EpiC Epidemiologist

Job Description

Job title: EpiC Epidemiologist

Project: Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC)

Report: Reports to the Project Country Manager

Location: Freetown with extensive travel across Sierra Leone

Timing:               March – August 2026 with possibility of extension

Opening:             24th February 2026

Who we are:

PSI is a network of locally rooted, globally connected organizations working to achieve consumer-powered healthcare — people-centered health systems that ensure quality, affordable care wherever and whenever it is needed. Our origins in sexual and reproductive health have grown into a broader mission. Today, we work with the public and private sectors as well as local communities, prioritizing people’s voice and choice and developing solutions to meet their essential health needs. Over the past five decades, we have helped push boundaries, break taboos, set trends, and develop innovative solutions to complex global health challenges.

Do you want to join PSI to help make it easier for all people to lead healthier lives and plan the families they desire? Read on!

Join us!

PSI Sierra Leone seeks an epidemiologist with experience designing, implementing, and analyzing public health surveillance, research, and monitoring systems to inform evidence-based decision making. This role supports disease prevention and control through data collection (national data, field investigations, and/or case investigations), analysis, interpretation, and dissemination, and will support Malaria, Maternal, Child, and Newborn Health (MNCH), and Global Health Security (GHS) programs. The EpiC Epidemiologist will report to Project Country Manager, with dotted lines to the Senior Technical Advisors guiding the operational and technical implementation of the Malaria, Maternal, Child, and Newborn Health, and Global Health Security projects. This position is based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and will involve travel extensively throughout Sierra Leone. 

EpiC is a five-year global project funded by the U.S. Department of State. Currently, EpiC and its consortium members implement activities in more than 45 countries worldwide.  In Sierra Leone, EpiC currently receives Malaria, MNCH, and GHS funding to bolster health systems through community-based service delivery and strengthened data systems to facilitate data use for decision-making. 

Across the three portfolios, PSI Sierra Leone and the local consortium members have supported a wide range of national agencies within the Ministry of Health, including the: National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), Community Health Worker (CHW) Hub, Child Health Unit, Directorate of Policy, Planning, and Information (DPPI), National Public Health Agency (NPHA), among others. In the upcoming year, PSI’s government partnerships and collaborations will expand to ensure new aspects of the project’s scope of work are responding to national priorities and delivered with technical excellence. 

While the geographic scope of each workplan is different, the candidate can expect to support implementation in Freetown (Western Area Rural & Western Area Urban), Falaba, Pujehun, and Kailahun. EpiC accommodates the needs of the Government of Sierra Leone and United States Department of State, so geographic adjustments may be made according to stakeholder priorities. This is particularly relevant for the Epidemiologist position, as Sierra Leone is prone to disease outbreaks and rapid response teams are quickly mobilized to conduct field investigations and inform response initiatives. 

PSI Sierra Leone therefore seeks an experienced Epidemiologist who is independent, self-motivated, capable of managing external relationships with stakeholders as well as internal project milestones and deliverables. The right candidate will have experience with disease surveillance, outbreak investigation and response, health security priorities in Sierra Leone and globally, and preparedness activities. 

Your contribution

Job Summary:

You will be responsible for supporting health security and disease surveillance initiatives at the national, district, and community levels in EpiC-supported communities. You will design and implement simulation exercises, contribute to research identifying areas at high-risk for zoonotic disease outbreaks, strengthen antimicrobial resistance detection and reporting, and support routine disease surveillance and outbreak response initiatives as necessary. 

Detailed Job Specification:

Leadership & Coordination

• Lead disease surveillance and health security initiatives for PSI Sierra Leone 

• Coordinate closely with the CHW Hub, DPPI, NPHA, and other government agencies as necessary to provide technical assistance to achieve national goals and targets related to epidemiological surveillance strategies, policies, plans, and procedures for priority emerging infectious diseases, zoonoses, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

• Support multisectoral coordination to improve preparedness and response efforts 
• Participate in national technical working groups and emergency operations center activities
• Collaborate with sub-recipients to ensure alignment across GHS activities and strengthen community event-based reporting in malaria and MNCH workplans
• Represent the project and PSI Sierra Leone in national forums
• May manage team members

Disease Surveillance & Outbreak Response

• Monitor disease trends for priority pathogens in Sierra Leone and support rapid response teams during field investigations 
• Supports the design and implementation of technical activities aimed at strengthening event- and indicator-based surveillance, as well as community-based surveillance of priority pathogens and antimicrobial resistance.
• Strengthen preparedness through the design and implementation of SimEx exercises, according to global best practices
• Strengthen disease surveillance for child health interventions, including malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea and contribute to defining sub-national malaria epidemic thresholds as necessary 
• Conduct after action reviews to assess outbreak responses and inform recommendations for improvements 

Data Quality, Analytics, & Use

• Contribute to the collection of high-quality data for national surveillance and community health systems
• Contribute to epidemiologic analysis to assess disease burden, risk factors, and intervention impact
• Contribute to the development of dashboards, situation reports, and epidemiologic bulletins 
• Develop technical notes, reports, or other documents necessary to facilitate and document research, best practices, policies, and procedures.
• Analyze project implementation to identify areas for improvement and propose appropriate technical strategies and guidelines.

Learning, Adaptation, & Knowledge Management

• Lead operational research and assessments in collaboration with PSI global technical and research staff and in compliance with PSI and national ethics and data protection policies
• Document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned

Reporting

• Contribute to the production of bi-annual donor reports
• Contribute to the development of monthly donor and stakeholder presentations

You will work closely with PSI Global project core team and other regional team members to create and execute project M&E plans and develop and execute a wide range of activities to improve program implementation and project outcomes. 

What are we looking for?

The basics 

• A Master’s degree (with 5+ years of experience) in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, or other related field 
• Proven experience in disease surveillance and/or outbreak investigations and response
• Proven data analysis and interpretation skills
• In-depth knowledge of epidemiological research and public health surveillance concepts, practices, and procedures.
• Demonstrated knowledge of DHIS2 and eIDSR 
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, highly organized, comfortable working on multiple projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize large amounts of data and convey clear messages
• Proficiency in statistical software, such as R, Stata, SAS, SPSS, or Python 
• Experience with GIS and spatial analysis a plus 
• Excellent English written, verbal and inter-personal communication skills. 
• Experience and excellence in working with large, multinational and intercultural teams.

What would get us excited?

Curiosity: You recognize that disease transmission reflects complex social and environmental interactions and value the perspectives and experiences of others, seeking to understand these dynamics deeply.

Self-starter: You can work independently, pitch and manage your own mini-projects, and meet deadlines. 

D0-er: You love to roll up your sleeves and get to work. You aren’t afraid to suggest new ways of doing things. You would love the chance to shape the strategy and show what you can do!

Team Player:  You are an effective team player with demonstrated and verifiable result-oriented nature track record.

Interested candidates should submit CV, professional certificates and cover letters indicating the position they are applying for and submit online to the email recruitment@psi-sl.org /before the March 23, 2026.

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of actual or perceived race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, family status or responsibilities, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions or breastfeeding, genetic information, amnesty, veteran, special disabled veteran or uniform service member status or employment status.