System Design and Development Advisor (2 vacancies)

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a global health nonprofit that makes foundational changes to health systems to protect people from diseases and improve their health. MSH collaborates with local partners, from the Ministry to the community, to strengthen and complement existing health systems. Since 1971, MSH has worked in more than 150 countries to help ensure sustainable, resilient, and equitable access to quality health care around the globe. 

This position is subject to project award and funding. Duty station is flexible to other locations in Africa. 

Overall Responsibilities 

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Lead System Design and Development Advisor to spearhead the design, development, and implementation of an interoperable, open-source Climate-Informed Early Warning System (CI-EWS) platform mainly based on existing systems. The successful candidate will drive collaboration across sectors, ensuring that technical solutions meet the needs of health and climate resilience in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with a special focus on scalable, sustainable, and standards-based approaches. 

Specific Responsibilities 

• Lead the technical design and development of CI-EWS solutions based on outputs from scoping, mapping, and baseline gap analysis. 

• Develop and maintain the System Requirements Specification (SRS) to align with stakeholder expectations and sectoral needs. 

• Architect modular, interoperable systems that integrate health, climate, and meteorological data from diverse sources. 

• Oversee the implementation of open-source software solutions and manage public GitHub repositories, ensuring transparency and accessibility. 

• Guide cross-sectoral collaboration to leverage existing systems and data warehousing principles, and apply international interoperability standards (e.g., HL7 FHIR, ICD-11, WHO SMART Guidelines, DHIS2 APIs). 

• Develop technical documentation, user manuals, and standard operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring solutions are replicable and well-supported. 

• Support the operationalization of systems through the establishment of data sharing agreements, data governance policies, and privacy protocols aligned with WHO standards. 

• Collaborate with country teams to adapt and deploy solutions in fragile, conflict-affected, and digitally advancing contexts, ensuring offline functionality, localization, and accessibility features. 

• Integrate advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning capabilities for real-time forecasting and alerting. 

• Oversee DevSecOps processes including agile sprints, CI/CD pipelines, secure code review, and solution penetration testing. 

• Lead capacity-building initiatives for local teams, developing training modules and fostering knowledge exchange through communities of practice. 

• Monitor system sustainability indicators such as MoUs, user retention, and institutional adoption. 

• Ensure system resilience through robust architecture, redundancy, backup systems, and offline data synchronization. 

• Promote equity and inclusion by embedding gender and community representation in system design and usability. 

QUALIFICATIONS

Key Qualifications & Experience 

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a relevant field. 

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in system design, software development, and technical leadership roles, preferably in global health, climate, or development sectors. 

• Proven experience in open-source technologies and development (e.g., DHIS2, OpenMRS, PostgreSQL, Python, TensorFlow, Superset). 

• Hands-on expertise in developing and documenting SRS, technical manuals, and SOPs for complex, distributed systems. 

• Track record of leading DevSecOps processes, agile sprints, and user-centered design workshops. 

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across sectors, engage with governance bodies, and establish data-sharing policies. 

• Experience in integrating health, climate, and meteorological data sources, including API development and data warehousing. 

• Knowledge of international interoperability standards (HL7 FHIR, ICD-11, WHO SMART, DPG) and Principles for Digital Development. 

• Experience deploying systems in LMICs, including fragile/conflict-affected settings with offline-first, mobile, and low-power solutions. 

• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and localization; ability to support translation, accessibility, and community engagement. 

• Strong communication skills and ability to produce clear technical and user-focused documentation. 

Desirable Skills 

• Familiarity with climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction in health systems. 

• Experience with Raspberry Pi, KoboToolbox, mobile data collection, and visualization tools. 

• Knowledge of AI/ML for predictive analytics in public health or climate contexts. 

• Fluency in English; proficiency in French or other languages spoken in the target countries is advantageous. 

• Strong project management skills; experience developing and tracking sustainability indicators. 

MSH is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, age, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job requirements. MSH will take affirmative action to ensure that qualified applicants are employed and that employees are treated without regard to their race, age, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran and disability status. In compliance with U.S. Department of Labor Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, MSH has developed and maintains an affirmative action program and plan.

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