International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc.
About Us
International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over 100 countries and implemented over 300 projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies, and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and institutional support across many areas and sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, agriculture, economic growth, food security, education, environment, and global health.
Job Title: Senior Advisor- Infectious Diseases (Global Health Security and AMR) – One Health Veterinary
Department/Location: USAID/India, Delhi
Reports To: ISPI Project Manager
Type: Regular Full-Time (1 year contract, plus possible 1 year extension)
Classification: Senior Advisor
Clearance Required: Facilities Access (applied for on hiring)
Overview:
International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over one hundred countries and implemented over three hundred projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in institutional support and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) across many sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, economic growth, education, environment, and global health.
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.
Responsibilities
Position Summary
As demonstrated during COVID-19, India’s ability to prepare for and respond to the emergent pandemic was challenged by the country’s immense size and population, disparate Ministries overseeing different aspects of response, and the massive scale-up of testing and response. Although India has made significant strides to prepare for the next pandemic, significant coordination, training, and systems development need to occur to make India’s health system more resilient to better identify and contain future emergent diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Mission will develop activities in consultations with the various ministries of the Government of India as – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and other relevant stakeholders. The Government of India (GoI), Public International Organization (PIO), and donor organizations were all instrumental in defining the COVID-19 response and have been empowered by the government to coordinate various aspects of the GoI pandemic preparedness plan moving forward.
Advisor – Infectious Diseases (Global Health Security and AMR) will work to strengthen countries’ multisectoral capacities to reduce the risk and impact of emerging disease threats and AMR that are of greatest public health concern. The program emphasizes systems strengthening at the national, subnational, local and community levels and across multiple sectors of public and animal health for preparedness; laboratory; surveillance; workforce; risk communications, communities’ interventions; supply chain and related countermeasures. GHS embraces the One Health approach, recognizing the critical role that wildlife, livestock, other domestic animals, and environment play in emerging zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential and AMR . Identifying and minimizing zoonotic disease spillover risks at their source in animals and a comprehensive approach to antimicrobial resistance that includes the livestock, agriculture, and environment sectors are essential components of USAID’s contribution to the Global Health Security (GHS).
USAID’s GHS portfolio also leverages other USAID programing priorities in the areas of health systems strengthening, food security, economic growth, and disaster assistance. Healthy animals provide a safe and nutritious food supply component, and additionally, jobs and livelihoods all along the value chain from producer to final consumer. Livestock industries are huge contributors to national economies. Ensuring that animals are safely, economically managed and food is safe for human consumption not only minimizes the risk of transferring zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance, but also greatly assists with enhancing partner countries’ capacity for agricultural development and participation in international trade. Other Global Health programming in India with primary objectives in the areas of health systems strengthening and disease control, such as malaria and TB, may contribute to reaching GHS targets.
The Advisor – Infectious Diseases (Global Health Security and AMR) will support USAID’s contribution to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) global initiative that was launched in 2014. The GHSA’s goal is to advance a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats and to elevate global health security as a national leaders-level priority. The GHSA supports 11 lines of effort – known as Action Packages – that work across human health, animal health, and other sectors to help countries to achieve GHSA objectives and to meet country requirements for the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR) and related animal health regulations. Progress toward achieving the GHSA targets and objectives is measured by WHO’s Joint External Evaluation (JEE), a tool which consolidates the GHSA and IHR metrics into technical areas.
In close coordination with the GHS Lead, s/he will be responsible for leading USAID’s contributions to GHS in collaboration with USAID/Washington’s GHS Team. S/he will coordinate USAID partners, provide recommendations regarding GHS challenges, ensure effective implementation of GHS projects, build relationships with India’s counterparts, and liaise with multiple inter-agency, USAID/Washington, and regional counterparts involved in GHS.
Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Support the implementation and coordination of USAID GHS activities with USAID’s existing GHS program and with other USG agencies on GHS-related activities. Maintain strong partnerships between agencies as well as implementing partners of respective agencies and build strong partnerships with other development partners in India:
- Provide technical expertise to USAID and USG leadership for GHS technical areas of work.
