Technical Advisor, Data Scientist

CHAI Rwanda

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

TITLE: Technical Advisor, Data Scientist

Program: Health Systems Strengthening

Job Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Type: Full-Time Paid

Start date: Immediate

Organization Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, health financing, diagnostics and pandemic preparedness and response. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with the majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org.

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

Program Overview

The Government of Rwanda (GoR) strives to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by enabling equitable access to quality health services for the population as outlined in the Fourth Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP IV). This commitment has been made against a backdrop of rising health care costs and changing funding landscape and calls for improved health sector sustainability. Acknowledging this, the Government aims to employ effective, equitable, efficient, and sustainable health care financing and systems strengthening, putting an emphasis on primary health care as the cornerstone of a strong and sustainable health system.

CHAI Rwanda’s Health System Strengthening (HSS) programs work on a day-to-day basis with Government leadership in the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB). The goal of those programs is to support the Government to accelerate progress towards UHC by ensuring the sustainable delivery of quality, essential health services. This includes work to design and implement national Primary Health Care (PHC) reforms from health center level down to community health, to increase health workforce availability, to prioritize and sustainably finance essential services, and to support improved management, financing, and delivery of quality primary health care.

Position overview

CHAI currently seeks a Technical Advisor, Data Scientist to work with the Ministry of Health (MOH) , seconded to the head of the planning, health financing and strategic information department, MOH to help improve the quality, governance, and use of evidence on for policy decision making. S/He also reports in parallel to CHAI, Health Systems Strengthening program manager for specific CHAI supported initiatives.

The Technical Advisor, Data Scientist will provide need-based technical assistance during the review and implementation of a new data analytics framework at the MOH. This effort is a cornerstone to MOH’s goal to disrupt how data is managed and used, including big data, to inform important policy and operational decisions at all levels of implementation. Greater availability and use of data will be critical to improving the health of Rwandans, as it will help government leaders make more informed decisions on the quality and coverage of priority health interventions.

The Technical Advisor, Data Scientist will help design and implement the framework for improved data analytics, and governance and build capacity within the MOH including demand-driven support to the set-up of a policy hub, Health Intelligence Center (HIC). In addition, the incumbent will work closely with the digital team at MOH to support the implementation of the HIC for MoH, and incorporate and translate data needs into system requirements.

Job Description:

The key functions and deliverables of this role will include, to:

Data Guidance and Strategy

• Advise on Data Utilization – Guide policymakers and government officials on how to best utilize data for evidence-based decision-making in public health initiatives.
• Develop Data Strategy – Help develop a comprehensive data strategy for the Ministry of Health, outlining best practices in data management, analysis and utilization.
• Support the establishment of the policy hub– health intelligence center within the Ministry of Health
• Data Governance – Guide the development and implementation of data governance frameworks to ensure data integrity, security, and compliance with regulations.

Data Analytics and Insights

• Analyze Health Data – Develop and implement an analytics Framework for in-depth analysis of health data from various sources to improve health outcomes through disease surveillance and efficiently managing health resources and managing outbreaks.
• Generate Insights – Translate complex data analysis into actionable insights and recommendations for public health programs, resource allocation and policy development.

Communication and Capacity Building

• Communicate Insights – Effectively communicate complex data findings and insights to stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds, ensuring clear and actionable takeaways.
• Identify Data-Driven Solutions – Explore innovative ways to utilize data science and analytics to address emerging public health challenges and improve healthcare delivery systems.
• Predictive Analytics and Modelling – Support the development of predictive models to forecast health trends and assist in a proactive policy formulation. Use modeling to assess potential impacts of policy changes and healthcare interventions on public health.
• Foster Collaboration and Partnerships – Serve as a liaison between the ministry and external data science communities to foster partnerships and drive innovation.
• Advise the executive team on data analytics development in the institution and required investments.
• Develop and update data policies and procedures for data governance and protection.

Additional responsibilities

• Monitoring and Evaluation: Develop and implement data-driven frameworks to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of public health programs and interventions.
• Data Quality Management: Recommend tools for integration within the data infrastructure to ensure the quality, accuracy, and integrity of data used for health-related decision-making.
• Staying Current: Develop a training program and resources for the data teams you support to keep abreast of the latest advancements in data science and public health informatics to continuously improve data-driven approaches within the Ministry.
• Stakeholder engagement – Engage with the stakeholders across the health sector, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international partners, to facilitate data sharing and collaborative analytics.
• Carry out Data cleansing and Apply data standards, ensuring master data (i.e., key reference identifiers) is available and consistent.
• Build a data Catalog and a Data Dictionary for effective data management.
• Adopt and apply organization-wide data quality frameworks and standards.
• Support specialized capabilities for Predictive and Prescriptive analytics, including making use of advanced analytics tools.
• Perform any other task as maybe assigned by the program manager.

Preferred qualifications:

• PhD degree in a relevant discipline (mathematics, operational research, economics, statistics, AI, or a related field)
• Or master’s degree (in the above-mentioned fields) with 5 years of experience in the field of advanced statistics and data mining
• Solid mathematical foundation and knowledge of a variety of statistical methods (e.g. regression, classification, clustering, experimental design, modeling, advanced forecasting)
• Experience manipulating huge data sets and building statistical models, preferably within a health domain.
• Strong proficiency in data visualization
• Ability to focus on vaguely defined problems requiring the application of a creative approach.
• Strong teamworking skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for coordinating across teams.
• Ability to mentor and lead teams in a fast-paced and changing environment.

Application procedure

Interested candidates should apply though Technical Advisor, Data Scientist in Kigali | Careers at Clinton Health Access Initiative (icims.com) before June 28th, 2024.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

In compliance with the data protection law of Rwanda, your submission of an application for this position constitutes your consent for the Clinton Health Access Initiative to gather and utilize your personal data solely for the recruitment process.