Disease Surveillance Technical Officer (3)

Job ID

2026-7558

Location

RW-Kigali

Category

Local

Employment Status

Full-Time

Reporting to the Disease Surveillance Advisor, the Disease Surveillance Technical Officer will provide technical expertise in disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response. The position requires demonstrated experience in global health emergencies and infectious disease prevention and control programs.

The Disease Surveillance Technical Officer will support implementation of the RISE-Rwanda Global Health Security (GHS) Project, a collaborative initiative designed to prevent, detect, and respond to deadly disease outbreaks through high-impact GHS programming that strengthens the coverage, quality, and sustainability of lifesaving services.

In this role, the Officer will provide technical support to strengthen epidemic intelligence and disease surveillance systems, ensuring timely detection, reporting, and response to priority public health threats across health facilities, sentinel surveillance sites, communities, and points of entry.

Disease Surveillance:

• Provide technical support to strengthen national and district-level disease surveillance systems, including indicator-based and event-based surveillance.
• Support the implementation of surveillance-related activities outlined in national surveillance, response and recovery plans.
• Assess existing surveillance systems and identify gaps, recommending improvements to ensure comprehensive and real-time disease tracking.
• Collaborate with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), and district health officers to improve timely data reporting, analysis, and use.
• Assist in the training (OJT), mentorship and supportive supervision of healthcare workers, surveillance officers, and community health workers on case definitions, detection, reporting procedures, and use of digital surveillance tools.
• Participate in surveillance data reviews and joint supervision visits with national and district stakeholders.
• Facilitate integration of VHFs surveillance into routine health management information systems and national early warning systems.
• Contribute to risk mapping, surveillance performance assessments, and outbreak investigation activities.
• Assist in developing surveillance tools, SOPs, and Job-Aids documents based on national and international standards.
• Ensure data collected is of high quality and is used effectively to inform public health decisions and actions.

Outbreak Investigation and Response:

• Collaborate with the Rwanda Biomedical Center, Epidemiologists, Healthcare Providers, and Public Health officials to support rapid outbreak investigations and response activities.
• Provide on-site or remote support for outbreak response activities, including case tracking, contact tracing, and coordination with relevant agencies.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of emergency response protocols and action plans.

Capacity Building and training :

• Assist in designing and delivering training programs for Healthcare Workers, Public Health Staff, Point of Entry Health Staff, and Community Health Workers on surveillance practices and protocols.
• Build the capacity of local teams in the use of digital tools and technology for disease reporting and monitoring.
• Provide mentorship and support to Health Staff involved in surveillance and outbreak response activities.

Policy Implementation and Program Development:

• Assist in the development of programs aimed at enhancing disease surveillance and public health response.
• Develop new/Review evidence-based clinical training materials, job aids and curricula, supervisory systems and other training materials needed for implementation of the RISE project to meet the needs of US and the Government of Rwanda.
• Participate in policy discussions and provide expert advice to inform the creation of robust surveillance frameworks.
• Contribute to proposal writing and resource mobilization efforts to secure funding for surveillance and outbreak response initiatives.

Project Management:

• Support monitoring and reporting of RISE Rwanda GHS project activities in assigned priority districts.
• Work closely with the M&E team to track program implementation and surveillance efforts
• Support documentation of lessons learned and best practices related to surveillance and response activities.
• Document selected program activities to assess implications for the future.
• Contribute to the preparation and implementation of project’s work plans, budgets and technical quarterly and annual reports.
• Represent the project in relevant technical working groups and coordination meetings, as delegated by the Disease Surveillance Advisor or the project leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Health Information Systems, or related field; master’s degree preferred.
• At least 5 to 6 years of relevant experience in disease surveillance, outbreak response, or epidemiology, preferably in Rwanda or similar contexts.
• Familiarity with Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy and Rwanda’s health information systems.
• Experience supporting public health surveillance systems at both national and district levels.
• Strong understanding of surveillance for viral hemorrhagic fevers or similar epidemic-prone diseases.
• Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g., DHIS2, OpenMRS, Excel, Epi Info, SAS, SPSS, R, GIS tools or similar).
• Excellent coordination, training, and communication skills.
• Fluency in English required; proficiency in Kinyarwanda and/or French is an asset.

Other Skills:

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret and communicate complex data effectively.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and build collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English; knowledge of other languages relevant to the region is a plus.
• Experience with a mix of practical technical skills in GHS necessary for strengthening service delivery at the regional, national, clinical and community-level
• Demonstrated a depth understanding of Rwandan healthcare system, particularly the Public health system
• Experience in living and working in Rwanda preferred
• Familiarity with USG regulations and compliance and reporting procedures and systems;
• Ability to travel 50% of working time
• Rwandan nationals are strongly encouraged to apply

• Prior experience in global health security, One Health, or cross-border surveillance programs.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, with minimal supervision, and manage multiple priorities.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required, sometimes at short notice.

Application submission deadline: 31st January 2026

Note: The position is on a national contract and only applicants holding permit to work in Rwanda can apply. Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for an interview. For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org. The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background checks.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer:

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on gender, marital status,pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

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