Health Security Advisor NGO Job Palladium

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Position Overview 

The Health Security Lead is a senior technical role providing strategic direction, expert guidance, and hands-on support to strengthen case-based and event-based surveillance as a core pillar of Kenya’s health security architecture. Working with MoH (KNPHI, DHA, NMCP), county governments, and U.S. Government partners (including OFA and CDC), the role will: 

• Advance digitalization and interoperability of surveillance platforms to operationalize the 717 target (7 days to detect, 1 day to notify, 7 days to respond) for other epidemic-prone threats. 
• Lead the analytics function (descriptive, geospatial, predictive) to drive earlier detection, faster notification, and timelier response. 
• Ensure alignment to IHR (2005), IDSR, One Health, and Kenya’s digital health policies, with implementation framed as government-led and government-owned.

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Key Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership & Health Security Alignment 

• Provide strategic leadership for surveillance strengthening within Kenya’s broader Health Security agenda, aligned to MoH priorities, IHR (2005), IDSR, and national digital health policies/standards. 
• Serve as technical advisor to the Data.FI ,  MoH and the OFA/Embassy Health Office on malaria surveillance, integrated disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and response. 
• Codesign with MoH a pragmatic roadmap to institutionalize the 717 target as a performance metric for malaria (and applicable crosscutting threats), including embedding 717 indicators in routine reviews, AARs/IARs/EARs, and county action plans. 
• Support the transition to G2G modalities, emphasizing capacity transfer, sustainability, accountability, and use of government systems. 

Surveillance Strengthening & Digital Health Integration 

• Provide high-level technical assistance to NMCP, KNPHI, DHA, and counties to strengthen malaria control, and integration with KHIS2; align workflows from case detection to case investigation, foci classification, and response. 
• Advance digitalization of surveillance: optimize electronic case-based reporting, configure alert thresholds, digitize SOPs/job aids, and streamline event management, ensuring 717 time stamps are captured end-to-end (detect → notify → respond). 
• Strengthen interoperability across platforms (e.g., KHIS2/DHIS2, EMRs, lab information systems, HIE), using open standards (FHIR/HL7) and MoH architecture guidelines, working through DHA governance processes. 
• Incorporate entomological, climatological, and environmental data (e.g., rainfall, temperature, vector density) into malaria risk stratification and early warning dashboards to guide preemptive targeting and resource prepositioning. 
• Where relevant to zoonotic and vectorborne risks, support One Health linkages (e.g., KABS, wildlife/environmental signals) to improve situational awareness for malaria-adjacent or cocirculating threats. 

Outbreak Detection, Investigation & Response (717 Operationalization) 

• Provide expert technical guidance to national and county rapid response teams for outbreaks (e.g., seasonal surges, complex emergencies), ensuring standardized protocols for detection, notification, investigation, and initial response. 
• Embed 717 performance analytics into outbreak reviews to identify bottlenecks (e.g., delayed lab confirmation, late notification, lag in vector control deployment) and drive targeted system fixes with responsible owners and timelines. 
• Support development/update of national guidelines, SOPs, alert management protocols, and district/county playbooks for infectious disease outbreak preparedness and response, harmonized with IDSR and KNPHI guidance. 

Analytics & Data Use for Action

• Lead the analytics function for surveillance and health security: design and maintain automated data pipelines, quality checks, and integrated dashboards (descriptive, geospatial, and predictive). 
• Apply timeseries, anomaly detection, and basic machine learning methods (where feasible and appropriate) to generate early signals for malaria upsurges, stratify risk, and prioritize response. 
• Produce 717 scorecards for malaria at national and county levels; track timeliness from detection to response; and translate insights into actionable recommendations for managers. 
• Build clear data-driven decision workflows so insights trigger predefined actions (investigation, RDT resupply, IRS/LLIN targeting, community mobilization), with feedback loops to measure impact. 

G2G Interface, OFA Coordination & Reporting 

• Serve as the technical focal point for OFA health security interfaces related to surveillance ensuring alignment of performance indicators, data calls, and reporting with MoH systems and G2G requirements. 
• Contribute to G2G accountability by documenting improvements in timeliness, completeness, and response performance (717) using government data sources and MoH-approved indicators. 
• Provide high-quality inputs for USG decision memos, portfolio reviews, and interagency briefings framed around country-owned results and system strengthening progress. 

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Knowledge Management 

• Support MEL Lead to define and track surveillance-specific KPIs for malaria (including 717 metrics) and integrate them into the project and G2G MEL frameworks. 
• Participate in learning cycles capturing best practices in health security digitalization, interoperability, and rapid response, disseminating lessons through MoH-led technical working groups and communities of practice. 

Capacity Building & Partner Collaboration 

• Design and deliver targeted capacity building (national and county) on eIDSR, data analysis for action, 717 operationalization, and use of digital tools/dashboards. 
• Maintain strong, trust-based relationships with NMCP, KNPHI, DHA, county health teams, CDC, OFA/Embassy Health Office, and other partners supporting MoH leadership of coordination platforms and technical working groups. 

Qualifications and Experience 

Education 

• Master’s degree or higher in Epidemiology, Public Health or related field. A medical degree (MBChB/MD) or Veterinary Medicine with advanced public health training is highly desirable. 

Professional Experience 

• 8–10+ years of progressively responsible experience in public health surveillance and outbreak response, with substantial malaria surveillance experience (case-based surveillance, outbreak investigation, entomological/ environmental data use) in sub-Saharan Africa. 
• Demonstrated experience strengthening IDSR and digital surveillance within government systems (national and subnational), including hands-on work with KHIS2/DHIS2, EMRs, and/or laboratory systems. 
• Demonstrated experience leading PHEOC or analogous public health response structures in Kenya. 
• Proven track record in operationalizing 717 (or analogous timeliness metrics), including facilitating AARs/IARs/EARs to identify and fix bottlenecks. 
• Experience with interoperability and digital health architecture under government governance (e.g., FHIR/HL7, HIE patterns) preferred. 
• One Health and multisectoral collaboration experience (linkages with animal/environmental sectors) is an advantage. 
• Experience in the Kenyan health context is a strong asset; experience working with U.S. Government-funded programs is desirable. 

Technical and Professional Skills 

• Strong applied epidemiology and analytics skills (study design, data management, statistical analysis, interpretation). 
• Proficiency with data tools such as R or Python (analytics/forecasting), SQL (data engineering), and Power BI/Metabase/Superset (dashboards); experience with GIS (QGIS/ArcGIS) for risk mapping. 
  Familiarity with IHR (2005), IDSR, GHSA/health security frameworks, and national digital health standards and governance. 
• Demonstrated ability to translate analytics into operational decisions, with clear accountability and follow-through. 
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and communication skills capable of liaising diplomatically with senior government officials and international partners in a government-led context. 

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How to Apply

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