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ASCENSION is seeking a Public Health Monitoring and Data Systems Specialist who combines public health program monitoring expertise with strong data-management, analytics, visualization, and user-support capabilities.

This is not a traditional IT data analyst position. The successful candidate must understand how public health programs are implemented and measured and be able to translate that understanding into practical monitoring systems, databases, reporting tools, visualizations, and technical assistance for public health stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will bring direct experience supporting public health monitoring and evaluation, global health security, program implementation, or implementation research, along with the technical confidence to maintain data-collection platforms and related databases, analyze implementation data, develop reporting and visualization tools, and train diverse user communities.

The role is particularly important because the information captured through these systems will help CDC and its implementing partners understand whether public health workforce-development and outbreak prevention, detection, and response programs are progressing as intended. The Government specifically identifies monitoring Field Epidemiology Training Program activities and maintaining platforms such as the Field Epidemiology Training Program Resident-Driven Project Tracking Tool, or ReDPeTT, as part of the work.

Position Summary

The Public Health Monitoring and Data Systems Specialist will support CDC’s Office of Monitoring and Evaluation in monitoring DGHP-supported public health outbreak prevention, detection, response, workforce-development, and systems-strengthening programs.

The Specialist will help finalize, maintain, and improve program monitoring platforms and associated databases used to collect implementation information. The individual will support quarterly data collection, evaluate data quality and completeness, develop analysis and visualization products, and translate monitoring information into meaningful insights for program and technical leadership.

A significant aspect of the role involves supporting the users of these monitoring systems. The Specialist will develop and deliver training, respond to user questions, help resolve data or workflow issues, and provide technical assistance to CDC country offices and implementing partners. International travel is anticipated for this purpose.

The Specialist should be comfortable working within secure federal technology environments. The SOW states that contractor personnel may use CDC systems through mechanisms such as VPN, CITGO, and Microsoft 365, and that the Government will provide CDC-specific systems and protocol training when required.

This position requires someone capable of moving fluidly between public health program monitoring, data stewardship, system administration/support, analysis, visualization, training, and stakeholder technical assistance.

Anticipated Day-to-Day Activities

The Public Health Monitoring and Data Systems Specialist will:

• Maintain public health program monitoring platforms and related databases, including systems used to track Field Epidemiology Training Program implementation.
• Configure and refine data-collection structures, fields, forms, workflows, and business rules as program-monitoring requirements evolve.
• Collect quarterly program implementation data from designated stakeholders, country programs, and implementing partners.
• Validate incoming program data for completeness, consistency, accuracy, timeliness, and usability before analysis or reporting.
• Analyze monitoring data to identify implementation progress, trends, gaps, anomalies, risks, and emerging program-management issues.
• Develop data-analysis tools, reports, dashboards, visualizations, charts, tables, and other decision-support products that communicate program implementation status.
• Translate public health program requirements and monitoring questions into practical data structures, measures, indicators, and reporting approaches.
• Monitor the operation and usability of program data platforms and identify opportunities to improve data collection, workflow efficiency, data quality, and user experience.
• Coordinate with CDC program personnel, technical leads, country offices, implementing partners, and other stakeholders regarding data requests and monitoring activities.
• Train diverse domestic and international users on the effective use of program monitoring platforms, databases, reporting tools, and associated procedures.
• Develop user instructions, quick-reference materials, presentations, technical guidance, and other training resources needed to support platform adoption.
• Provide responsive technical assistance to users encountering system, workflow, data-entry, reporting, or interpretation challenges.
• Document monitoring processes, data definitions, platform procedures, data-quality practices, and recommended system improvements.
• Support international technical-assistance visits to CDC-supported Global Health Security countries and implementing-partner hubs.
• Collaborate with CDC country offices and implementing partners during site visits to identify monitoring challenges and recommend practical solutions.
• Prepare summaries, analyses, presentation materials, and supporting information for CDC program and technical leadership.
• Contribute technical accomplishments, emerging issues, corrective actions, and planned activities needed for required monthly and annual contract reporting.
• Support preparation of contract reporting products consistent with Government expectations for completeness, timeliness, quality, and accuracy. The SOW establishes these as explicit performance standards.
• Protect sensitive program information and follow applicable CDC information-security, data-management, records-management, and access-control requirements.
• Apply Section 508 accessibility considerations when developing applicable electronic reports, tools, visualizations, training materials, or other ICT-related products.
• Comply with applicable Paperwork Reduction Act considerations when supporting information-collection activities involving covered populations or organizations. The SOW specifically identifies PRA compliance as an additional contract requirement.