Senior Neglected Tropical Diseases Advisor

Job Description

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contracted Social Solutions to recruit and hire qualified individuals for the following position:

Title: Senior Neglected Tropical Diseases Advisor

Location: Washington, DC

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Salary Range: GS-14 equivalent

SUMMARY STATEMENT

The Senior Neglected Tropical Diseases Advisor will provide programmatic and technical leadership and support to USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Division. The Advisor will lead key components of the Division’s drug quality, drug supply chain management investments, and provide technical and operational assistance to Francophone countries.

The Advisor will be assigned the Bureau for Global Health, Office of Infectious Diseases, Neglected Tropical Diseases Division, and receive guidance from the NTD Division Chief, who will serve as USAID Point of Contact (POC). USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Division manages an annual $102 million portfolio that provides support to 27 countries across 4 programs and coordinates with six pharmaceutical companies to leverage $3.3 billion in drug donations per year. This portfolio is centrally managed within the Bureau for Global Health, Office of Infectious Diseases, NTD Division.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Providing advanced technical assistance to USAID on program introduction, implementation and/or policy.

• Provides technical leadership and assistance to USAID’s NTD Division and its implementing partners on the tendering process for pharmaceuticals, the World Health Organization (WHO) Joint Application Package for donated NTD medicines, and overall reconciliation of donated and procured drugs.
• Leads efforts to ensure efficient stewardship of donated drugs to USAID-supported countries.
• Coordinates efforts to monitor drug arrival in countries, expiry dates and works with country programs and ESPEN to ensure that soon-to-expire drugs are transferred to other countries or destroyed and reported as appropriate.
• Ensures adherence to USAID rules and regulations regarding drug and diagnostic procurements.
• Monitors implementing partner efforts to collect information and conduct investigations on Serious Adverse Events following mass treatment campaigns; collaborates with partners and Ministries of Health on information dissemination post-event to manage community fears.

Provide advanced guidance and expertise, including assisting with the preparation and/or review of strategies and program plans to address policy and implementation issues at the global level.

• Provides high-level technical input and feedback to USAID, WHO and other bodies on draft guidance, tools and other strategies related to drug quality and management and country context issues.

Serving as NTD technical subject matter expert to USAID and its partners.

• Provides technical leadership to internal USAID, and external audiences on issues related to drug quality, efficacy, supply chain management and procurement.
• Leads information gathering and discussions about the creation of drug management tools and other resources needed at country level to strengthen capacity
• Serves as a technical subject matter expert role with current manufacturers of NTD drugs and diagnostics to align USAID’s procurement interests and ensure consistent delivery and pricing.

Reviewing and synthesizing information about USAID programs and recommending adjustments in program direction as needed.

• Serves as the NTD Division’s financial analyst and economist.
• Explores alternative financing strategies, leads costing assessments for planned activities, and provides advice on ways to increase domestic financing for NTDs, particularly across various sectors with shared target audiences.
• Supports the analysis of costing needs, as appropriate.

Assessing current health literature and international guidelines and providing recommendations to USAID.

• Conducts regular reviews of literature and websites related to drug quality, sharing information and recommendations as arising and of importance to the NTD Division.

Contributing to the routine work, including providing technical updates, briefers and other documents that describe USAID’s activities, research and progress; preparing portfolio reviews and reports; reviewing documents such as annual reports and operational plans; and preparing responses requests for information.

• Leads advice to the NTD Division’s efforts and provides advice to create and implement a technical strategy for drug quality, supply chain management, and, as needed, pharmaceutical procurement.
• Supports NTD activities supported under the Promoting Quality of Medicines plus (PQM+) program, working to raise the quality of generic NTD drugs globally; leads collaboration with WHO and other stakeholders on results dissemination and advocacy for policy recommendations related to WHO prequalification for generic manufacturers.
• Coordinates review of annual work plan budgets and financial reports across all programs within the NTD Division to support decisions regarding the allocation of budgets. Makes recommendations to ensure USAID-supported activities are cost-efficient, not duplicative, and are tied to country-specific and global NTD goals and targets.
• Facilitates cost share submissions for the Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) review and approval and facilitates discussions with OAA as needed
• Contributes elements to USAID internal portfolio reviews, reports and taskers as needed

Assisting countries in developing their capacity to plan management activities.

