Senior Surveillance Advisor – Resolve to Save Lives, Inc
Development and Project Management, Health Care, Science and Technology
Resolve to Save Lives, Inc
Resolve to Save Lives was created in 2017 by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through his work in government and with philanthropy, Dr. Frieden pinpointed a unique problem: no one is thinking about how to systematically combat the world’s leading killers. Heart disease carries the distinction of being the world’s #1 cause of death. And few organizations raise their focus from one disease to look at epidemics as a whole—and how they can be prevented. Resolve to Save Lives is committed to saving lives from these preventable causes by partnering with government and civil society to implement scalable, proven strategies.
We prioritize partnerships with national and local organizations in low- and middle-income countries to co-create, advocate for, and scale up activities in heart disease prevention and epidemic preparedness. We work with global organizations to produce and promote policies that maximize health gains. We are resolved to save lives.
Senior Surveillance Advisor
Resolve to Save Lives – Embedded at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa
Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is a US-based, global public health organization with a mission to prevent 100 million deaths from heart disease and to make the world safer from epidemics. We are led by Dr Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2017, Resolve to Save Lives has partnered with low- and middle-income country governments, multi-lateral agencies, academic and other civil society partners, and communities to build capacity for and support implementation of enabling policies and effective programs to treat and control hypertension, reduce sodium intake, eliminate artificial trans fat, and strengthen systems for epidemic prevention.
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 to use data effectively to inform action. We recently began a program for collaborative surveillance in several African countries, building on existing work to strengthen the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and accelerate detection and response. This new initiative supports countries to align resources, maximize potential impacts for the effective use of data, and strengthen national capacities for implementation and ownership. The initiative also supports country implementation for activities to enhance disease and contextual/risk data through strengthened surveillance and innovations in epidemic intelligence, effective use of existing and emergent data throughout the event lifecycle (from anticipatory action to risk communication during emergencies), and development of data tools and products that support key decision-makers from communities, health sector officials, and policymakers.
Position Summary:
RTSL is seeking a Senior Surveillance Advisor to be embedded with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). This role will focus on helping EPHI to develop collaboration, governance, and understanding for effective disease surveillance at the national, subnational, and community levels. This position will sit within the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM). As part of their routine duties, the incumbent will also have regular reporting, technical support, and collaboration on outputs with RTSL.
This is a fixed-term employment position through August 2026, with possibility of extension.
Core Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Surveillance Advisor will provide high-level strategy advice on the ecosystems of surveillance, including prioritization for the development, integration, and investment of surveillance systems, processes, and surrounding governance.
Responsibilities span across the data lifecycle but are not limited to the following:
- Provide strategic support to improve information flow and collaboration across relevant departments of EPHI to enhance public health emergency preparedness, detection, and response.
- Work closely with directors and decision makers in public health emergency management to identify data needs for decision-making
- Identify bottlenecks for data sharing, governance, and use relevant to public health emergency preparedness and response and work closely with relevant departments to address challenges.
- Support coordination and integration across surveillance projects
- Provide strategic level support for new or existing initiatives to improve data governance and coordination for public health emergency management.
- Provide support to align plans and activities with national strategies and guidelines
- Provide technical support for the development of strategic documents and guidelines in relation to improving national surveillance architecture and data governance
- Perform other related duties as assigned by the EPHI Deputy Director General for PHEM
Required Qualifications:
Education:
- Advanced degree in public health or related field
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in public health or related discipline
Experience:
- Demonstrated experience in surveillance, data analysis, emergency response coordination
- Demonstrated experience working with multiple sectors and stakeholders.
Skills & abilities:
- Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills for engaging and influencing non-governmental partners, civil society organizations, donors, and multilateral agencies.
- Results and impact-oriented, with a problem-solving attitude.
- Excellent leadership and team management skills.
- Strong problem-solving ability and attention to detail.
Other:
- Fluency in English is required
- Proven ability to work collaboratively with government leadership on strategy development and alignment on commitments and timelines is desirable
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in project and program management
Compensation and Benefits:
Resolve to Save Lives prides itself on cultivating a supportive, connected remote team doing work that matters. We do everything we can to ensure our employees are connected and set up for success.
The salary for this role is competitive and set according to national labor rates for the international NGO sector in Ethiopia. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors, such as the candidate’s skills and experience relative to the requirements of the role.
In addition to a competitive salary, Resolve to Save Lives provides a generous package of benefits, including:
- Health insurance for you and your dependents
- Contributions toward retirement
- Paid annual leave and sick leave, in addition to public holidays
- Two paid, week-long organization-wide breaks at mid-year and end-of-year
- Professional development and home office setup benefits
- Up-to-date computer equipment
RTSL believes its programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We encourage applications from and provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Resolve to Save Lives complies with all applicable US EEO laws.
RTSL accepts and reviews applications on an ongoing basis. We are grateful for your interest in our work and for your application. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to respond to every applicant. One of our talent team members will contact you if your qualifications match the role.
