In partnership with the Ministry of Health ( MOH) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC), ICAP will provide substantial technical support for Population-based HIV Impact Assessments ( PHIA) in specific PEPFAR-supported countries. Each PHIA will define the status of the national HIV epidemic, guide allocation of resources based on evidence, and integrate capacity building of country stakeholders in the design, conduct, analysis, and use of PHIAs.
The MOH is planning to conduct a PHIA, with substantial technical support and involvement of CDC and ICAP, to estimate the population-level impact of the national HIV prevention, care and treatment programs in Lesotho. In addition to providing important programmatic information to the MOH and relevant stakeholders, this assessment of the national HIV program is of great value to HIV researchers and public health experts around the world.
Reporting to the Lesotho PHIA Project Director, the PHIA Project ICT Officer is responsible for in-country management, storage, and security of data, as well as other technical aspects of the population-based surveys conducted on tablets. Works to ensure delivery of clean, high-quality survey data and troubleshoot possible information and communications technology ( ICT) challenges during data collection.
More details on ICAP's PHIA Project may be found at: http://icap.columbia.edu/global-initatives/the-phia-project
This position is grant funded.
Location: Maseru, Lesotho
Major Accountabilities
- Attend in-country meetings on data management and security and facilitate consensus on data architecture plan
- Collaborate with NY-based Lead Strategic Information (SI) Advisor and Regional ICT Specialist to conduct testing of ODK tablet forms
- Troubleshoot platform-level technology issues that may arise with tablets under the guidance of the NY-based Data Manager and Regional ICT Specialist
- Help identify and resolve potential connection issues with mobile operators using mobile data devices; help identify and resolve potential connection issues within the survey team (e.g., from tablets to a group router, from lab equipment to tablets, etc.); help troubleshoot database
- Conduct daily data quality control checks under guidance of NY-based Data Manager and Regional ICT Manager
- Provide remote technical assistance by phone or through remote access of tablets used during survey; provide in-person technical support on ad-hoc basis for field teams; provide technical assistance to MOH ICT team to obtain and maintain local copy of survey data
- Install application updates under guidance of NY-based Data Manager and Regional ICT Specialist
- Coordinate replacement of damaged or lost equipment; report and send damaged equipment for repair; control and maintain an active inventory of tablets and other ICT equipment
- Troubleshoot basic network configuration issues on IP-enabled lab equipment; troubleshoot basic software issues for the satellite and lab databases; help troubleshoot any software and connectivity issues with PIMA machines and Alere server
- Perform other related duties as directed
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics, Engineering, or related field
Experience, Skills, and Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum two (2) years of related experience managing and working directly with health informatics applications and databases from large research studies
- Demonstrated experience conducting data quality checks and producing data collection monitoring reports
- Demonstrated experience in using and troubleshooting electronic data collection tools, especially tablets
- Basic understanding of cloud-based data storage service offerings
- Basic understanding of TCP/IP protocol suite
Experience, Skills & Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated experience in providing remote assistance (e.g., from a central office location) to public health teams working in the field
- Demonstrated and successful experience managing large, population-based survey data
- Demonstrated experience in resolving IP-level connection issues, IPv4 sub-netting, etc.
- Demonstrated experience in working with mobile telecommunications technologies ( GSM, 3G/4G, etc.), mainly in disconnected mode
- Strong writing and verbal communication skills
- Experience working with issues relating to HIV/AIDS
Travel Requirements
- Periodic domestic travel to troubleshoot technical data collection issues (requiring overnight stay of up to 2 days)
Application Instructions
NOTE: This is a local hire position and the successful candidate will be an employee of ICAP in Lesotho and subject to the local terms and conditions of employment which includes a competitive salary and benefits package.
To apply, send cover letter and CV to icap-jobs-lesotho@columbia.edu.
Please indicate you are applying for position 'PHIA Project – ICT Officer' in the subject line of your e-mail.
Do not attach any certificates when submitting on line. Only short listed applicants will be contacted.
Columbia University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. It does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, gender, religion, creed, national and ethnic origin, age, citizenship, status as a perceived or actual victim of domestic violence, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran, or any other legally protected status.
