Full-Time Senior Data Science Advisor (@ Washington)
Job Description
SUSTAINING TECHNICAL AND ANALYTIC RESOURCES
FELLOWSHIP TITLE: Senior Data Science Advisor
HOST ORGANIZATION: Strategic Information, Evaluation and Informatics Division, Office of HIV/AIDS, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
LOCATION: Washington, DC
POSITION LEVEL: Senior Technical Advisor
STAR-P4-171
STAR PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Sustaining Technical and Analytic Resources (STAR) is a USAID-supported Global Health talent hub, offering paid fellowships and internships at all career levels. STAR provides participants with immersive experiences at global health organizations and institutions to build capacity and contribute technical expertise to address high-impact needs. STAR Fellows and Interns participate in learning activities to enhance knowledge and skills growth, expand professional networks and support career development. STAR is a project of the Public Health Institute (PHI), implemented in partnership with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the Aspen Management Partnership for Health (AMP Health). https://www.ghstar.org/ Sign up with our listserv.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
The STAR Fellowship is a two-year global health and learning opportunity with:
- Individualized, tailored support to enhance the fellow’s achievement personal and professional goals.
- Personalized learning plans and access to learning resources (courses, conferences, mentoring) based on fellow’s learning style and preferences.
- Access to broad professional networks to enhance peer learning and knowledge sharing.
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
Background:
The Bureau for Global Health’s Office of HIV and AIDS (OHA) is the locus of technical leadership for HIV and AIDS programming implemented by USAID. The Office provides input into USG decisions concerning the strategic allocation of financial and human resources in the sector and supports USAID headquarters and field missions in designing and implementing effective HIV and AIDS programs. Within OHA, the Strategic Information, Evaluation, and Informatics (SIEI) Division provides strategic direction, technical leadership, and implementation support to USAID HQ, Missions, and the interagency in managing and utilizing PEPFAR program and financial data and systems to ensure accountability and demonstrate progress towards epidemic control. The SIEI Evaluation Branch supports USAID teams with approaches, tools and solutions that strengthen quality, integration, and use of data. The Evaluation Branch is responsible for ensuring high quality routine and non-routine data are consistently available, accessible, and used in an integrated way to inform policy and program quality improvement. The Branch is the Office of HIV/AIDS’ (OHA) primary vehicle for guiding and managing USAID’s HIV evaluation policy and practice. The SIEI Division is hiring a Senior Data Science Advisor, who will be a member of the Evaluation Team in the SIEI Division.
Introduction:
The Senior Data Science Advisor (Senior Advisor) provides leadership and technical expertise in conducting advanced analytics to better inform HIV/health programming through complex relationships with and between PEPFAR Measurement, Evaluation, and Research (MER) data, Site Improvement through Monitoring Systems (SIMS) data, Expenditure data, country and partner specific data and/or survey data. They are responsible for working with subject matter experts and relevant USAID Mission colleagues to address priority development challenges and enhance the Agency’s capacity to integrate data and analysis into routine decision making.
Reporting structure:
The Senior Advisor in the Evaluation Team will work closely with and receive technical direction from the Evaluation Branch Chief, who will serve as their Point of Contact.
Essential Duties and Outcomes:
Enhance quality of data science and analytical support across OHA:
- Apply data science techniques to priority international development challenges.
- Assist USAID subject matter experts with data science focused analytical thinking for improved planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of programs.
- Design, develop and deliver data analysis and visualization products to support USAID/OHA operations at all stages of the development programming cycle.
- Acquire, process, manage, and analyze big data from a range of sources for improved decision making.
- Leverage various PEPFAR and USAID data assets to design and automate (as feasible) standard integrated analytic and visual products to guide program quality and performance improvement.
- Collaborate with data analysts and program experts across USAID to develop, streamline, and improve existing and emerging PEPFAR and USAID Strategic Information systems, processes, and coordination.
Build agency capacity on data analysis:
- Provide consultation to non-technical audiences and develop and implement guidance on integrating data and analysis in routine decision-making processes.
- Prepare concept papers, background analyses, and briefers to build support for the use of data analytics and data science techniques throughout USAID.
- Facilitate discussion among key USAID stakeholders to articulate a vision and plan for integrating data science into planning, delivering, and evaluation of development programs.
- Lead and conduct trainings to improve the skill sets of headquarters and field staff in the areas of data analysis and visualization through statistical software packages (eg. R, Stata, Excel) and visualization tools (eg. Tableau, ArcGIS/QGIS, R, Excel, and Inkscape/Adobe Illustrator).
Anticipated learning outcomes: approximate 10% time
- Apply data analysis and HIV knowledge to strengthen program.
- Apply and distinguish international standards within technical/content area to support programming.
- Cultivate leadership skills based on the STAR GH mentorship curriculum to effectively facilitate capacity building and knowledge sharing activities amongst staff and peers.
- Expand access to knowledge and resources through networking and collaborative practice within global health.
FELLOWSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Required:
- Minimum 13 years of relevant technical experience with a master’s degree in Epidemiology, Finance, Statistics, Math, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, or a related technical field or a minimum 15 years of relevant technical experience with a bachelor’s degree.
- Strong quantitative background; experience in data collection, management, cleaning, processing, and applied analysis using one or more of these statistical software or programming languages (Python, Stata, SAS, R, SPSS, MATLAB, Tableau, PowerBI).
- Ability to produce compelling data visualization products.
- Curious, self-motivated individual with excellent communications skills – must be able to distill highly technical quantitative methods into policy relevant snippets.
- Experience translating analysis into briefing documents or presentations for senior leadership.
- Ability to apply data science analytical techniques to problems and data sets spanning diverse sectors as agriculture, democracy & governance, economic growth, education, environment, and health.
- Ability to travel internationally at least 25% of the time.
- US citizenship or US permanent residency required.
TO APPLY:
All applicants are required to apply for this position through STAR’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghstar.org/, which allows you to store your CV/resume and separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. Position will remain open until filled.
PHI WORKFORCE MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY
Per the PHI Workforce Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, effective January 10, 2022, it is a condition of employment for all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless they are granted a reasonable accommodation under applicable law.
Employees starting on or before February 28, 2022 will need to provide proof of full vaccination up to 6 weeks after their start date or apply for an exemption/accommodation within three business days after their start date. Employees starting after February 28, 2022 will need to provide proof of full vaccination prior to their start date or apply for an exemption/accommodation within three business days after their start date.
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FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS
This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.
Public Health Institute is proud to be an EEO/AA employer.
