Global Health Security (GHS) Advisor, DOS LEAP Global - Malawi

ZemiTek LLC•Bethesda, MD

About The Position

The Global Health Security (GHS) Advisor is a host-country national, recruited under local terms and embedded within the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) in Lilongwe, to provide hands-on technical assistance for disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness and response. The role supports implementation of the America First Global Health Strategy and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Malawi and the United States in carrying out life-saving humanitarian assistance (LHA) service delivery in full alignment with the new Presidential Executive Order (EO) directives.. The Advisor will identify programmatic gaps and bottlenecks; coordinate interventions to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats across human and animal health sectors; and support effective implementation of priority interventions. Working closely with PHIM and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development (DAHLD), the Advisor will facilitate coordinated U.S. Government–funded technical support, ensuring alignment with government priorities and avoiding duplication with other partners. The Advisor will report to the PHIM Manager or a designated official.

Requirements

At least a Master’s degree in Public Health, epidemiology, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Global Health, Infectious Diseases or a related field.
Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in public health, animal health, epidemiology, or global health security programming, preferably within Malawi or similar low- and middle-income country settings.
Demonstrated experience supporting disease surveillance systems, including IDSR, event-based surveillance, and outbreak detection and response.
Deep knowledge of Malawi’s systems who provides hands-on, embedded support to strengthen PHIM’s capacity, improve implementation, and ensure sustainable alignment with national priorities, global standards, and donor requirements.
Proven experience working with government institutions, particularly Ministries of Health, public health institutes, veterinary services, or related agencies.
Strong understanding of GHS frameworks, including IHR (2005), Global Health Security Agenda, JEE, SPAR, and multi-sectoral health approaches.
Experience supporting public health emergency preparedness and response, including PHEOC operations, rapid response teams, simulation exercises, and after-action reviews.
Familiarity with donor-funded programs (e.g., U.S. Government, World Bank, FAO, Africa CDC), including work planning, coordination, and reporting requirements.
Demonstrated ability to work across human and animal health sectors and facilitate multisectoral coordination.
Strong analytical, writing, and presentation skills, with experience producing technical reports, policy briefs, and donor reports.
Strong communication, writing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Fluency in English.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Chichewa or other local languages is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

MOU Technical Oversight and Coordination: The GHS Advisor will provide technical oversight and coordination to strengthen indicator- and event-based surveillance, PHEOC operations, and outbreak preparedness and response in line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Malawi and United States, ensuring compliance with agreed data- and specimen-sharing and agreements’ protocols, reporting requirements, and coordination mechanisms between PHIM, the Ministry of Health, and Department of state’s Foreign Assistance Office.
Capacity Transfer and Sustainability: The Advisor will advance structured capacity transfer to PHIM and Ministry of Health counterparts by jointly developing, implementing, and monitoring clear capacity-building milestones and transition plans, ensuring progressive transfer of technical, operational, and coordination functions for surveillance, Public Health Emergency Operations Centers (PHEOCs) functionality, and outbreak response to national systems in support of long-term sustainability.
Strategic and Technical Leadership: The GHS Advisor will provide high-level technical leadership and coordination support to PHIM to strengthen national and sub-national health security systems.The Advisor will support alignment of PHIM strategies with the national health security plan, cross-sectoral surveillance guidelines, and the international health regulations (IHR 2005), and serve as a key technical liaison among PHIM, Ministry of Health departments, other government entities, and development partners. The role will include active participation in multisectoral coordination platforms such as multisectoral structures, emergency management committees, and PHEOCs, as well as providing technical input to donor-funded GHS programs, partner coordination, joint planning, reviews, and technical working groups to ensure effective and sustainable health security investment.
Surveillance & Epidemiology Systems Strengthening: The GHS Advisor will provide technical support to strengthen disease surveillance systems in Malawi. This includes enhancing implementation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR)/multisectoral approach framework through improved indicator- and event-based surveillance and supporting the integration and effective use of digital surveillance platforms such as DHIS2, eIDSR, EWARS, and other indicator- and event-based reporting tools.The Advisor will strengthen outbreak detection, verification, reporting, and data use at national and subnational levels to inform timely decision-making. In addition, the Advisor will support strengthening of animal disease surveillance, including harmonization of animal health reporting with OHSP and interoperable digital platforms, development of risk-based surveillance approaches for priority zoonotic diseases, and reinforcement of community-based surveillance through training and mentorship of Veterinary Assistants, extension workers, and community informants.
Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: The Advisor will support public health emergency preparedness and response in Malawi by strengthening the functionality of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC), including adherence to and activation of standard operating procedures, incident management systems, simulation exercises, and after-action reviews.The Advisor will provide technical assistance for multi-hazard preparedness and contingency planning covering epidemics, climate-related events, and chemical or biological threats. The role will include building capacity for rapid response teams through training, mentorship, and deployment planning; facilitating outbreak investigations and simulation exercises under the cross-cutting approach; and strengthening outbreak preparedness and response at subnational and border levels to ensure timely, coordinated action.
Multisectoral Collaboration: The Global Health Security Advisor will support operationalization of multisectoral coordination mechanisms by strengthening the multisectoral health approach, including finalization and adoption of TORs, SOPs, and governance framework, and support regular joint risk assessments.The Advisor will facilitate multisectoral coordination and information sharing among human, animal, and environmental health stakeholders—including DAHLD, PHIM/MoH, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Environmental Affairs, and local authorities.
The advisor will act as the primary technical link between the Department of State’s Foreign Assistance Office and PHIM, providing strategic guidance, technical oversight, and coordination support. In this role, the advisor will ensure that USG-funded health security initiatives are aligned with the America First Global Health Strategy and Malawi GHS priorities, monitored effectively, and informed by global best practices.
The advisor will facilitate communication of programmatic progress, challenges, and lessons learned to the donor, support monitoring of key performance indicators and outputs, assist in identifying gaps and prioritizing interventions, and provide technical advice on emerging threats, opportunities, and innovations relevant to Malawi’s health security context.
The Advisor will support relevant ministries through PHIM and partners to optimize the effective use of the Pandemic Fund grants, other donor resources, and emergency outbreak response efforts. This will include providing technical assistance for the development of grant application documents, including future Pandemic Fund proposals if applicable, and supporting implementation reviews to ensure effective execution and avoid duplication with the U.S. Government–funded activities.
The Advisor will consult with key stakeholders to identify technical assistance needs, monitor progress of grant implementation, and review and analyze performance reports submitted to the Pandemic Fund and other partners. In addition, the Advisor will help convene regular coordination discussions among ministries, donors, and U.S. Government officials to align technical approaches across health security portfolios, and will support emergency outbreak response through resource mobilization, coordination, and targeted technical assistance to contain and respond to public health threats.
The Advisor will assist PHIM and partners to achieve key health security targets, including those under the Joint External Evaluation (JEE), States Parties Self-Assessment (SPAR), and the Pandemic Fund Framework, with particular emphasis on reporting against the 7-1-7 target for timely detection, reporting, and response to public health threats.
The Advisor will support PHIM and partners in tracking progress against national and donor GHS indicators and will facilitate the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and evidence to inform policy development and program improvement.
The Advisor will report to the PHIM Manager or a designated official.
Prepare monthly progress reports for the Department of State, highlighting achievements, challenges, gaps, and recommendations.
Participate in monthly calls or meetings with the Department of State’s Foreign Assistance Office point of contact to discuss in detail progress, successes, challenges, emerging issues, and recommendations for remediation.
Support PHIM in tracking progress against JEE targets, including implementation of recommendations from the most recent JEE report.
Facilitate documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and evidence to inform program improvements.