Lead Poisoning Surveillance Coordinator, Tanzania
Job Description
About Vital Strategies:
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.
About 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 Lead Poisoning Surveillance Coordinator with direction from Vital Strategies’ Program Manager, will closely work with the Ministry of Health to design, support, and monitor nationally representative blood lead surveillance and related activities. This position will also provide programmatic and operational support, maintain partnerships with key stakeholders, and plan and organize workshops. This position is expected to eventually be seconded (embedded) within the Ministry of Health (MoH) or a relevant health agency in Dodoma, where the incumbent will receive co-supervision from designated government counterparts.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Stakeholder Engagement:
Serve as a liaison between the Government of Tanzania/ MoH and Vital Strategies, facilitating communication and collaboration.
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 the project.
Technical Support:
Provide technical support to the health team and other key stakeholders to develop a countrywide blood lead surveillance framework.
Seek and incorporate technical input from key stakeholders on the surveillance framework and support the standardization of surveillance procedures.
Assist in developing national-level strategies and action plans for reducing lead poisoning.
Coordinate and conduct training sessions for health staff, laboratory staff, and field teams on blood lead surveillance procedures.
Program Management and Implementation:
Monitor and oversee field surveillance teams, track data collection progress, and identify challenges for efficient implementation.
Conduct field visits for on-ground supervision and to ensure data quality.
Conduct data analysis and prepare presentations, technical and non-technical reports for routine review and decision-making.
Coordinate meetings and events (e.g., workshops, webinars);
Support dissemination of surveillance findings to key stakeholders.
Administrative and Operational:
Manage program-related operations by assisting with project start-up, logistics, contracting, expense and activity monitoring and reporting, and procurement activities with support from the administrative assistant.
Assist with other duties assigned by the supervisor.
About You
Qualifications:
Education:
Master’s degree in public health, environmental health science, epidemiology, and health policy.
Experience:
Six to seven years of relevant experience in technical support, stakeholder engagement, and/or program management.
At least two years of experience in data management and analysis, preferably within public health or environmental health contexts.
Demonstrated experience working with government health departments or public sector institutions.
Experience in conducting training sessions for health and laboratory staff.
Experience in organizing meetings, workshops, and discussions.
Preferred
Experience in conducting and managing surveillance programs at the National level or experience in managing health-related surveys;
Experience in large health data or data visualization tools is a plus;
Experience working with statistical software such as R, SAS, SPSS, Stata;
Experience in using project management platforms such as Monday or Airtable is a plus.
Skills & Abilities
Demonstrated familiarity with public health systems, health programs, and disease surveillance programs;
Strong interpersonal and team-building skills to foster trust, facilitate collaboration among stakeholders and communicate effectively with interdisciplinary teams;
Flexibility to collaborate with colleagues across time zones.
Proven ability to plan, execute, and monitor public health programs at the national level;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills to engage diverse audiences. Professional oral and written proficiency in the native language and English;
Ability to interpret public health data, generate insights, and effectively communicate findings with stakeholders;
Strong skills in managing multiple tasks and program logistics. Ability to anticipate challenges and develop solutions. Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work independently while coordinating with multiple teams;
Ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt in a fast-moving program start-up environment, exercising sound judgment and flexibility as priorities evolve.
Proactive, self-directed approach to work, with a strong sense of ownership and the ability to independently drive tasks forward with minimal day-to-day guidance.
Passion for addressing environmental health challenges and improving community well-being;
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook);
Demonstrated commitment to contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
This is a full-time position that is expected to eventually be seconded (embedded) within the Ministry of Health (MoH) or a relevant health agency in Dodoma, Tanzania; the timing of this embedding is currently to be determined.
The selected candidate must be based in Dodoma to attend in-person meetings as required.
Relocation support is not offered for this position; candidates are expected to be based in or able to independently relocate to the role’s required location.
This vacancy is open to Tanzanian nationals and candidates holding a valid work or residence permit for Tanzania.
The role will involve close, on-site collaboration with the MoH and government stakeholders, with some flexibility for remote work as appropriate.
The successful candidate will be employed through Vital’s Employer of Record (EOR).
The salary range for this position is TZS 94,000,000 to TZS 114,000,000.
The role requires a willingness to travel within Tanzania for in-person meetings and field visits, as well as occasional international travel.
