Technical Advisor, Surveillance, Data Use and Decision Science (Remote - Kinshasa, DRC)

Resolve to Save Lives' Prevent Epidemics program works closely with Ministries of Health and national public health institutes in Africa to strengthen epidemic preparedness capacity, accelerate disease detection and response, and effectively use data to inform action. In addition to direct partnerships with governments, we also work with implementing partners, including the US CDC, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, to implement programs, prototype innovations, and ensure sustainability through increased national ownership, including domestic budget allocations.

Position Purpose:  

RTSL is seeking a Technical Advisor for Surveillance, Data Use and Decision Science. This position aims to strengthen collaboration, governance, and the use of public health data to improve disease surveillance at the national and subnational levels. The advisor will provide technical support to the structures responsible for surveillance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the National Public Health Institute (INSP), its Public Health Emergency Operations Center (COUSP), the Directorate of Epidemiological Surveillance (DSE), disease control programs, and the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), in order to use data to detect threats, track alerts, analyze 7-1-7 timelines, and guide public health decisions. They will develop simple, useful information products, train teams, and help identify delays in detection, notification, investigation, confirmation, and early response. 

The position will be a part of the RTSL DRC team and will support national institutions, without substituting for their mandates. The Technical Advisor will work with national technical teams and contribute to the development of simple, useful, and prioritized information products. They will train teams and help identify delays in detection, notification, investigation, confirmation, and early response — particularly weekly epidemiological reports, situation reports or investigated events, as well as 7-1-7 analyses, epidemiological bulletins, and risk information products — in order to support decision-making that strengthens preparedness, response, and health security in the DRC. They will benefit from RTSL's technical support. 

This is a one-year, renewable fixed-term contract with a 3-month probationary period. 

Core Duties and Responsibilities: 

Responsibilities will cover the full data lifecycle, including but not limited to: 

Technical Support & Mentorship: 

• Collaborate with directors and decision-makers responsible for public health emergency management to identify data needs for decision-making 

• Provide direct coaching and technical assistance to relevant INSP staff responsible for developing priority information products, including 7-1-7 dashboards, based on consensus and approval from relevant managers 

• Identify bottlenecks related to the sharing, governance, and use of data relevant to public health emergency preparedness and response, and collaborate with relevant departments to address and resolve these challenges 

• Provide guidance, technical mentoring, and capacity-building support to INSP staff and other stakeholders in data management, analysis, visualization, and interpretation, particularly the 7-1-7 detection, notification, investigation, confirmation, and early response timelines 

• Strengthen capacities in data analysis and visualization, including statistical modeling and real-time dashboards, aiming to improve surveillance reporting and outbreak response through mentoring and structured training 

• Support the prioritization and design of information products among various stakeholders, both within INSP and with other national surveillance structures 

• Collaborate with INSP teams, surveillance structures, and RTSL teams working on data architecture to support initiatives aimed at improving data governance and coordination of public health emergency management 

• Support the translation and implementation of data structures to promote data use and automation of data processing pipelines 

• Provide technical support for the development of strategic documents and guidelines aimed at improving the national surveillance architecture and data governance  

Development of Information Products: 

• Support staff at surveillance structures, including INSP, and relevant stakeholders in developing or improving key data products, particularly weekly epidemiological reports, epidemiological bulletins, situation reports, and risk information products  

• Contribute to improving data visualization dashboards, predictive analysis models, and automated reporting systems to strengthen disease surveillance and risk assessment  

• Ensure alignment of data products with the One Health approach 

Data-Driven Decision-Making & Capacity Building: 

• Analyze 7-1-7 data related to detection, notification, investigation, confirmation, and early response initiation. Produce useful insights to guide decisions, identify bottlenecks, and prioritize activation of the rapid response fund  

• Support INSP in transforming surveillance data, epidemiological data, and 7-1-7 data into actionable insights for public health decision-making  

• Identify capacity-building needs for data use, including staff training in basic epidemiology, R, data science, and data analysis  

• Organize training workshops, seminars, and hands-on sessions for staff at surveillance structures including INSP, DSE, INRB, disease control programs, provincial teams, and health zone epidemiologists to strengthen their analytical skills  

• Facilitate the development and implementation of a data use strategy to improve the quality, accessibility, and usefulness of health data for better decision-making 

 Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration: 

• Support activities to strengthen regular sharing of data useful for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response, among surveillance structures including INSP, DSE, INRB, disease control programs, provincial teams, other sectors, ministries, departments, and agencies  

• Identify opportunities for collaboration and support among surveillance structures including INSP, DSE, INRB, disease control programs, provincial teams, and other ministries, departments, and agencies to improve data sharing and use, as well as synergies in preparedness, epidemic response, and implementation of the 7-1-7 approach &