eIDSR Technical Advisor

Overview

Project Overview

The Pandemic Fund South Africa Project supports the strengthening of national systems for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Through investments in surveillance and human resources for health, the project aims to enhance early warning systems, improve disease detection and reporting, and build capacity for coordinated emergency response. Implemented in collaboration with the National Department of Health, Jhpiego, and other key stakeholders, the project contributes to building a resilient health system aligned with South Africa’s National Action Plan for Health Security.

Role Overview

Jhpiego is seeking a skilled and motivated Technical Advisor to be seconded to the Epidemiology and Surveillance Directorate at the National Department of Health (NDoH). The Advisor will support the strengthening and implementation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system, encompassing Community-Based Surveillance (CBS), Event-Based Surveillance (EBS), and Indicator-Based Surveillance (IBS).The role requires technical expertise in strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), surveillance information systems, and public health intelligence. A strong understanding of the One Health approach—linking human, animal, and environmental health—is essential. The incumbent will be pivotal in enhancing the NDoH’s capacity for data-driven decision-making, rapid outbreak response, and sustainable health system strengthening.

This position is supported through a donor-funded project with an anticipated implementation period of three years. The successful candidate will be appointed on an initial 12-month fixed-term contract, which may be renewed or extended subject to funding availability, operational requirements of the organisation, and/or satisfactory performance

Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance to strengthen strategic planning and surveillance policies at NDoH.
• Support the development and review of the IDSR Strategic Plan, technical guidelines, and SOPs, including Event-Based Surveillance and Mortality Surveillance guidelines.
• Collaborate with service providers to ensure the functional development and integration of the eIDSR system within DHIS2.
• Manage the expansion of DHIS2 functionalities to integrate CBS, EBS, and IBS data streams.
• Provide technical support and training for eIDSR rollout at provincial, district, and facility levels.
• Assist with troubleshooting and resolving system-related queries from sub-national teams.
• Strengthen the NDoH Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, particularly related to surveillance and health system indicators.
• Assist with the periodic review and updating of National Indicator Data Sets.
• Lead the development of integrated results frameworks for emerging surveillance and information systems initiatives.
• Conduct detailed analysis and synthesis of surveillance data to generate public health intelligence.
• Compile reports and contribute to the development of South Africa’s public health bulletins.
• Support the use of surveillance data to inform evidence-based decision-making and pandemic preparedness planning.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Health Informatics, Health Sciences, Data Science, Public Health, or Statistics.
• 6 to 7 years of progressively responsible and directly relevant experience required with a minimum of five (5) years’ working experience in the public health sector at a middle management level.
• Proven experience working with large-scale health information systems and analytics (e.g., DHIS2, WebDHIS).
• Experience working with surveillance systems in human, animal, or environmental health sectors.
• Demonstrated expertise in monitoring and evaluation frameworks and strategic information systems.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize large data sets into actionable public health intelligence.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation, and report writing skills.
• Good understanding of public sector regulations, including Batho Pele principles and code of conduct.
• Valid driver’s license.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Postgraduate (NQF 8 or higher) qualification in Public Health, Health Informatics, Data Science, Development Studies, Biostatistics, or a related field.
• Working experience in the public health sector at a senior management level.
• Proven knowledge of software development for health systems in the South African context.
• Experience with Results-Based Management techniques.
• Project management and stakeholder expectation management skills.
• Familiarity with One Health implementation approaches.
  
  

Core Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and planning
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Time management and planning
• Integrity and ethical standards
• Project management
• Stakeholder management
  
  

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

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