Established in 1967, the Mérieux Foundation is an independent family foundation, chaired by Alain Mérieux, and has public interest status. Its mission is to strengthen local capacities to fight the infectious diseases that affect vulnerable populations in developing countries, particularly mothers and children.
Present in 20 countries in West Africa, in Latin America, in Asia and in the Middle East, the Mérieux Foundation focuses on 4 objectives:
§ Increasing vulnerable populations’ access to diagnostics by strengthening clinical laboratories in national healthcare systems
§ Enhancing local applied research capabilities by training researchers, developing collaborative programs and creating Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories, transferred to local partners
§ Encouraging knowledge-sharing and public health initiatives leveraging Les Pensières Center for Global Health
§ Improving conditions for mothers and children taking a global health approach.
The FM aims at implementing holistic approaches integrating its diagnostic and research capacity building and knowledge-sharing activities to tackle key public health challenges on several prioritized areas. To strengthen the PH impact of these activities, the medical and public health advisor will design and implement epidemiological strategies assessing and maximizing the health benefits to low income countries and their most vulnerable communities, of observational or interventional studies supported or implemented by the FM The Medical and Public Health Advisor will assist the scientific and medical director of the Fondation Merieux (FM) in designing the FM public health (PH) strategy and coordinate its execution, in interaction with the directors of the other departments (International Operations, Mother & Child and Knowledge Sharing), program leaders and regional supervisors of the FM.
The Medical and Public Health Advisor shall balance a proactive leadership and a serving approach for the FM and its objectives. In that approach, he/she will work in close interaction with the department directors, program leaders and regional supervisors of the FM :
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To help implement or improve realistic and sustainable surveillance systems in concerned countries,
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To measure the PH impact of FM actions and proposed interventions, in order to maximize the health benefit for the targeted countries or communities,
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To propose recommendations aligned with local PH strategies that will guide future actions of the FM.
The Medical and Public Health Advisor will be responsible for:
1) Mission 1: Strategy – Will contribute to the design of the PH strategy of the FM and will enable its implementation in close interaction with the scientific and medical director, scientific program leaders within this department and other departments of the FM
§ Task 1.1 Design and drive strategic actions that will strengthen the health impact of existing programs, write global or specific strategic documents accordingly
§ Task 1.2 Develop and drive a specific strategy on outbreak preparedness that would streamline and leverage past and present activities of the FM, and help improve surveillance approaches that could be rolled out in LMICs
§ Task 1.3 Define and promote areas of collaboration on PH and epidemiological issues with existing and potential partners and funders of the FM
2) Mission 2: Medical and PH operations – Assisting the design and impact assessment of epidemiological studies supported by the FM within existing and future programs. Monitoring progress on science and policies regarding outbreak preparedness and response in LMICs, and on health impact assessment modalities of observational & interventional research on FM prioritized areas.
§ Task 2.1 Propose a coordination strategy to mobilize the relevant persons within the FM, monitor incipient or ongoing projects in due time, and ensure proper uptake of recommendations
§ Task 2.2 Organize meetings (agenda, supporting documents, participants), write their reports and disseminate their outputs, as well as supervise the decisions and actions implementation
§ Task 2.3 Participate to ad hoc conferences and workshops and disseminate information about and from these meetings to the relevant persons within the FM
§ Task 2.4 Contribute to project writing, and results dissemination
3) Mission 3: Advocacy and networking – Designing and implementing the FM public health advocacy and partnership strategy and action plan
§ Task 3.1 Design, develop and drive specific advocacy and partnership strategies (for FM PH priorities and recommendations) in close interaction with FM department directors
§ Task 3.2 Advocate for PH programs or recommendations aligned with FM priorities in international fora and events
§ Task 3.3 Mobilize diverse stakeholders (MoH, PH agencies, NGOs…) to propose recommendations aligned with national (& international) PH strategies
§ Task 3.4 Strengthen FM networking with relevant partners and funders on PH topics aligned with FM priorities in order to identify new opportunities
Profile:
o Initial background: Medical Doctor
o Specialization: Epidemiologist, Infectious diseases, Public Health
o Experience in the position –Epidemiologist in public health with previous medical experience on infectious diseases and strong experience on
- data collection and analysis and biostatistics (sample size calculation, writing of questionnaires, data quality control…),
- field research and grant writing
- supervision of large international programs/consortia
- communication, advocacy and international networks
o Required job skills (RJS)
o RJS1: Professional experience of at least 10 years, notably in infectious disease medicine and implementation of field epidemiological studies and coordination of international networks and partnerships
o RJS2: Excellent analytical, synthesis, writing and speaking skills
o RJS3: Demonstrated relationship skills (teamwork both internally and externally, and relations with partners) and good ability to adapt to different audiences
o RJS4: Experience in steering complex projects; strategic and operational management
o RJS5: Good knowledge of funding for R&D or global health
o RJS6: Computer knowledge: Pack office, databases
o Required comportmental skills (RCS)
o RCS1: Rigor and sense of organization
o RCS2: Leadership, dynamism and pro-activity
o RCS3: Diplomacy, interpersonal skills and high degree of tact and discretion
o RCS4: Ability to work in a multicultural network with a multiplicity of interlocutors
o Languages: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both French and English (including ability to write up technical documents)
How to apply
Thanks to send your CV and motivation letter to the following email adress : [email protected]
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