Global public health organization working to solve international health crisis from five international offices, with a global network of leading experts in 73+ countries.

Vital Strategies

Job Brief 
 
Environment & Health Data Scientist, Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (Ethiopia) 
 
Vital Strategies is an international public health organization. Our programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury and death. We currently work in 73 countries, supporting data-driven decision making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies, and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives. They include non-communicable disease prevention, tobacco control, road safety, obesity prevention, overdose prevention, environmental health, and vital statistics systems building. Our programs are primarily concentrated in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Please visit our website at www.vitalstrategies.org to find out more about our work. 
 
Vital Strategies is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) organization. We believe our programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences, whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. 
 
Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: 
 
Vital Strategies is expanding our program that addresses the issue of lead poisoning in low- and middle-income countries. We plan to build upon existing efforts and interest by collaborating with governmental agencies in countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to strengthen health systems and build local expertise in childhood lead exposure to enact sound, cost-effective policies to address exposures. 
 
Job Purpose: 
 
The Environment and Health Data Scientist, Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, will serve as the data science specialist supporting the development of integrated data systems to inform public health planning and policy in countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. This position will develop tools and guidance and support country teams to develop data platforms that integrate information on health, the environment, and populations to understand lead exposure risk. This position will be responsible for developing toolkits and facilitating local adaptation of these tools to identify the proper host for the data platform, inventory relevant data sources, manage and align datasets, analyze, visualize, and automate datasets, provide support for the selection and oversight of local data systems contractors and consultants, and support data integration efforts across systems. Beyond technical work, the role will work closely with global teams and governments to facilitate data sharing and integration. 
 
Duties and Responsibilities: 
 
_Data Integration and Analysis - 
 
_

* Develop tools to identify and inventory global and local health data systems as well as data sources across multiple sectors and ministries;
* Review and summarize models and options of existing effective integrated environment or health data systems for countries to consider;
* Work closely with epidemiologists and country teams to develop global and country-specific indicators and indices related to lead exposure risks;
* Provide technical support and guidance for the country team to access, align, and integrate health, environmental, social, economic, and demographic data from Ministries of Health, Ministries of the Environment, and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies;
* Develop a model metadata tool for national data systems;
* Support the design and maintenance of analytical datasets, reports, health panels, dashboards, and visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Excel, R Markdown, or Tableau) for internal and external use;
* Define database structures, relationships, and workflows to ensure efficient integration, storage, and retrieval of blood lead level (BLL) and related epidemiological, demographic, and environmental data;
* Provide guidance to country teams to evaluate data quality, completeness, and consistency; perform data cleaning and validation;
* Collaborate with Ministries of Health, Ministries of the Environment, and other governmental and non-governmental agencies to align architecture standards with existing health information systems and environmental systems (e.g., SINAN, SIASUS, SISOLO, SISAGUA). 
 
 

_Stakeholder Engagement - 
 
_

* Work in collaboration with other international NGOs that are part of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative that work with institutions that may hold relevant data;
* Work with appropriate authorities and stakeholders across sectors to build and maintain awareness of broader lead-related initiatives;
* Coordinate with all key stakeholders to ensure regular and timely communication and progress of program activities;
* Participate in technical discussions and working groups to contribute and inform program progress;
* Communicate results effectively to technical and non-technical audiences, including health officials, laboratory teams, health workers, and policymakers. 
 
 

_Technical Support - 
 
_

* Provide analytical and methodological guidance to country teams related to data system development and maintenance;
* Assist in the formulation of national strategies and action plans on data integration;
* Support training sessions and workshops related to data integration and surveillance;
* Contribute to capacity strengthening efforts to enhance local analytical competencies. 
 
 

_Program Implementation and Coordination - 
 
_

* Collaborate with global teams to monitor and report the progress of the implementation of data integration;
* Support the planning and coordination of data collection, data flow, and information management processes;
* Contribute to the dissemination of findings through technical presentations, meetings, and publications;
* Ensure timely delivery of analytical outputs aligned with project milestones and government reporting needs;
* Assist with other duties assigned by the supervisor. 
 
 

Qualifications: 
 
_Education - 
 
_

* Master’s degree in computer science, data science, information technology, statistics, public health, or related field. 
 
 

Skills And Abilities - 
 


* Proficiency in defining database structures, relational schemas, and workflows for complex multi-sectoral datasets (health, environmental, demographic).
* Ability to align data architecture standards across disparate governmental information systems (e.g., SINAN, SIASUS).
* Strong quantitative and analytical skills with attention to detail and accuracy;
* Excellent communication and visualization skills to present complex data clearly;
* Ability to collaborate with epidemiologists to translate health risks (e.g., lead exposure) into measurable global and country-specific indices.
* Ability to navigate relationships with diverse stakeholders, including Ministries of Health, Ministries of the Environment, NGOs, and laboratory teams.
* Ability to communicate analytical results to technical experts and non-technical policymakers.
* Ability to provide analytical guidance to field teams regarding data system maintenance and strategy.
* Experience in facilitating training sessions and workshops to enhance local technical competencies.
* Skill in contributing to the formulation of national-level action plans and implementation strategies for data integration.
* High level of initiative, organization, and problem-solving ability;
* Professional proficiency in English (oral and written).
* Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary and multi-cultural teams and experience working in government environments is a plus; 
 
 

Experience: 
 
_Required - 
 
_

* Minimum 6 to 7 years of professional experience in computer science, data science, information technology, data analysis and/or health surveillance applied to public health or environmental health;
* Experience in managing and analyzing large data sets or health surveillance datasets;
* Experience working with government health or environmental departments;
* Experience in using software to warehouse data and create data visualization and dashboards (e.g., Microsoft Azure or Fabric, SQL-Server, Power BI, Tableau, Shiny);
* Experience working with statistical software such as R, SAS, SPSS, Stata. 
 
 

Preferred - 
 


* Experience working with global, regional, and large-scale national;
* Health information systems (e.g., DHIS2) and with cross-sectoral datasets;
* Experience in systematic toolkit development and capacity building;
* Familiarity with geospatial data and spatial analysis tools (QGIS, ArcGIS);
* Advanced proficiency in R, Python, and/or SQL;
* Experience in applying AI tools to quantitative data;
* Experience working in partnership with governmental institutions and international organizations 
 
 

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements: 
 


* This role will be based in Ethiopia, on a full-time hybrid schedule, out of Vital Strategies' office in Addis Ababa. We are also open to qualified candidates from the US and India;
* If hired in the US or India, the candidate will be hired via Vital Strategies’ office in those countries;
* Vital Strategies offers highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this position in Addis Ababa is USD $25,700 to USD $33,000, depending on experience and qualifications;
* The position will require availability to travel internationally to attend meetings with partners or participate in field activities;
* The candidate needs to be willing to work with colleagues across different time zones.

Data

Data Science

Support

Data Integration

Database

Communications

Tableau

Statistics

Analysis

Software Development

Automation

Technical Support

Data analytics

Content management

Python

Azure

Data Visualization

Team collaboration

Data architecture

Data Cleaning

Computer Science

Information technology

SQL Server 2012

Power BI

Shiny

SPSS

Stata

QGIS

ArcGIS

Environment & Health Data Scientist, Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (Ethiopia Posting)