Data Quality and Capacity Building Advisor at Palladium

Company Overview:

About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Project Overview and Role:

Palladium’s Data for Implementation (Data.FI) Project is seeking a Data Quality and Capacity Building Advisor to support the COVID-19 work in Honduras.

Data.FI is a five-year global project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the HIV and COVID-19 response. Data.FI partners with programs to accelerate and sustain access to high-quality data to expedite HIV and COVID-19 epidemic control and maintenance. By improving global, regional, national, and community/local in-depth analyses of HIV and COVID-19 epidemiologic and programmatic data, Data.FI expedites program achievements to improve client services and attain and sustain control of the epidemics. Data.FI supports host country governments to enhance existing health information systems (HIS), informing management responses to gaps in programming and sustaining impact by supporting local partner transition.

Data.FI is recruiting a Data Quality and Capacity Building Advisor to support the work of Ministry of Health’s (SESAL) in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this position is to assist epidemiology staff in the Metropolitan Sanitary Region of San Pedro Sula to improve the quality of surveillance data for decision making and reporting to the national level, including deaths from COVID-19, new cases and recovered cases. This will likely entail making recommendations to improve the flow and management of data within the office and assisting with implementation of such recommendations. The Advisor will also mentor regional staff, using a tailored approach to address gaps individually. Finally, the Advisor will play a key role in reinforcing the capacity of health care workers and related staff at health facilities within the Metropolitian Sanitary Region of San Pedro Sula to submit high-quality COVID-19 case reports. These staff will also be trained to enter the case reports within a mobile or desktop app.
The Advisor will work alongside the Data.FI’s Regional Data Use Advisor, also to be based in the Metropolitan Region of San Pedro Sula. The advisor will collaborate closely with the Data Quality and Capacity Building Advisor to be based in the Metropolitan Sanitary Region of Central District, as well as others on Data.FI’s team, mostly based in Tegúcigalpa. This position is based in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The initial position term is 8 months, with an extension dependent on continued project funding.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities of the Data Quality and Capacity Building Advisor Honduras, are:
•Using a standardized tool, conduct a rapid assessment of the quality of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and recoveries. Provide input to the standardized tool as needed.
•Map the flow of data for the regional office.
•Present findings of rapid assessment to regional and national staff.
•Develop a data quality performance feedback report summarizing the reporting process, including strengths and weaknesses of reporting cases, deaths, and recovered cases as well as recommendations for improvements to reporting processes.
•After the assessment and recommendations have been implemented, create routine reports to track data quality performance in Metropolitian Sanitary Region of San Pedro Sula.
•Support the on-going monitoring of data flow to identify and resolve data bottlenecks, redundancies, and breakdowns in reporting or information circuits.
•Support Metropolitian Sanitary Region of San Pedro Sula with data management and analysis to allow for better tracking of COVID-19 deaths, cases, and contacts, reporting of data, and understanding of the spread of the virus geographically and demographically.
•Assist the government to create or update Standard Operating Procedures and processes for activities such as the collection, validation, quality assurance, sharing, and dissemination of data.
•Create and implement a learning plan for key staff members to guide tailored mentorship to improve skills and job practices.
•Develop or update materials to train health care workers and related staff to submit high-quality COVID-19 case reports on paper and through mobile and desktop applications. Implement this training at health facilities in Metropolitian Sanitary Region of San Pedro Sula, in collaboration with PAHO.
•Develop and execute routine performance feedback reports for facilities whose staff have participated in the training.
•Troubleshoot data quality and other issues related to reporting with health facilities, conducting on-site visits as necessary. Mentor Metropolitian Sanitary Region of San Pedro Sula staff and other SESAL staff in the same.
•Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with SESAL and related government entities as well as international and local partners.
•Work closely with HQ Data.FI technical staff on the implementation of activities.

Reporting requirements include:
•Routine meetings with both local and headquarters-based staff (either in-person or via Skype, Microsoft Teams or phone)
•Emails as needed

Relationships
•Reports to the Senior Technical Advisor, Data.FI, Tegucigalpa

Authority levels
•HQ Senior Technical Advisor in Surveillance, Data.FI
•Country Activity Manager, Palladium

Education, experience, and competencies required
•University degree in public health, or biostatistics, epidemiology, or closely related field. Master’s degree preferred.
•3-5 years of experience in applied epidemiology, such as that gained through working in or directly supporting a health department/ministry at local, regional, or national level (or similar organization). Experience in research epidemiology will not substitute for this requirement.
•Experience, talent, and genuine interest in capacity building, to include formal trainings, mentorship, and supportive supervision. Experience with training on the use software is preferred.
•High level of proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, including creating Macros, is required.
•Experience in data quality and implementation is desired.
•Proven experience in data analysis is required.
•Demonstrated ability to write reports and to develop and deliver impactful presentations is required.
•Experience using the Surveillance Information System for COVID-19 in Honduras is strongly preferred.
•Experience in data collection using electronic tools is desired.
•Experience in work process and data flow analysis and taking action to address needed improvements.
•Ability to analyze data using statistical software such as STATA and SPSS desired. Experience with geospatial analysis such as GIS is an advantage.
•Experience supporting management and program staff to define appropriate ways to visualize data.
•Demonstrated ability to work with SESAL officials and staff from partner organizations.
•Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
•Full professional fluency in written and spoken Spanish language is required. Ability to read English is required. Full professional fluency in English language is preferred.
•The position is based in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The candidate must be willing to travel locally.

•The candidate must already possess legal authorization to work in Honduras.

Core competencies
•Detail-oriented and deadline-driven with strong organizational skills
•Highly self-motivated and able to work independently as well as in team settings
•Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a multicultural team in a dynamic and agile environment, while maintaining a client-centered focus’