- Support GHS Lead for frequent, regular, and ad hoc meetings with USG partners including CDC and other Embassy agencies to discuss activities and maintain coordination and to keep each other informed on changes to GHS activities.
- Support the establishment of Partner/Donor coordination and collaboration mechanisms to advance GHS in India. Such partners include USAID partners, other donors, the government of India, private sector, international and local NGOs, multilateral organizations, etc.
- Support the development of annual GHS work plans working collaboratively with USG agencies to ensure coordination of USG GHS supported activities and to avoid duplication.
- Work collaboratively with the USG agencies while supporting USAID priorities. I
- During disease outbreaks in which the government requests support by USAID and other partners, coordinate USAID’s efforts to support the national government.
- Liaise between the Mission in India and USAID Washington:
- Report Mission activities to USAID GHS Washington-based and regional team members.
- Support the monitoring and guiding of implementing partner activities to ensure consistency with project objectives and to ensure that activities contribute to advancing India’s targets including GHSA and JEE metrics.
- Report on GHS activities.
- Provide support to USAID’s GHS Team in identifying new opportunities and activities to contribute to India’s GHS efforts. This includes activity design, assessments and scoping of new opportunities.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with the various Government Ministries and Agencies:
- Attend government/donor coordination groups related to emerging infectious diseases, AMR and other GHS activities and report back.
- Develop relationships with animal and public health ministries and USAID regional bureaus.
- Provide coordination across all USAID GHS activities in the India Mission:
- Establish and support coordination networks among USAID implementing partners in India whose activities are related to GHS. Facilitate opportunities for USAID implementing partners to collaborate and leverage each other’s activities. Communicate and promote to Implementing Partners (IPs) USAID’s expectations for IPs to function as a cohesive program working together to advance GHS targets in India, in consultation with relevant A/COR.
- Use the coordination network to facilitate the GHS IPs in successful completion of work plan activities and to maximize USG investments.
- Engage with IPs and multi-sectoral organizations and other stakeholders to promote the skills, capacities and environment in India across the ministries to investigate diverse and complex conditions that resemble pathologic patterns that will or could affect public health.
- Provide technical input to USAID IPs to promote and leverage existing USAID activities and the contributions of other stakeholders in India to achieve JEE targets.
- Coordinate multiple reporting requirements that require input and clearance from diverse stakeholders.
- Support development of USAID contributions to GHS Progress Reports and annual work plans.
- Apply a strong knowledge of assessments and scoring related to India’s GHS Joint External Evaluation Report (as and when it happens).
- Provide weekly/bi-weekly updates to the Embassy inter-agency GHS Team.
- Develop weekly updates for USAID/India’s Front Office on GHS progress, events and upcoming visitors.
- Other duties as assigned.
Deliverables: Activity status report to GH-TAMS and USAID (monthly).
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:
- Demonstrated experience in providing technical expertise and recommendations on GHS challenges, outbreak response, and advancing country targets related to global health security.
- Demonstrated experience in coordinating and implementing health security projects in developing countries, preferably in collaboration with multiple government agencies and international partners.
- Strong understanding of technical areas related to global health security, such as disease outbreak response, pandemic preparedness, zoonotic diseases, and One Health approaches.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate coordination and collaboration with various stakeholders, including government counterparts, implementing partners, and USG agencies.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Oral and written fluency in English required, fluency in another language preferred.
Education: Master’s Degree with 10 years, Bachelor’s with 12 years, Associate’s degree with 14 years or High School with 16 years of relevant education and experience in Public Health, Epidemiology, International Development, or a related discipline.
Working Environment: Work is typically performed in an office environment.
Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.
Supervisory Responsibility: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.
Travel: International travel may be required and may include travel to fragile and/or conflict-prone zones.
Work Authorization: Candidate must be authorized to work in India
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
About the Organization:
IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education & human capacity development, energy & infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.
IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).