GH-TAMS and USAID/Colombia are seeking candidates for a six-month Global Health Security and PEPFAR consultancy assignment. Start date is likely mid-September. The assingment will be remote / virtual but with two short trips / TDYs to Colombia. Consultants based in Colombia encouraged to apply. Level,of effort is approaximately 135 days.
Background
The USAID/Colombia Venezuela Response and Integration Office (VRIO) has a robust health portfolio, which includes strengthening global health security (GHS) and preventing HIV/AIDS via the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program among vulnerable, migrant populations as part of strengthening the broader health system and prevention of health threats in Colombia. VRIO is expanding the GHS portfolio, recognizing that health threats do not respect borders and that 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases (EID) affecting humans in the 21st century have originated in animals. On behalf of USAID, the GHS Program implements the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), a global initiative endorsed by the United States Government, designed to enhance country capacities to prevent, detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases.
GHS embraces a One Health approach, recognizing the critical role that wildlife, livestock, other domestic animals, and environment play in emerging zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential and antimicrobial resistance. Identifying and minimizing zoonotic disease spillover risks at their source in animals and a comprehensive approach to antimicrobial resistance that includes the livestock, agriculture, and environment sectors are essential components of USAID’s contribution to GHSA. USAID’s GHS program also leverages other USAID programming priorities in the areas of health systems strengthening, food security, economic growth, and humanitarian assistance.
The GHS portfolio builds on existing support provided by USAID programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including engaging with some of the same stakeholders and drawing lessons learned from COVID-19 programming. Further, the GHS portfolio has important links with the HIV/AIDs prevention portfolio given overlap of target areas and populations supported.
Role and Responsibilities
USAID/Colombia seeks to employ a limited-term consultant (Global Health Security/Emerging Threats Consultant) who will be responsible for ensuring coordinated planning and effective program implementation across the GHS and HIV/AIDs portfolios to strengthen preparedness for health threats in Colombia. The Consultant will support, under the direction of the USAID/Colombia Health Team Lead, and with guidance and input from the USAID GHS and HIV/AIDs headquarters teams and relevant A/CORs, providing leadership and technical support to a complex, multi-sectoral portfolio, including preparedness, prevention, detection, and response for priority health threats. The Consultant is a technical manager and has no supervisory role.
USAID/Colombia’s Health Team Lead will serve as the on-site supervisor for this position, which is organizationally located in VRIO. The Health Specialist will serve as a day-to-day manager and technical resource for the Consultant. The Consultant will also work closely with the Washington-based and regional technical backstops and relevant A/CORs to ensure strong coordination across relevant GHS and HIV/AIDs programs and to facilitate completion of interagency GHS reporting requirements. Further, they will ensure that program activities are well coordinated with the Colombian government, other USG Agencies (including DOS, CDC, USDA, among others), implementing partners and multilateral organizations, among others.
The Consultant will exercise technical and programmatic oversight to support and coordinate USAID’s GHS and PEPFAR HIV/AIDS activities in support of the Government of Colombia. This includes supporting the GHS roadmap and to prevent, detect, and respond to existing and emerging health threats, and PEPFAR HIV/AIDs prevention and treatment activities in priority geographies. The Consultant serves as a technical expert in the areas of emerging infectious diseases (EID) and HIV/AIDS in Colombia, with extensive experience working with diverse national stakeholders including USG and Colombian government agencies, professional, NGOs, academia, and the private sector.
Technical Leadership (30%)
● Serve as a subject matter expert in infectious diseases, “One Health,” EIDs in Colombia and the region, outbreak preparedness, global health security, and/or prevention of zoonotic disease outbreaks.
● Serve as a subject matter expert in PEPFAR HIV/AIDs prevention and treatment in Colombia.
● Responsible for coordination, technical leadership, and effective implementation of the GHS portfolio to prevent, detect, and respond to EID outbreaks; ensuring GHS is well-coordinated with other relevant USAID/Colombia programs.
● Establish and maintain a coordination network among GHS partners in the country, which may include bilateral donors, international organizations (PAHO, FAO, etc.), relevant Government ministries, private sector, academic institutions, international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc.
● Keep abreast of new developments, research and emerging issues that affect USAID/Colombia GHS and HIV/AIDs priorities and share relevant information and recommendations with USAID, USG, and other technical counterparts.
● In coordination with USAID/Colombia, the consultant will provide technical guidance to PEPFAR counterparts in Colombia, technical counterparts in the Ministry of Health, and to other national stakeholders to advance USAID, USG and PEPFAR strategic objectives related to key HIV/AIDS care and treatment interventions.
GHS Landscape Analysis (30%)
● Map key stakeholders (e.g., USG, NGOs, international organizations, relevant Government ministries) involved in One Health activities and/or health security programming in Colombia.
● Conduct a desk review and analyze relevant materials, including reports, data fact sheets, websites, etc. to understand the priorities and key activities related to One Health and health security carried out by the Government of Colombia ministries and other relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations (PAHO, FAO, etc.), non-governmental organizations, academia, civil society organizations, U.S. Government agencies including CDC, USDA, HHS, DOD, etc. and other relevant stakeholders in Colombia
● Develop a stakeholder interview and/or focus group guide that focuses on identifying priorities, experience, opportunities for collaboration, and challenges among stakeholders working in One Health and/or health security in Colombia to inform the USAID/Colombia GHS portfolio.
● Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or focus group discussions based off follow up/remaining gaps from stakeholder desk analysis.
● Synthesize the findings and development of recommendations to inform GHS portfolio development by USAID/Colombia.
Program Management and Coordination for GHS and HIV/AIDs portfolios (30%)
● Work with Government of Colombia, USG interagency, PAHO, and other donor coordinating mechanisms in-country to coordinate execution of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE).
● Develop a USAID/Colombia GHS Work Plan that reflects national priorities and activities for each partner (PAHO, FAO, LHSS).
● Support IPs in their Colombia work plan development, and participate in and facilitate USAID’s review, feedback, and approval processes for IP country-level work plans.
● Participate in the review of performance (and financial) reports to ensure that partners follow bilateral government agreements and with the performance expectations outlined in their work plan and in their contract/agreement with USAID.
● Support close coordination with USG partner agencies to ensure mutual understanding, coordinated, synergistic, and non-duplicative GHS plans, activities, results, and reporting for Colombia.
● Regularly liaises with USAID/Guatemala PEPFAR colleagues for regional and Colombia bilateral PEPFAR portfolio.
● Remains up to date on Colombia PEPFAR program in performance, program quality, expenditure, and data quality issues and performs quarterly analysis on performance against targets, expenditures.
Program Monitoring and Reporting for GHS and HIV/AIDs portfolio (10%)
● Regularly communicate with USAID/Washington technical advisors and AORs/CORs to report on, and discuss, Colombia’s GHS portfolio.
● Support the development of USAID contributions to the interagency team for submission of bi-annual GHS Progress Report and annual reports to Congress and the National Security Council via the U.S. Embassy/Colombia
● Monitor partner activity implementation, ensuring that actions are completed on schedule or adjusted to meet changing conditions and identifying constraints to activity implementation as well as proposing solutions for their resolution.
● Facilitate and contribute to other MEL activities relevant to USAID/Colombia’s GHS portfolio, including but not limited to the annual PPR, Mission IP quarterly review meetings, portfolio reviews, managing the GHS indicators for MEL.
● Conduct virtual and on-site visits and attend relevant meetings and events with team members where USAID presence is required to ensure programmatic quality is maintained.
● Work with the USAID/Guatemala and USAID Western Hemisphere region to input USAID Colombia data into all COP tools, provide visuals and data for POART calls, generate anything additional for the region requested by the OGAC Country Chair and/or PEPFAR Program Manager (PPM).
● Work closely with partners to ensure that program achievements and lessons learned are widely disseminated in Colombia and back to USAID Washington.
• Support the development of USAID inputs for preparation of key mission, embassy and agency reporting documents, cables and other inputs as required.
Qualifications
• Education: Master’s degree or higher is required in public health, infectious disease, epidemiology, ecology, veterinary medicine or a related field.
• Experience: At least three (3) years of public health and/or animal health and/or related experience in low-and-middle income countries (preference for Colombia/ Latin America) with at least two (3) years of experience working with international public health and/or animal health organizations, such as the WHO, FAO, and WOAH.
• Skills: The applicant must possess strong management, collaboration, team building, networking, cross cultural, and interpersonal skills. Candidates must have a proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision, strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain strong contacts with counterparts within and external to USAID. Strong communication skills to explain USAID objectives and procedures to government officials, private businesses, corporations, foundations, NGOs, and other non-traditional development organizations. Must also have a high degree of technical, analytical, and quantitative skills in scientific approaches and in analysis of development activities and policies. Must have demonstrated ability to lead and to work as a member of a team and to foster teamwork is required as is the ability to develop and maintain productive working relationships at all levels. The candidate must be able to work in a demanding and often high-stress environment to meet deadlines and ensure consensus and must be a self-starter.
• Knowledge: Strong technical understanding required of the nature of infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases threats and HIV. Strong knowledge required of the measures put in place to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats, and HIV/AIDS. Excellent technical knowledge of internationally accepted guidelines, such as WHO International Health Regulations and One Health will be considered an asset. Knowledge of PEPFAR, and USAID policies, procedures, and reporting requirements is desirable. Knowledge of Colombia’s public health system and/or veterinary health system is highly desirable.
• Other Requirements: The applicant must possess fluency (Level IV or higher) in English and Spanish. Given the nature of the position, effective written and oral communications are critical to perform successfully in this position. The candidate should have a demonstrated ability to produce professional quality analytical pieces and make oral presentations. The consultant must be able to communicate effectively and persuasively with Mission employees; within the USG interagency, counterpart government officials at the Senior Minister level; international and local organizations, donors and other embassies; and various Washington based U.S. Government agencies.
International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), is the prime contractor implementing the $125 million USAID-funded Global Health Technical Assistance and Mission Support Project (GH-TAMS) activity. Along with its subcontractor, Dexis Consulting Group (Dexis), IBTCI provides the Bureau for Global Health (GH) and USAID field missions with high quality technical expertise to achieve the Agency's foreign assistance global health mission (October 2019-October 2024). GH-TAMS technical assistance supports over 65 Missions and 19 GH Offices and other Bureaus covering a broad range of technical areas and cross-cutting issues such as HIV/AIDS, family planning, MNCH, infectious disease, TB, health finance, reproductive health, organizational development, OVC, project design, facilitation, M&E and strategic planning.
Project assignments are located in Washington D.C. and worldwide in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Assignments typically range from two weeks to six months in duration.
