Surveillance and Population-Based Surveys Advisor

Nakupuna Solutions; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 142,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Nakupuna Solutions seeks a Surveillance and Population-Based Survey Advisor to support U.S. Department of State health priorities.

The role leads integrated disease surveillance and survey activities across maternal and child health, malaria, TB, and emerging infectious diseases, coordinating with GHSD, embassies, partners, and governments. The Advisor will provide technical guidance on surveys, routine surveillance, data quality, and integration of findings into national strategies and MOUs,

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of epidemiological methods and disease surveillance.
• Experience designing population-based and behavioral health surveys.
• Experience with large-scale surveys (DHS, MICS, MIS, SPA) or equivalent.
• Ability to translate complex health data into actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight of surveillance and population-based health surveys.
• Design and review survey protocols, sampling, data collection instruments, and QA processes.
• Develop cost-effective, country-context surveillance strategies aligned with health priorities.
• Analyze surveillance and survey data to identify trends, gaps, and risks.
• Coordinate input across epidemiologists, statisticians, and data scientists.

Skills

Epidemiology

Disease surveillance

Population-based surveys

Behavioral health surveys

Data triangulation

Interagency coordination

Technical writing

Briefings

Education

Master's degree or higher in Public Health or related field

Job description

Surveillance and Population-Based Surveys Advisor

Job Locations: US-D.C.-Washington

Job ID: 2026-6974

Type: Full-Time Salaried

Company: Nakupuna Solutions

Overview

Nakupuna Solutions seeks a Surveillance and Population-Based Survey Advisor to support U.S. Department of State global health priorities and foreign assistance programming under the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS). The Advisor will provide technical leadership and programmatic oversight for integrated disease surveillance and population-based survey activities across priority health areas, including maternal and child health, malaria, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases.

The Advisor will support GHSD headquarters, U.S. Embassies, implementing partners, and partner governments in the design and implementation of sustainable, country-led surveillance approaches that generate timely, reliable, and actionable information for program oversight, health security investments, and strategic decision-making. The position will provide technical guidance on population-based and behavioral health surveys, routine and sentinel surveillance, data quality and triangulation, and the integration of surveillance findings into national strategies and bilateral MOU implementation. The Advisor will also coordinate with U.S. Government agencies, partner governments, international organizations, and technical stakeholders to strengthen country capacity and promote efficient, sustainable surveillance systems.

Responsibilities

The following reflects management's definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign additional duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to mission requirements and reasonable accommodation.

• Provide technical and programmatic oversight of U.S. foreign assistance supporting sustainable, country-led surveillance systems and population-based health surveys across priority health areas.
• Design, review, and support implementation of population-based and behavioral health surveys, including protocols, standard operating procedures, sampling and data-collection approaches, survey instruments, quality-assurance processes, and analysis plans.
• Develop and advise on cost-effective, country-context appropriate routine and sentinel surveillance strategies that support national health priorities and U.S. global health objectives.
• Analyze and interpret routine surveillance and survey data, including triangulation across multiple data sources, to identify trends, gaps, risks, and opportunities and strengthen the quality and use of routine health information.
• Coordinate technical input across interagency and multidisciplinary stakeholders, including epidemiologists, demographers, statisticians, data scientists, laboratorians, modelers, and program technical experts.
• Collaborate with partner governments, international organizations, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to improve surveillance and survey quality, data integrity, representativeness, and integration of findings into national surveillance frameworks and strategic decision-making.
• Provide technical assistance, training, and capacity building to country teams and local counterparts on surveillance methodologies, survey implementation, data quality, analysis, interpretation, and use.
• Prepare technical reviews, analytical reports, briefings, and recommendations for GHSD teams and senior leadership and support effective knowledge management of surveillance and survey data and products.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Deliverables

• Technical reviews and recommendations for surveillance and survey work plans, including products tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Survey protocols, standard operating procedures, data-collection instruments, analysis plans, and quality-assurance materials.
• Surveillance strategies, landscape assessments, and gap analyses for priority countries and health areas.
• Analytical reports and data products synthesizing population-based survey, routine surveillance, and other relevant health data to inform program and policy decisions.
• Technical guidance, training materials, tools, and capacity-building products for GHSD staff, Posts, implementing partners, and partner-country stakeholders.
• Documentation and knowledge-management products supporting the accessibility, quality, and appropriate use of surveillance and survey data and findings.
• Briefings and recommendations for leadership on surveillance performance, emerging trends, data gaps, risks, and opportunities for program improvement.
• Regular progress reports and a final summary report documenting achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.
• Other deliverables as assigned.

Qualifications

Skills/Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess advanced technical expertise in epidemiology, disease surveillance, and population-based survey design and implementation, with demonstrated experience translating complex health data into actionable recommendations for technical and non-technical audiences.

• Advanced knowledge of epidemiological methods, disease surveillance, and population-based and behavioral health surveys, including experience with approaches such as DHS, MICS, MIS, SPA, or comparable large-scale surveys.
• Demonstrated ability to design or critically review survey protocols, sampling approaches, data-collection instruments, analysis plans, standard operating procedures, and quality-assurance processes.
• Experience with routine and sentinel surveillance systems, health-data quality improvement, data triangulation, and interpretation of multiple data sources to support programmatic decision-making.
• Demonstrated experience applying surveillance and survey approaches across one or more priority health areas, including maternal and child health, malaria, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases.
• Experience managing or providing technical oversight of U.S. Government, donor-funded, or other foreign assistance activities, including technical and financial performance.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate technical input across diverse subject‑matter experts and navigate complex interagency, donor, government, and partner perspectives.
• Experience collaborating with partner governments, international organizations, implementing partners, and donors to strengthen surveillance systems and promote sustainable, country-owned capacity.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical assistance, training, and capacity building to partner-country and local counterparts on surveillance and population-based survey methodologies, with an emphasis on building sustainable, country-owned capacity to design, implement, analyze, and use surveillance and survey activities and findings.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesize complex technical findings into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, stakeholder engagement, technical writing, and briefing skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex and evolving environments while managing multiple priorities and competing deadlines.

Education and Experience

Master's degree or higher in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Demography, or a related quantitative or health-sciences field.

6-8 years of progressively responsible experience in disease surveillance, epidemiology, population-based health surveys, health data analysis, or related public health programming, including experience supporting international or partner-country health systems.

Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, analyzing, or providing technical oversight of population-based surveys or surveillance activities in international settings preferred.

Work Schedule

Position is full-time, 40 hours per week (Monday-Friday) in Washington, DC.

Travel

Up to 25% international travel required. Occasional domestic travel may also be required.

Clearance Requirements

Active Secret clearance required. Must be a U.S. citizen.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers.
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and working on a computer.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market ranges commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual's particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation range for this position is $142,000 to $183,500 (annualized USD). The salary range displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies' total compensation package for employees.