What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technical Specialist, Lead Poisoning Surveillance Program position at VITASTRA?
Job Brief
Technical Specialist, Lead Poisoning Surveillance Program - Brazil
Technical Specialist, Lead Poisoning Surveillance Program
Vital Strategies is committed to promoting equal opportunity and to fostering the inclusion of groups that have been historically underrepresented in the workforce. We strongly encourage applications from Black and Indigenous candidates for this position.
This is a full-time, CLT-based role located in our Brasília office, with a hybrid work arrangement. Vital Strategies offers a highly competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, meal allowance, home office support, Wellhub (formerly Gympass), among others.
About Vital Strategies Vital Strategies is a global public health organization. Our programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury and death. We currently work in more than 80 countries, supporting data-driven decision-making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies, and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives. They include noncommunicable disease prevention, tobacco control, road safety, food policy, overdose prevention, environmental health, and data for health. Our programs are primarily concentrated in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific; the Overdose Prevention Program is our first initiative in the U.S. Please visit our website at www.vitalstrategies.org to find out more about our work. About Vital Strategies Brazil The Vital Strategies Brazil office supports municipal and state administrations, as well as the federal government, in addressing the main causes of preventable diseases and deaths. We have worked with the municipalities of Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Natal, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo, Recife, and Campinas; the states of Ceará, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Norte, and Rio Grande do Sul; the Ministry of Health; the National Councils of State and Municipal Health Secretaries (Conass and Conasems, respectively); the National Front of Mayors; and civil society partners. Vital Strategies is an organization committed to promoting equal opportunities and fostering the inclusion of groups historically underrepresented in the labor market. We therefore strongly encourage applications from Black and Indigenous candidates. About Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: The program supports governments in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen surveillance and response to lead poisoning. In Brazil, the program collaborates closely with the Ministry of Health to design, implement, and monitor a national lead exposure surveillance system and build technical capacity for the treatment and prevention of lead poisoning, especially in children. NOTE: ONLY CVs in English will be accepted |
Job Purpose
The Technical Specialist, Lead Poisoning Surveillance Program will serve as the primary data science support to the Lead Poisoning Surveillance Technical Specialist, contributing to key analytical and surveillance activities. This position will be responsible for data analysis, visualization, and automation. Beyond technical work, the role will also involve stakeholder engagement, assisting with the design and facilitation of capacity-building activities, coordinating stream work plans, and providing support to the implementation of a national lead poisoning biomonitoring initiative.
The professional will work closely with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other public institutions, fostering collaboration and ensuring that data-driven insights inform strategies, decision-making, and policies for effective surveillance and response to lead exposure.
Duties and Responsibilities
Epidemiological Data Analysis
- Support the development of analytical frameworks and methodologies to support blood lead surveillance;
- Evaluate data quality, completeness, and consistency; perform data cleaning and validation;
- Conduct analyses of blood lead level (BLL) data from biomonitoring activities;
- Design and maintain analytical datasets, reports, health panels, dashboards, and visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, R, SAS, Stata, Markdown, or Tableau) for internal and external use;
- Support definition and development of database architecture to ensure efficient integration, storage, and retrieval of blood lead level (BLL) and related epidemiological data;
- Translate analytical findings into clear recommendations for health authorities, emphasizing data-driven actions for surveillance and prevention.
Stakeholder Engagement
- With guidance from the program manager, collaborate with relevant authorities and cross-sector stakeholders to strengthen and sustain awareness of broader lead-related initiatives;
- Under the supervision of the program manager, effectively communicate findings to both technical and non-technical audiences, including health officials, laboratory personnel, health workers, and policymakers.
Technical Support
- Support training sessions and workshops on data analysis methods and use of surveillance tools;
- Contribute to capacity strengthening efforts to enhance local epidemiological and analytical competencies.
Coordinate with Technical Specialist Data Related Activities
Collaborate with the Lead Poisoning Surveillance Technical Specialist in monitoring analytical components of surveillance implementation;
Support the planning and coordination of data collection, data flow, and information management processes;
Ensure timely delivery of analytical outputs aligned with project milestones and government reporting needs;
Assist with other duties assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications
Education
- Master’s degree in epidemiology, statistics, data science, public health or related field.
Experience
Required
- Minimum six to seven years of professional experience in health surveillance and data analytical work applied to public health or environmental health.
- Experience working with government health or environmental departments;
- Experience in conducting training sessions for health staff;
- Experience in organizing meetings, workshops, and discussions;
- Experience conducting multivariate analysis with large datasets or health surveillance datasets;
- Experience working with statistical software such as R, SAS, Stata.
Prefered
- Experience working with Brazil’s public health information systems (SINAN, SIA, SIM, SIH, SISAGUA, SISOLO, IBGE Data, and other DATASUS systems);
- Experience working in partnership with governmental institutions and international organizations;
- Familiarity with GIS and spatial analysis tools (QGIS, ArcGIS);
- Proficiency in Python for data analysis, and SQL.
Skills & Abilities
- Strong epidemiological analysis skills, including data cleaning, validation, and interpretation;
- Proficiency in analytical and statistical software (e.g., Power BI, R, SAS, Stata, Tableau, Markdown);
- Ability to design and manage analytical datasets, dashboards, and data visualization tools;
- Understanding of database architecture, data integration, and information management workflows;
- Ability to translate complex analytical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for diverse audiences;
- Effective communication skills for both technical and non-technical stakeholders;
- Ability to collaborate with government authorities, laboratory teams, and cross-sector partners;
- Capacity to support and deliver trainings, workshops, and other capacity-building activities;
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple analytical outputs;
- Ability to work under supervision while supporting strategic and technical tasks across surveillance activities;
- High level of initiative, organization, and problem-solving ability;
- Professional proficiency in Portuguese and English (oral and written).
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
- Full-time position under the Brazilian CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws) framework;
- Flexibility to collaborate with colleagues across different time zones;
- Willing to travel for in-person meetings and field visits in Brazil as needed;
- This position will be based in Brasilia, with flexibility for hybrid work arrangements; candidates must reside in the city or in a location with easy access.
