Senior Laboratory Engagement Advisor

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A.  Position Identification

B.  Summary Statement:

 The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

The Global Health Training, Advisory and Support Contract (GHTASC) delivers effective global health programming to advance the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Global Health (GH) through institutional support and workforce development services from junior, mid-level, senior and expert advisory and administrative professionals.

The Global Health, Security and Development Unit (GHSD), has programmed more than one billion dollars over the last seven years.   The Unit is projected to program approximately $72 million per year in the future, including $312 million for the Ebola response effort and the Global Health Security Agenda. GHSD manages USAID’s Emerging Pandemic Threats program, which emphasizes early identification of and response to dangerous pathogens in animals before they can become significant threats to human health. Using a risk-based approach, the EPT program builds on USAID’s successes in disease surveillance, training, and outbreak response to focus on geographic areas where these threats are most likely to emerge. These efforts are critical to the sustainability of long-term pandemic prevention and preparedness. They will help develop better predictive models for identification of future viral and other biological threats. The EPT program draws on expertise from across the animal- and human-health sectors to build regional, national, and local capacities for early disease detection, laboratory-based disease diagnosis, rapid disease response and containment, and risk reduction. These efforts target a limited number of geographic areas, known as “hot spots,” where new disease threats have emerged in the past.

C.  Position Summary:

The Senior Laboratory Engagement Advisor (Senior Advisor) will primarily support the Global Health, Security and Development Unit within Asia Bureau as a PHI Institutional Support Contractor (ISC). In this role, the selected candidate is responsible for monitoring and managing the technical aspects of Laboratory engagement for the Emerging Pandemic Threats program. This includes leading strategy development and program design, providing expert direction to project implementation, and interaction with high-level representatives among donors on behalf of USAID Emerging Pandemic threat activities worldwide – working at the country, regional, and international levels. The incumbent serves as technical lead in the design of a Laboratory Improvement Project and serves as the lead point of contact for Global Health Security Agenda roll out in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Indonesia.

This is a one-year time limited position with the possibility of extension to another year.

Full salary range for this position: $129,740 to $195,000 per year. The starting salary is determined based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.

D.  Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manages and evaluates centrally administered projects for Laboratory engagement.
• Develops major project guidance for use by Mission, NGO/PVO staffs and host country officials to ensure project implementation is consistent with global maternal and child health strategies.
• Prepares concept papers and background analyses for new activities and drafts Project Appraisal Documents, Program Descriptions, scopes of work, project evaluation summaries, and other project planning and management documentation.
• Prepares and ensures timely submission of reports, briefings, conferences, publications, training, and other means of promoting wide understanding of improved knowledge and methods.
• Directs public health activities that assist the Bureau in advancing the state-of-the-art and in improving approaches for Emerging Pandemic Threats.
• Reviews and synthesizes basic concepts, hypotheses, and methodologies used in project research and analysis activities, and recommends appropriate changes.
• Prepares project documentation, such as implementation letters, contracts, evaluations, and other documentation related to project implementation.
• Coordinates with other Bureau staff, as necessary, to implement project actions, assuring that the views of technical specialists are reflected in the final product.
• Participates as an advisor in the Agency in technical negotiations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

E.  Qualification Requirements:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree with 10 years of relevant experience, or bachelor’s degree with 12 years of relevant experience, Associate’s degree and 14 years of relevant experience, OR High School graduate and 16 years of relevant experience.
• US. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain secret clearance required.

Other Qualifications:

• PhD required in microbiology.
• Experience in design, implementation, and evaluation of international health programs.
• Ability to provide intellectual leadership and operate strategically and programmatically, analyzing complex situations in order to lead in the development of USAID strategic plans, and assessing the impact of host country policies and practices on US Government or USAID programs in the health sector.
• Understanding of field and program implementation realities, especially in the context of working with ministries of health and of agriculture.
• Demonstrated experience in working with major international donors, multilateral agencies, and nongovernmental/private voluntary organizations.
• Excellent interpersonal and diplomacy skills and experience in working effectively in an independent capacity and as a member of a team.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, including ability to write technical documents and give state-of-the–art presentations to colleagues in and outside of USAID.
• Good computer skills.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 35% of the time.

F.  Competencies:

• Innovation: Employee takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work.
• Customer Service: Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates with customers, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met. Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to Organization policies and procedures.
• Interpersonal Skills: Employee demonstrates ability to work in cooperation with others and communicate effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients, and other outside contacts.
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goals. Proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the Organization.

G.  APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Prior to submitting your application your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position. Please ensure that all relevant experience and education is documented on your resume. There is no limitation to resume length; updates to resumes will not be accepted during the interview and selection process.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

 PHI WORKFORCE MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

Per the PHI Workforce Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, it is a condition of employment for all domestic based employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless they are granted a reasonable accommodation under applicable law.

New hires need to provide proof of full vaccination prior to their start date or apply for an exemption/accommodation within three business days after their start date. Depending on the circumstances, new hires who do not comply with this Policy, or who cannot be reasonably accommodated, will either have their employment suspended or terminated. Candidates who are non-compliant will have their offers rescinded.

 This position described in this announcement falls under a contract with the Federal Government, and therefore is subject to the provisions put forward in OMB Circular A-76 which prohibit contractors from performing inherently governmental functions.  Specifically, employees placed in agency positions will not perform inherently governmental functions, nor supervise any personnel other than the contractor’s own staff, nor make final decisions or sign documents that commit the U.S. Government