About Us
International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over 100 countries and implemented over 300 projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies, and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and institutional support across many areas and sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, agriculture, economic growth, food security, education, environment, and global health.
Assignment Title: Outbreak Response Advisor
Department/Location: Global Health, Office of Infectious Disease, USAID DRC
Technical Point of Contact: Africa RISSA Project Manager
Type: Consultant
Classification: Consultancy
Category: Ongoing Project
Clearance Required: Facilities Access
Overview:
On behalf of the Bureau for Global Health’s Outbreak Response Team, IBTCI seeks an Outbreak Response Advisor (hereafter the Consultant) to provide support to the USAID Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (USAID/DRC) for infectious disease outbreak and response. As a critical member of the USAID/DRC health team, the Consultant, under the guidance of the USAID Outbreak Response Team and USAID/DRC Integrated Health Team Lead, will assist in the planning and implementation of activities in support of the outbreak response. Broadly, the Consultant will support coordination efforts for the USAID response with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the interagency, with other donors, multilaterals, and with implementing partners. The Consultant will support planning efforts, review reports, provide and coordinate technical feedback from USAID staff, attend meetings with the MOH, other donors and stakeholders, and implementing partners, and provide technical advice. The Consultant will also support reporting and communications needs, both internally and externally, and will assist in the drafting and reviewing work plans, budgets, progress reports, briefers and taskers, and other requests for information. Flexibility is paramount, as outbreaks rapidly evolve, and the duties of the Consultant must adapt accordingly.
Responsibilities
Duties and Responsiblities:
- Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the overall response, including programming, operations, and any associated challenges, and serve as a technical resource for the USAID Health Office and Mission.
- Assist A/CORs to coordinate implementing partners to ensure activities represent outbreak response best practices and are aligned with Government of DRC (GDRC) priorities, and ensure frequent reporting and data flow regarding their interventions;
- Review and provide feedback on response plans, reports, cables and other strategic documents, including those produced by USG and its implementing partners; GDRC; UN organizations; and other key stakeholders; identify response gaps that require additional support and make recommendations accordingly.
- Support coordination and collaboration with the interagency, the GDRC, WHO and other technical partners and stakeholders on planning for technical pillars of the response.
- Participate in, and provide technical guidance to, frequent, regular, and ad hoc meetings with CDC and State to discuss the response, conduct co-planning and maintain coordination to keep each other informed on activities.
- Work with USAID Mission and CDC colleagues to analyze data and the implications for outbreak response planning (including vaccine planning when applicable).
- Participate and provide technical guidance at meetings related to the broader response, as asked, including with interagency counterparts, Ministry of Health meetings, and in donor coordination fora.
- Participate in regular meetings with the HQ-based Outbreak Response Team and interagency USG Response Team (if applicable), providing key updates and raising critical issues for discussion.
- Prepare USAID/DRC senior staff for meetings with the interagency, including frequent calls with Washington.
NOTE: The consultant will not perform other inherently
governmental functions or duties (e.g. will not serve as AOR/COR or supervise staff), but rather will advise, mentor, and facilitate as appropriate on the performance of inherently governmental functions on the part of the Office or Mission.
KEY DELIVERABLES: (SMART – tangible outcomes)
- Deliver written and verbal feedback and technical guidance on response plans, reports, and other strategic documents, ensuring clarity and alignment with USAID goals on a regular (weekly and monthly) basis or as directed by the Team Lead.
- Provide actionable programmatic and technical recommendations to support the implementation of outbreak response activities on a regular (weekly and monthly) basis or as directed by the Team Lead.
- Provide meeting minutes and debriefs from coordination and collaboration engagements with the interagency, the GDRC, WHO and other technical partners and stakeholders on the response and vaccination planning (if applicable), ensuring accurate and timely documentation.
- Conduct field/site visits and submit detailed reports with finding and recommendations following each visit to improve response support and associated activities (estimated to be 4 times over 6 months).
- Participate in regular meetings with the HQ-based Outbreak Response Team and interagency USG Response Team, providing key updates and raising critical issues for discussion; and prepare USAID/DRC senior staff via written and verbal briefing materials for meetings with the interagency, including frequent calls with Washington.
- Prepare and deliver presentations, reports, and other documents on USAID’s response activities to government officials, stakeholders, and headquarters-based colleagues, ensuring accuracy, comprehensiveness, and responsiveness to routine and ad hoc reporting and information requests.
- Draft and submit monthly activity reports, summarizing key activities and challenges, to Supervisor at Post and to RISSA management.
- Provide a comprehensive overview of USAID’s outbreak response interventions and achievements, and collaborate with the DOC to highlight our support.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:
- Minimum of a Master’s degree in public health, infectious disease, epidemiology, ecology, veterinary medicine or a related field.
- At least seven (7) years of public health and/or animal health and/or related experience in developing countries including at least three (3) years of experience working with USG, an international public health and/or animal health organizations.
- Knowledge of the nature of infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases threats; knowledge of the measures put in place to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to infectious disease threats; knowledge of internationally accepted guidelines, such as WHO International Health Regulations and One Health.
- Skills in designing and implementing programs, policies, and plans and developing strategies for their management and implementation.
- Skills to establish and develop sustainable working relationships with multiple key stakeholders, including working effectively with health personnel of diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate highly technical information to both subject matter experts and non-expert audiences.
- Proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly and concisely – orally and in writing – in English.
- Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work in a dynamic team environment with a diverse set of partners and stakeholders.
- Working proficiency in French, including ability to participate actively in meetings with MOH and other GDRC personnel; ability to read and interpret documents in French; ability to compose emails and informal correspondence in French.
Highly Preferred
- Knowledge of USAID policies, procedures, and reporting requirements.
Supervisory Responsibilities: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.
Travel: International travel may be required and may include travel to fragile or conflict prone zones.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
About the Organization:
IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education & human capacity development, energy & infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.
IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at TalentAcquisition@ibtci.com (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).