---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Nancy Puttkammer <nputt@u.washington.edu> 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 human resources information systems and training information systems, which support optimal decision-making and efficient use of resources by public health authorities. The position leads the implementation of I-TECH’s TrainSMART training database, with emphasis on choices which support quality and use of TrainSMART data. 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 decision-making 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 health-sector 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. Nancy Puttkammer, MPH Global Health Programs Team Leader, Informatics International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) Department of Global Health, University of Washington 901 Boren Ave., Suite 1100 Seattle, WA 98104 USA Tel: +1 (206) 616-5139 FAX: +1 (206) 221-4945 Skype ID: nancy.puttkammer Website: http://www.go2itech.org I-TECH envisions a world in which all people have access to high quality, compassionate, and equitable health care.