• Serves as an active member of USAID Global Health Bureau country support teams. Shares and disseminates NTD information on programmatic, political, and operational concerns, and facilitates cross-sectoral collaboration.
• Provides direct technical advice in regular visits to country programs, particularly during annual reviews and work planning. Develop and maintain communications with key Ministries of Health counterparts.
• Ensures implementing partners are in receipt of relevant policy changes from WHO and USAID and facilitates discussion with Ministries of Health as needed to implement changes.

Assisting international and local partners at the country level.

• Facilitates communications with USAID Missions, Ministries of Health, implementing partners and donors in-country to further USAID NTD objectives and maximize opportunities for collaboration and support.
• Stays abreast of NTD-related activities in-country that may affect or enhance NTD program implementation—e.g. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Education, and Malaria programming and promotes cross sector collaboration with implementing partners and Ministries of Health.

Providing technical advice to ensure that country programs are consistent with current practice, international standards and recommendations.

• Serve as the technical backstop for Francophone countries within the NTD Division’s portfolio. Review and provide feedback on work plans, annual, semi-annual, and monthly reports, and other program or country-specific requests.
• Advise the NTD Division’s AORs on challenges, needs and recommendations to ensure supported countries are meeting programmatic goals.
• Facilitate the provision of technical assistance, as applicable, to ensure that deliverables meet USAID requirements and WHO protocols and guidelines for the implementation of NTD activities.

Contributing public health expertise and participating in working groups and task forces.

• Engage with the World Health Organization’s working groups for drug efficacy and drug procurement, and other international drug and supply chain bodies related to NTDs, such as the NTD Supply Chain Forum.
• Serve as a member of the NTD Supply Chain Form to ensure alignment of investment strategies.
• Lead efforts at consensus building with other implementing donors on roll out of tools, guidance and other assistance devices related to supply chain management to ensure streamlined approaches adhering to WHO guidelines
• Serve as the lead advisor in efforts to promote global procurement of high quality, prequalified generic drugs, setting higher standards to encourage manufacturer compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices.

Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree and 9+ years of relevant experience related to Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), management of US Government (USG) funded and private sector awards, and pharmaceutical procurement or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience working on NTD and drug management issues with Ministries of Health, implementing organizations, the World Health Organization (WHO) pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders is required
• Experience implementing USG acquisition rules and regulations is highly desirable
• Direct experience managing multiple awards with clear deliverables (especially USG funded and private sector awards) is highly desirable.
• Fluency in French is highly desirable.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally, approximately 25%.
  
• Candidates selected will be subject to a background investigation and must obtain and maintain a favorable adjudication as applicable to their position/duties.

About the Organization

Social Solutions International, Inc. (Social Solutions) is a Hispanic and woman-owned business emphasizing quality research and evaluation, training and technical assistance, and institutional support services. We are a mission-driven organization that believes that superior science can improve the world. Social Solutions is dedicated to the creation of social and health solutions to improve the welfare of underserved populations worldwide.

Social Solutions offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits.

Please submit your resume online at: https://jobs-socialsolutions.icims.com/jobs/1574/senior-neglected-tropical-diseases-advisor/job?mode=view

NOTE: In order to fully evaluate your eligibility, your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid work experience showing dates held with month and year and hours worked per week for each position. Any experience that does not include dates held and hours worked per week may not be counted.

Social Solutions is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

GHSI-III is a Federal services contract contingent on the availability of appropriated funds until the end of the designated contract period. Contract employees of GHSI-III are not U.S. Government employees and cannot perform Inherently Governmental Functions.