LEAP Program Description

Global Solutions Ventures (GSV) – a joint-venture partnership between ZemiTek, LLC and Dexis Consulting Group – is implementing the Long-term Exceptional Technical Assistance Project (LEAP Global), a mechanism originally used by USAID to battle against infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, and pandemic influenza. As of July 1, 2025, LEAP Global transitioned to the U.S. Department of State (DOS). This initiative aims to address the complex human resource challenges faced by national infectious disease programs in the USA-supported countries.

The intervention of this project is to hire and embed technical expert advisors and subject matter experts within government entities. By directly embedding the technical expertise within the national programs, LEAP provides long-term, sustainable lifesaving support to empower host governments to lead and manage key aspects of their infectious disease portfolios and improve coordination between the U.S. Government and the host country.

About the Position

The Senior Strategic Information Advisor – Integrated Global Health Security/  is a key technical position supporting the Department of State Health Assistance Office (DOS/HAO) in Nigeria, with a focus on strengthening the strategic information of the Global Health Security and Polio/Routine Immunization) portfolios, specifically, information related to detection, prevention and response to disease threats. The Advisor will support the Nigeria Ministry of Health in carrying out life-saving humanitarian assistance (LHA) service delivery in full alignment with the new Presidential Executive Order (EO) directives. The Advisor will shuttle between the National Center for Disease Control and Nigeria Center of Disease Control (NCDC) and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) offices in the Nigeria Ministry of Health, ensuring close collaboration with both data management and government planning teams in the Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics (DHPRS). This position is funded specifically through Global Health Security and MNCH program resources.

The Advisor will provide high-level technical leadership and oversight to strengthen disease outbreak surveillance, data analytics and response programs   data for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. A central aspect of the role is supporting partner management by coordinating strategic information processes among GHS, Polio and MNCH implementing partners (IPs), strengthening their data systems, and ensuring harmonized approaches to data collection, validation, and reporting.

The global health strategy places emphasis on an integrated approach that implicitly supports broader effort to contain infectious diseases (HIV, TB, malaria, routine immunization, measles and polio) in order to prevent and respond to epidemics.  Through integrated infection control, disease surveillance, we can ensure continuity of essential services and outbreak detection in primary health centers and clinics. Strengthening global health security and outbreak response, the U.S. will work with Nigeria to develop unified laboratory, data, and surveillance systems that serve both epidemic control and disease-specific programs (HIV, TB, malaria, polio). This integrated approach implicitly supports MNCH and routine immunization, since maternal and child clinics are often the frontline platforms for immunization, disease detection, and early warning systems 

The Senior Strategic Information Advisor – Integrated Global Health Security/MNCH Advisor will provide strategic and technical leadership in planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Global Health Security—ensuring countries can detect, prevent, and respond to disease threats that directly endanger mothers and children.

The Advisor will:

• Serve as an in-house subject matter expert for Strategic Information/Global Health Security Advisor


• Coordinate regular meetings with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health (MoH), USG, donors, and implementing partners.


• Manage significant programmatic interventions and strengthen host-country policy development.


• Ensure coordinated, evidence-based approaches that improve health outcomes for women, children, and adolescents affected.

Bridging data systems, epidemiology, and program management, the Advisor will help the Nigeria Ministry of Health and NCDC programs, implementing partners, and DOS/HAO make evidence-based decisions to improve overall health outcomes. Through technical guidance, capacity building, and stakeholder coordination, the Advisor will advance national and global GHS/MNCH goals and support Nigeria’s journey toward Universal Health Coverage and improved health outcomes.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Technical Guidance 

• Provide technical expertise on monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning systems for the GHSP, including routine immunization, and oxygen ecosystem investments.


• Guide evidence-based strategies to strengthen health systems and ensure alignment with national and global health security policies and standards (i.e. GHSA).


• Support the development and implementation of frameworks critical infectious disease threats.


• Support the development and deployment of innovative strategies to ensure data availability for program management and decision-making.

