diagnostics Program Officer.
Please submit a cover letter with your resume describing your interest in this position and how you meet the requirements. **
PATH is a global organization that works to accelerate health equity by bringing together public institutions, businesses, social enterprises, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing health challenges. With expertise in science, health, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales solutions—including vaccines, drugs, devices, diagnostics, and innovative approaches to strengthening health systems worldwide.
PATH seeks a Diagnostics Program Officer to support a potential CDC-funded project entitled “Enhancing Global Health Security: Strengthening Public Health Surveillance Systems and Preparedness Globally.” The project goal is to build upon activities funded by CDC to support global health security through implementation of disease diagnostic and surveillance activities that focus on protecting and improving public health globally through strategic planning, policy, strengthening diagnostic and surveillance capacities and systems in coordination with Ministries of Health and other governmental institutions.
The Diagnostics Program Officer will be based in Senegal and will work closely with country and regional teams in West Africa as well as global teams, and in collaboration with donors as well as national and international project partners. The surveillance program officer will provide technical leadership and support to the design, implementation, and monitoring of strategies and activities to integrate and strengthen disease surveillance systems within and across countries in West Africa.
This position will operate under management and oversight of the project director based in Senegal and report to the project director of Global Health Security based in PATH headquarters.
Key responsibilities include:
- Provide technical leadership and oversight for the project team on strengthening diagnostics and laboratory system networks to improve testing and reporting capacity.
- Provide oversight, technical assistance, and capacity building to establish and expand quality assurance testing within the region and/or across countries in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.
- Work in close collaboration with the Surveillance Program Officer to strengthen Laboratory Health Management Information Systems and use of program data to improve reporting at all levels of the project.
- Support efforts to improve in real-time reporting, data sharing, and interoperability among surveillance and laboratory systems.
- Support the development, updating or dissemination of national diagnostic network strategic plans, standard operating procedures, policies, and guidelines.
- Provide technical assistance to project partners for activity implementation in improving laboratory workforce.
- Participate in laboratory external quality assessments, good laboratory practices and data quality assurance activities.
- Identify issues/challenges and develop strategies for effective implementation.
- Work closely with partners, regional, and country technical leads and other stakeholders to ensure coordinated approach to project implementation.
- Coordinate with the project team on disease surveillance system strengthening activities.
- Represent PATH and the project on technical working groups and maintain contacts with other organizations engaged in project activities.
- Support project team members with monitoring and evaluation activities.
- Contribute to preparing reports to CDC and PATH headquarters.
Required Experience
- A minimum of a BSc in clinical diagnostics, laboratory science, or an equivalent.
- At least five years of experience in infectious disease diagnostic strengthening and capacity building in West Africa.
- Demonstrated working experience performing and/or supervising laboratory-based testing for the diagnosis and characterization of infectious diseases.
- Experience performing genomic sequencing for characterization of pathogens preferred.
- Working knowledge of bioinformatics and other analysis tools for genomic sequencing data preferred.
- Demonstrated skills in collecting, managing, and analyzing data sets.
- Experience with health facility laboratory diagnostic systems preferred.
- Proven experience working with the ministries of health, donors, NGOs, and the private sector on infectious disease programming.
- Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to work effectively with diverse project teams and partners at the local, national, and international level.
- Strong organizational, prioritization and workload management skills.
- Strong experience with Microsoft Office Products (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook).
- Fluency in spoken and written French and English.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 35% within West Africa as needed.
- Authorization to work in Senegal.
PATH is dedicated to diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.
PATH is an equal opportunity employer. Every qualified applicant will be considered for employment. PATH does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, national origin, marital status, disability status, political ideology, military or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
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