HEALTH-SECTOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALIST
Position Description:
The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) is a
collaboration between the University of Washington and the University of California,
San Francisco. It is a center in the University of Washington's Department of Global
Health and has offices throughout Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. I-TECH's 700
worldwide staff work in partnership with local ministries of health, universities,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), medical facilities, and other organizations
to support the development of a skilled health work force and well-organized
national health delivery systems. I-TECH's activities occur primarily in the technical
areas of health system strengthening; health workforce development; operations
research and evaluation; and prevention, care, and treatment of infectious diseases.
Reinforcing national health information systems is a key activity within I-TECH’s
technical area of health systems strengthening. The purpose of this position is to
guide the implementation of national health information systems which support
optimal decision-making and efficient use of resources by health service providers
and public health authorities. The position leads the design and deployment of
these systems, with emphasis on design and deployment choices which support high
quality and use of the data and information collected and displayed through the
systems.
Implementation Leadership
• Lead implementation of TrainSMART, an innovative web-based application used
globally, and other data collection systems used by I-TECH and its partners. Guide
specific implementation strategies given context-specific needs and organizational
factors.
• Assure appropriate involvement of I-TECH staff and external stakeholders
(Ministries of Health, teaching institutions) in strategic decision-making about
TrainSMART and other information systems. Lead communications with these
partners.
• Guide expansion of TrainSMART functionality to support workforce planning
and other areas of human resources information systems (HRIS).
• Design information management systems for health services delivery, human
resources for health, and other areas of the health sector. Work with stakeholders
and domain experts to identify key data elements and standardize data collection
tools and practices.
• Collaborate with database technical specialists to identify appropriate ways to
model data relationships within the database, to serve program needs.
• Gather requirements through in-person assessment and observation, as well as
through remote communication with stakeholders by email, phone and Skype.
Assure appropriate functional specifications for software, based on service delivery,
program management, and reporting needs.
• Manage communication with stakeholders and users to identify priorities and
synthesize feedback.
• Assist in planning and prioritizing feature enhancements, updates, and bug fixes
for database and web-based projects, translating programmatic needs and issues
into technical specifications.
• Assist in software testing to assure it conforms to specifications and program
needs. Guide existing and potential users to participate in the testing process, as
appropriate.
• Oversee the work of consultant(s) deployed to support implementation
processes in I-TECH country programs.
Communications and Training
• Liaise with global open source software community to promote use of I-TECH’s
open source software products by external clients. Promote I-TECH technical
services associated with external client software use.
• Develop newletters and updates to share information about successes and
challenges in implementation of TrainSMART and other information systems.
• Foster development of software user communities through online
communication tools.
• Develop training curricula on use of information systems and data for decisionmaking in the health sector. Collaborate with I-TECH curriculum specialists to
integrate relevent content on use of TrainSMART and other information systems,
into existing curricula for health worker training.
• Design and conduct training of staff members and external stakeholders on
TrainSMART and other data systems, and in related issues (data collection, data
quality, and data use as a whole).
• Assist in development of user guides, demonstration videos, and other user
training materials.
• Conduct demonstrations of TrainSMART and other information systems for
internal and external clients, to orient users on new features.
Evaluation of Health-Sector Information
• Design piloting strategies for software implementation projects. Involve
stakeholders in beta testing of software, and create procedures for feedback.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify evaluative research questions about
use of infomration systems, including questions related to process of system
implementation, data quality, and data use. Design and carry out systematic
evaluation, using appropriate qualitative and quantitative research methods, to
answer these evaluative questions.
• Analyze and disseminate evaluation findings, including recommendations for
system and program improvement.
• Develop scholarly publications, including conference abstracts, evaluation
reports, and journal publications for dissemination on I-TECH’s work with healthsector information systems.
Requirements:
Master’s Degree in public health, public administration, information sciences,
computer sciences, or related discipline with a minimum of 2 years related
experience.
• Fluency in English (reading, writing, speaking)
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with colleagues from a variety of cultural
backgrounds, in a respectful and diplomatic manner
• Demonstrated skills to develop and carry out work plans and to solve problems
independently
• Strong initiative and organizational skills
• Knowledge of the design and use of health management information systems in
limited-resource environments
• Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation data and processes in the health
sector
• Ability to travel and work (up to 20%) in limited-resource environments
Desired:
• Experience in developing written communication about information system
design and IT tools and strategies for audiences with limited background on these
topics
• Experience in identifying and documenting software requirements
• Knowledge of software development and testing processes
• Experience in designing and delivering user training on information systems
• Successful public presentation skills
• Supervisory experience
Application Procedure:
For complete details and to apply, please visit the University of Washington Human
Resources website –
https://uwhires.admin.washington.edu/eng/candidates/default.cfm?szLocationID=88
Search for requisition #81315. This position closes on February 29, 2012.