Senior Specialist, Surveillance in FHI 360

Length of contract until 30 September 2026

About FHI 360 and EpiC

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, youth, research, technology, communication, and social marketing—creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 50 countries and all U.S. states and territories.

The Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project is an eight-year (2019–2027) global health project initially funded by the U.S. Department of State (DoS) as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). EpiC operates in approximately 50 countries, addressing key public health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, pandemic preparedness, and global health security. 

In Ukraine, the project receives Global Health Security (GHS) funding to strengthen global, regional, and local public health systems, building on broad experience and existing capabilities that align with national GHS priorities and US Government goals. EpiC will support the national and regional public health institutions, health care facilities, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection’s research institutes and regional departments, academic institutions, as well as civil society organizations to strengthen GHS capacities in infection prevention and control (IPC), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), health emergency management (HEM), with a particular focus on the prevention, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks of epidemic significance. All activities will be aligned with national regulations, guidelines and standards, as well as relevant international frameworks.  

 FHI 360 is seeking qualified candidates for a Senior Specialist, Surveillance, who will report to the Technical Advisor, Surveillance, and be seconded to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (UPHC).   This position will be based in Kyiv, Ukraine. This position is open to Ukrainian nationals who are residing in Ukraine or are willing to relocate to Ukraine. Professional proficiency in written and spoken English and fluency in Ukrainian is required.

 Job Summary: 

The Senior Specialist, Surveillance, will support the UPHC team in the development and operationalization of epidemiological surveillance systems that enable timely detection of prioritydiseases and emerging threats. This role will contribute to multisectoral data integration and analysis across all levels of human and animal health systems, with a particular focus on strengthening early warning and response capacities. The Specialist will assist in designing and implementing sentinel surveillance procedures for antimicrobial resistant pathogens, improving data management systems, and promoting collaborative surveillance with the animal health sector. The role also includes facilitating the integration of surveillance outputs into the Incident Management System of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center and ensuring alignment with EpiC project objectives and reporting requirements.

 Accountabilities:

• Support the establishment of functional public health surveillance systems capable of detecting priority diseases, recognizing new and emerging threats in a timely manner, and enabling multi-sectoral data integration and improved analysis across all health system levels
• Work closely with the team to ensure project implementation remains technically sound and adheres to the overall EpiC Ukraine approach.
• Support the development and implementation of procedures for sentinel epidemiological surveillance of antimicrobial resistant pathogens
• Support strengthening the capacity of UPHC staff in early warning surveillance system for early detection and reporting of infectious disease cases and outbreaks, and promote collaborative surveillance with the animal health sector 
• Support UPHC’s efforts to improve data management systems for early detection of infectious disease cases, outbreaks, and other public health events of public health concern, and to manage data-informed policymaking
• Facilitate the integration of surveillance outputs into the Incident Management System of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center.
• Inform the EpiC Ukraine Technical Advisor for Surveillance of surveillance system advancements to ensure timely and coordinated project support for oblast-level actors
• Ensure alignment of surveillance activities with EpiC project objectives and reporting requirements 
• Contribute to EpiC and UPHC documentation of lessons learned and success stories.
• Develops or writes technical briefs, reports, or other necessary materials to facilitate research, best practices, policies, and procedures. 
• Conducts analysis of project implementation to identify areas for improvement and propose appropriate technical strategy and guidelines. 

Education Qualification & Experience

• Master’s Degree or its International Equivalent in Public Health or a similar degree in Social Sciences, or a Bachelor’s Degree accompanied by equivalent professional experience in public health programming in Ukraine.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in epidemiological surveillance, infectious disease monitoring, or epidemiological data analysis, preferably in government or donor-funded programs Demonstrated ability to collaborate with national MOH personnel, academic institutions, local public health and health care authorities, NGOs, and international partners.
• Demonstrated experience in   implementation of field-based surveillance methodologies for outbreak investigation, reporting, and control. 
• Knowledge of the GHS field in general, including international frameworks and tools such as the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), the Joint External Evaluation, and the WHO Benchmarks for IHR Capacities, is desirable
• Proven experience and working knowledge of anti-microbial detection and surveillance.  Experience of working with Electronic Surveillance System and proficiency with data management software. 
• Previous experience working with USG or PEPFAR supported programs and experience working in an international NGO/PVO environment desirable.
• Proven skills in mentoring, supervision, training, and the use of quality improvement approaches.
• Excellent report writing, analytical and communication skills, including oral presentation skills.
• Ability to manage and complete numerous tasks with a high degree of organization and limited resources.
• Experience of proactively identifying risk, addressing issues and appropriately communicating these to the project staff.
• Ability to meet deadlines with strong attention to consistency, detail, and quality.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the political and ethical issues surrounding public health issues in Ukraine.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and well-developed computer skills.
• Ability to travel within country and internationally if needed. 
• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English and fluency in Ukrainian.

 Typical Physical Demands:

• Typical office environment.
• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift/move up to 5 lbs.

Technology to be Used:

• Personal Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.

Travel Requirements:

• 25% 

 **Or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience sufficient to successfully perform the key responsibilities of the job. This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

Please apply via the link above on the vacancy website or email your CV and Cover letter to [email protected] with ‘Senior Specialist, Surveillance’ in the subject line. 

Only applications submitted in English will be considered. 

Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply