Job Description
Position summary
CORE Group, Inc., on behalf of the CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP), is seeking highly qualified and experienced consultants for inclusion in a roster that can be rapidly deployed to support outbreak preparedness, readiness and response in high-risk and affected countries. The primary profile sought under this advert includes health professionals with strong skills in field epidemiology, emergency response, risk communication and community engagement, maternal and child health, data management, and coordination with ministries of health and other stakeholders. Consultants may be engaged to support Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), polio eradication, maternal and child health, and other priority public health threats, depending on operational need, country context and available funding.
About CGPP
CGPP works across maternal and child health, polio eradication and broader global health security. Through this consultant roster, CGPP aims to identify qualified professionals who can support integrated outbreak response programming while strengthening continuity of project implementation across these areas. Assignments may include surveillance and case investigation, field epidemiology, emergency coordination, contact tracing, community-based surveillance, cross-border preparedness, data management, risk communication and community engagement, and related response functions.
Assignment overview
Selected consultants may be assigned to one or more technical or operational roles depending on response needs. These may include regional surveillance, epidemiology and technical leadership; field epidemiology and district surveillance support; data management; community-based surveillance; risk communication and community engagement; cross-border and point of entry support; digital systems support; and other related outbreak response functions.
Key duties and responsibilities
- Support outbreak preparedness, readiness and response activities in assigned countries, districts, health zones or border areas.
- Strengthen surveillance, case investigation, contact tracing, alert management, community-based surveillance, cross-border coordination and operational readiness activities.
- Provide technical assistance to relevant ministry of health pillars and partner structures to address priority response gaps and improve implementation quality.
- Conduct regular field travel to mentor frontline teams, assess implementation quality and resolve operational bottlenecks at national and sub-national levels.
- Support risk communication and community engagement, including appropriate approaches to infodemic management and community feedback.
- Facilitate coordination with ministries of health, district authorities, local partners, community structures and other multisectoral stakeholders.
- Integrate other CGPP program areas, including maternal and child health, polio and broader global health security activities, to strengthen continuity and coordination of project implementation.
- Prepare technical updates, field mission reports, implementation summaries and other deliverables required for management and donor reporting.
Candidate profile
Education and professional background
Essential: Medical doctor, veterinary doctor, biomedical scientist, or other health-related professional with strong field experience in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response. Additional training in epidemiology, public health, emergency management or a related field is an advantage.
Relevant experience
Essential: At least five years of relevant professional experience in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response, particularly for Ebola Virus Disease. Strong preference will be given to epidemiologists and other candidates with demonstrated field leadership in surveillance, outbreak investigation, contact tracing, event-based surveillance, emergency coordination or related functions. Experience supporting preparedness and response to other outbreaks such as cholera, mpox and polio is highly desirable. Expertise in maternal and child health, polio and broader global health security programming is an added advantage, as it supports integration of activities and continuity of project implementation.
Core skills and competencies
- Strong technical knowledge of outbreak response operations, especially EVD preparedness and response.
- Demonstrated skills in managing and supporting preparedness, readiness and response for priority public health threats, including cholera, mpox and polio, in addition to Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases.
- Ability to work effectively in insecure, resource-constrained and rapidly changing field environments.
- Excellent analytical, coordination, reporting and communication skills.
- Strong Microsoft Office skills; ability to use outbreak data and reporting tools is an asset.
- Good working knowledge of QGIS for field mapping.
- Good knowledge of monitoring tools used to understand how population movement may affect disease transmission and public health interventions.
- Experience or expertise in maternal and child health, polio and global health security is an added advantage to support integrated programming and continuity of project implementation.
Language requirements
- Essential: For Uganda, South Sudan and other anglophone assignments, fluency in English is required. For assignments based in DRC, fluency in French is required, with some knowledge of English.
- Essential: Ability to communicate in the predominant local language spoken in the assigned outbreak-affected area is highly important.
- Desirable: Working knowledge of another official national language relevant to the assigned country.
Duty station and deployment locations
Assignments may be based in Eastern DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, or other designated high-risk countries, with deployment to national and subnational priority locations as required. Priority will be given to local nationals. Visa sponsorship, work permits, and any related travel arrangements to the duty station will not be provided.
Travel requirements
Consultants must be willing and able to travel extensively, with more than 60% travel expected during the consultancy period.
Consultancy duration
Initial consultancy period of three months, subject to renewal based on funding availability, operational need and performance.
Contract arrangement
Individual consultancy.
Inclusion in the consultant roster does not guarantee immediate engagement. Assignments will be issued based on operational need, funding availability, and the consultant’s profile and availability.
Application timeline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the roster is filled.
CGPP is committed to identifying consultants with the technical expertise, field experience and collaborative approach needed to support high-quality outbreak response in complex settings. We welcome applications from professionals who are committed to public health service, teamwork and effective engagement with communities and partners.
CORE Group, Inc. is an equal opportunity organization and encourages applications from qualified candidates regardless of gender, disability, religion or ethnic background.
How to apply
- Please submit your CV and a brief cover letter by email to info@thecgpp.org, addressed to the Hiring Team, CORE Group Partners Project.
- Please include “Outbreak Consultant Roster Application” in the subject line and include the country you are applying for.