Public Health Intelligence Officer – Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization (Lusaka, Zambia)

Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is a global health organization that partners locally and globally to create and scale solutions to the world’s deadliest health threats. Millions of people die from preventable health threats. We collaborate to close the gap between proven, life-saving solutions and the people who need them. Since 2017, we’ve worked with governments and other partners in more than 60 countries to save millions of lives. We work toward a future where people live longer, healthier lives, communities flourish, and economies thrive. This is an ambitious vision, and it inspires us and our partners to make progress every day.

Public Health Intelligence Officer – Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization

Resolve to Save Lives in Collaboration with the Zambia National Public Health Institute

Job Title: Public Health Intelligence Officer – Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization

Reports to: Director- Strategic Planning and Information Management

Location: Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI)

Fixed-term Employment: Through August 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension

The Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) has the mandate to lead health security for the Republic of Zambia. Resolve to Save Lives, a US-based global public health organization, works closely with Ministries of Health and national public health institutes in Africa to strengthen epidemic preparedness capacity, accelerate disease detection and response, and use data effectively to inform action. ZNPHI is collaborating with Resolve to Save Lives on a new surveillance program to enhance disease and contextual/risk data through strengthened surveillance and innovations in epidemic intelligence, effective use of existing and emergent data throughout the event lifecycle, and development of data tools and products that support key decision-makers from communities, the health sector, and government bodies.

ZNPHI seeks to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced person to be appointed as Public Health Intelligence Officer (PHIO) - Bioinformatics & Big Data Visualization under this collaborative project.

Position Purpose:

The Public Health Intelligence Officer (PHIO) will sit under Strategic Planning & Information Management (SPIM) directorate, and serve as a liaison between SPIM, Surveillance Disease Intelligence (SDI), Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) directorate and the Laboratory Systems Network. The role will ensure that ZNPHI’s public health emergency management activities are supported by data-driven insights. The PHIO will work closely with the Chief Informatics Officer (CIO) for the development and maintenance of core data pipelines and provide direct support to ZNPHI staff to facilitate the integration and analysis of public health data for actionable intelligence.

Core Duties and Responsibilities:

• Routine and ad-hoc public health data analysis, reporting, and visualization
  • Analyze complex and large public health datasets to identify trends, patterns, and insights that support decision-making and strategic planning for ZNPHI’s public health emergency management.
  • Code with statistical software to streamline and automate routine analyses.
  • Develop comprehensive analysis and visualizations (charts, dashboards, etc.) to communicate findings to stakeholders in a clear and actionable manner.
  • Support epidemiologists, data translation specialists, and other analysts across directorates in preparing and disseminating regular reports on public health indicators and data-driven insights.
  • Apply advanced statistical models and forecasting techniques to predict future trends and outcomes of diseases/syndromes, providing input for strategic planning, resource mobilization, deployment of preventive actions and public health emergency response activities.

• Public health data management and quality assurance
  • Clean, and manage large datasets from various sources, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and consistency.
  • Conduct regular data audits to ensure data quality, resolving discrepancies, and recommending improvements to data collection processes.
  • Work with the Chief Informatics Officer to develop and implement protocols for the collection, cleaning, storage, and analysis of health-related data, as well as the development and maintenance of data pipelines and data models
  • Ensure and coordinate access to the key data variables each directorate needs to generate critical public health insight.

• Other responsibilities
  • Support teams to improve analytical outputs meant for external dissemination such as conference presentations, policy briefs, press releases and peer-reviewed scientific journal publications
  • Develop training programs to enhance the data management, analysis and interpretation skills of Zambia National Public Health Institute staff
  • Other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor

Qualifications & Experience

• Full Grade 12 School Certificate with minimum five O level credits, including English and Mathematics

• Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) or PhD with specialization in Biostatistics or Quantitative Epidemiology, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related field.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in data analysis to support decision-making, preferably in a development or public sector, or within national and/or subnational public health context. 

Required Technical Skills

• Proficiency in data visualization, geospatial mapping, and descriptive analysis using statistical software such as Stata, R or Python, or Apache Superset.

• Advanced proficiency in R Shiny and Markdown for creating interactive applications and automated reports.

• Advanced knowledge of statistical modeling, with familiarity with specific models suitable for a given pathogen/disease. Demonstrated ability to understand academic manuscripts that details these methods is highly desirable.

• Advanced programming skill to organize the scripts to execute complex modeling/visualization tools into replicable and comprehensible structure.

Desired abilities

• A good understanding of public health, data compilation, management, and analysis. 

• Understanding of public health informatics and the importance of data in supporting health surveillance and emergency response management. 

• Ability to triangulate data for the development of clear use cases

• Demonstrated high level of accuracy and attention to detail, with a commitment to data integrity.

• Proactive collaborator who can bring together stakeholders with competing priorities to drive data integration and visualization objectives forward.

• Strong aptitude for knowledge transfer and capacity building, with ability to train staff on technical applications such as R Shiny, Markdown, and Apache Superset

• Demonstrate agility in responding to evolving public health emergency situations, adjusting priorities and approaches as necessary to meet changing demands.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to non-technical audiences in an accessible way.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think critically and propose innovative solutions.

• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team, with a collaborative mindset.

Application Instructions:

All interested persons meeting the above qualifications and experience should submit their applications online with verified copies of academic qualifications, a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae and three references including their contact numbers. This position is only open to those residing in and legally eligible to work and reside in Zambia.

The recruitment for this position is a collaborative effort between ZNPHI and Resolve to Save Lives. The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday, 4th December, 2025. Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Interested candidates should address their cover letters to:

Director General

Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI)

RTSL believes its 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 encourage applications from and provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, organ donor status, or status as a veteran. Resolve to Save Lives complies with all applicable US EEO laws.