The job holder will serve as the Western Kenya Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Kenya office (based in Kisumu). The job holder will serve as the primary agency contact for all CDC Kenya public health research activities in Western Kenya. The job holder will be responsible for managing the collaboration between the agency and host government ministries, county departments of health and other organizations that work on the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Western Kenya research platform. The job holder reports to the CDC Kenya Country Director (96CD0073) to ensure that all research activities in HIV, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases contribute to measurable results that are in accordance with the agency’s regulations, strategic objectives, international ethical guidelines, and standards for public health. Specifically, the incumbent plans, initiates, coordinates and provides medical and technical support for CDC Kenya’s public health research portfolio. The job holder provides supervision to 3 USDH (96CD0074, 96CD0071, 96CD1092) and 3 LE Staff (C89158, C89200, C89067) and oversees program operations for a team of over 30 staff.

Doctoral level (DrPH, MD or PhD) degree or host country equivalent in medicine, public health, or epidemiology is required.

LANGUAGE:  

English level IV (fluent – speaking/reading/writing) (This may be tested) and Kiswahili level III (good working knowledge – speaking/reading/writing) is required.

At least 5 years of work experience in public health research with the Ministry of Health, other Government of Kenya agency or international public health organizations.

Must have demonstrated experience working with development of national level health policy, including large-scale initiatives involving substantial budgets and diverse stakeholders.

The five years’ experience should also include:

Minimum of four years’ experience must be in HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, STIs or other infectious disease research conducting public health research, as principal or co-investigator.

At least 5 years of management experience is also required.

JOB KNOWLEDGE:  

The position requires:

a) expert knowledge of the theories, principles and concepts of public health research planning, implementation and evaluation, epidemiology and infectious diseases that enables employee to serve as a national and international expert in the field is required,

b) expert knowledge of the design, development and implementation of infectious disease detection, prevention and response programs,

c) working knowledge of host government and international public health systems is required, in addition to a technical working knowledge of overall administrative requirements, budgeting and fiscal management systems in support of funding mechanisms such as contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and purchase requisitions.

As the senior most LE staff in Western Kenya, the incumbent must also be thoroughly familiar with the USG/FSN employment system.

Must be able to:

1) establish effective diplomatic working relationships with senior public health officials representatives of public health organizations, particularly those with MOH, KEMRI, US based universities and other international organizations;

2) organize and manage subordinate staff;

3) communicate effectively orally and in writing to a varied audience;

4) plan, develop, manage and evaluate important and complex public health programs independently;

5) provide objective medical and public health information;

6) follow oral instructions, organize, prioritize and follow through expeditiously on all assignments with minimal oversight;

7) present complex medical and technical public health data to senior-level international audiences.

8) Demonstrate proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets, databases and other computer applications for program implementation and research;

9) High level of competency in using one or more statistical software packages (i.e., STATA, SAS, SPSS, R.

10) Keyboarding skills that include both speed and accuracy are required.