Program Monitoring & Reporting 

• Oversee the collection, analysis, and use of data for monitoring, reporting, project planning, and policy development.


• Support the design of assessments and provide briefings to the Health Assistance Coordinator on key findings.


• Ensure proper engagement with national agencies such as the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to strengthen surveillance systems at national and subnational levels.


• Provide oversight and technical direction for the implementation of strategies to enhance data management and coordination capacity of NPHCDA, NCDC, and their subnational equivalents.


• Collaborate with Grant Officer Representatives (GORs) and IPs to ensure activity work plans and monitoring plans include effective performance measures to showcase impact.

Capacity Building & Data Analytic 

• Lead capacity-building initiatives to enhance data analytics and visualization capabilities within EOCs and other relevant institutions.


• Serve as the DOS/HAO Point of Contact (PoC) for GHS, .


• Provide mentorship to health workers, program staff, and local partners on data-driven decision-making and outbreak response best practices.

Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with senior officials at the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), NPHCDA, NCDC, development partners, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders.


• Facilitate the sharing of global health security data and harmonize data collection, indicators, and reporting requirements.


• Participate actively in all monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and strategic information (SI)-related meetings and technical working groups.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) 

• Oversee the collection, analysis, and use of data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement in global health security outcomes.


• Monitor key performance indicators for epidemic prevention, detection, and response, including management and reporting.


• Document and disseminate lessons learned, success stories, and innovations in global health security programming. 


• Reporting & Communication 


• Support the preparation of reports and responses to a wide range of requirements, including ad hoc requests for information.


• Draft talking points, speeches, briefing papers, and presentations for the Health Assistance Coordinator.


• Contribute to annual and mid-term planning and reporting activities.

REPORTING:

The Advisor will provide a detailed monthly report to the U.S. Department of State submitted by the 5th day of the following month. Additionally, the Advisor will submit a weekly progress report to U.S. Embassy/Department of State (and participate in weekly calls) to include a short paragraph about main successes for that week. The format for reporting may be adjusted with concurrence from the COR.

SUPERVISION:

The Strategic Information Advisor will report to the Health Assistance Coordinator and his/her designee and has no formal supervisory responsibility. Incumbents may also have an onsite manager/supervisor with the coordinating GON ministry, department, or agency who will provide day-to-day direction as defined in the roles and responsibilities above.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree: Master’s degree or local equivalent from an accredited program in social science, statistics, mathematics, mathematics, economics, computer science, epidemiology, health informatics, public health, infectious disease, zoonotic disease, Medicine, immunization or a related field.


• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in strategic information infectious disease, and other public health disease management, or public health program management in Nigeria or similar contexts.


• Five years of progressively responsible job-related professional-level experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and other surveillance systems, evaluation of program/project/activity implementation, in direct program/project/activity management is required.


• Minimum 2 years’ direct experience in a development-oriented workplace (USG Preferred) focusing on global health security, infectious disease management, maternal child health ( RI/Polio especially) or other public health disease control initiatives and systems in Nigeria or similar contexts.


• Proven leadership in designing, implementing, and evaluating public health programs inclusive of global health security, Polio and or Routine Immunization programs at scale.


• Prior experience working with or for bilateral or multilateral donors/stakeholders host-country organizations, or private-sector institutions, and which included project design, performance monitoring, and/or the analysis and interpretation of large amounts of data, is required.


• In depth, professional-level knowledge of development approaches and methods for performance analysis, data visualization, and program design, monitoring and evaluation for public health programming.


• The advisor must have excellent knowledge of MEL systems, public health programming, and international donor operations in the sector.


• Good computer and analytic skills, including familiarity with statistical analytic programs (R, Strata, Power BI, Tableau etc in addition to Microsoft Office programs is preferred.


• Prior experience working in Nigeria is an advantage


• Excellent leadership, communication, and team management skills.


• Excellent written and oral communication in English; proficiency in relevant local language(s) is an advantage.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with USG funded public health programs is an advantage.


• Relevant technical experience working in Nigeria and knowledge of local culture is a plus.