Program and Data Quality Advisor

Job Location: Washington, DC     

Telework Eligible: Yes, at least 3 days per week in-person reporting at Washington, DC office.

Remote Eligible: No

Summary Statement 

Credence employs hard-working, passionate individuals who bring innovation, accountability, and a growth mindset to the many missions we support across the US Federal Government. Employee empowerment is part of the fabric of our corporate culture through which we emphasize opportunity, recognition, reward, and retention. At Credence, we follow the principles of servant leadership and believe that serving and supporting others is critical to both our individual and collective achievements. We have only one measure of success. Yours.

We are hiring for positions under the Global Health Training, Advisory, Support Contract (GHTASC) in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health (GH). These roles deliver institutional support services in a wide range of technical areas at the junior, mid, senior, and expert levels.

We are a diverse, enthusiastic family of subject matter experts, business professionals, and practitioners who all share a common goal of providing excellent services to our government customers. If you want to work in a dynamic and fast-growing environment with highly motivated colleagues, then Credence is the right place for you!

Credence is seeking a Program and Data Quality Advisor.  See below for more information on this exciting opportunity and apply to join Credence today!

Position Summary

The Program and Data Quality Advisor will primarily support the USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, Office of HIV/AIDS’s Evaluation Branch as a Credence Institutional Support Contractor (ISC).

The U.S. Government’s (USG) engagement to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS is a top priority worldwide. The USG response includes coordination among the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Peace Corps (PC), and other entities. This initiative is collectively known as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). USAID has been at the forefront of the USG’s response to provide quality HIV/AIDS services to over one hundred countries to mitigate the health crisis that threatens the prosperity, stability and development of these nations.

The Bureau for Global Health’s Office of HIV/AIDS (GH/OHA) is the center of HIV/AIDS technical leadership for USAID and has primary responsibility for the Agency’s HIV/AIDS program. OHA provides strategic direction, technical leadership, and support to field programs in HIV/AIDS. It provides input to decisions concerning the strategic allocation of financial and human resources in the sector and assists in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs.  The Strategic Information, Evaluation, and Informatics Division (SIEI) within OHA, to which the Program and Data Quality Advisor will be assigned, provides technical expertise to advance and support country-owned, sustainable strategic information systems and promotes data-driven program planning. The SIEI Division has primary responsibility of supporting USAID headquarters and its Missions to build capacity in managing and utilizing data systems and evidence to improve impact and accountability of HIV/AIDS programs. The Program and Data Quality Advisor will be based in the Evaluation Branch of SIEI.

The Program and Data Quality Advisor (the Advisor) will work with the Branch Chief and Health Science Specialist to oversee program and data quality assurance and improvement efforts across the Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA). The Advisor will provide technical and operational leadership in the data quality and performance improvement plan working with technical experts from the SIEI Division, OHA technical program teams and USAID Missions. The  Advisor will support and coordinate the development of Mission-specific corrective action plans and will work closely with the SIEI Division to develop the analytic plan for monitoring these quality improvement actions which may include but may not be limited to: PEPFAR program indicators, USAID custom program indicators, site monitoring visit summaries, DQA/RDQA reports, evaluations, and financial data. The Program and Data Quality Advisor  will closely work on day-to-day basis with the Evaluation Branch Chief.

Full salary range for this position is $97,500 to $152,620 per year, with the starting salary determined based on candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.

• Provide technical leadership and implementation support to OHA, USAID Missions, and the interagency in developing and implementing quality assurance and improvement approaches, plans and tools.
• Support the rollout and scale-up of the OHA data quality assurance and improvement strategy across USAID PEPFAR portfolio and in close collaboration with USAID, Missions and Implementing Partners (IPs).
• Provide technical leadership in the institutionalization of data and program quality practices across technical areas and across the USAID Missions to ensure accurate and efficient reporting.
• Guide the development of tailored data quality assurance approaches and tools to respond to PEPFAR, OHA and field emerging needs and priorities.
• Build Office/Division and Mission capacity to utilize approaches and tools for data and evidence driven quality and performance improvement focusing on enhancing efficiency, transparency, effectiveness, and sustainability.
• Guide enhancements to and implementation of existing routine site quality monitoring solutions such as Site Improvement through Monitoring Systems (SIMS) to identify areas for improvement, devise responses that ensure quality standards are met, and maximize PEPFAR programmatic impact on the HIV epidemic.
• Serve as a technical lead in the process of data integration and analysis across PEPFAR indicators, SIMS data, Expenditure data and other types of data by IMs, geography, and other relevant parameters with a focus on program and performance improvement.
• Provide technical guidance on evaluation, surveys/surveillance, data and program quality checks and review across program and technical areas.
• Assist countries to introduce and scale-up suitable models for improving quality and performance of USAID’s PEPFAR programs.
• Provide technical support to the USAID Missions teams to assess, improve and maintain data quality on a routine basis across international and indigenous partners.
• Participate in interagency and agency specific data quality assurance (DQA) exercises and the analyses of the results, in order to identify the root causes of poor routine data and make appropriate recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Assist in review of OU and partners quarterly performance review with SIEI and technical teams and propose additional, supplemental analyses that would expand and deepen USAID HQ understanding of factors affecting performance.
• Analyze, synthesize and apply evidence to ensure high quality data and services inform new programs.
• Frequently travel internationally to provide technical assistance to USAID Missions and partners and to monitor implementation of quality improvement activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned by senior leadership.

• Master’s degree and 6 years of relevant experience, Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of relevant experience, Associate’s degree and 10 years of relevant experience, or High School Diploma and 12 years of relevant experience.
• US citizen or US permanent resident with the ability to obtain and maintain Facility Access is required. For Permanent Residents, this means having resided in the US for at least 3 of the past 5 years.
• Progressive work experience in data systems and data quality management
• Extensive experience in quality assurance and quality improvement methods and approaches; particular interest in individuals with QA/QI approaches application in healthcare and development sectors.
• Understanding of health information systems, data flow designs, and digital health principles.
• Strong quantitative background and experience in data collection, management, cleaning, processing, and integration.
• Advanced proficiency in data analysis and data use methodologies, approaches and tools: advanced Excel proficiency and proficiency in statistical software (e.g., R, SAS, STATA), and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau) desired.
• Practical experience interpreting broad analytic requests, summarizing appropriate data, and producing compelling data visualization products.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications such as word processing and spreadsheet software
• Superb organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Possess strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strategic thinker with a strong track record of taking a proactive approach to problem identification and solution.
• Should be able to multitask in a variety of projects at a time.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with people of varied professional, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Ability to travel internationally and/or domestically approximately 20-30%, as needed.

Competencies/Performance Criterion

• Innovation: Takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work
• Client Service: Communicates with clients, handling any issues politely and efficiently; understands and is available to clients; maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met.  Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to organization policies and procedures.
• Interpersonal Skills: Works in cooperation with others and communicates effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients, and other outside contacts.
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goals; proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the organization.

Prior to submitting your application your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position. Please ensure that all relevant experience and education is documented on your resume. There is no limitation to resume length; updates to resumes will not be accepted during the interview and selection process.