Institute Overview

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is a leading research organization in Africa with a strong track record in developing, testing and validating innovations for health. Driven by a core strategic mandate for research, training and services, the Institute’s work now spans a wide spectrum, covering biomedical and ecological sciences, intervention studies, health-systems research, service delivery and policy translation.

Position Summary

Ifakara Health Institute under Maternal and Newborn Health Program is seeking Data and Systems Officer to be bsed at Dar es Salaam station, reporting to Data Manager. The ideal candidate will strengthen the management, integration, security, and effective use of maternal and newborn health data systems to support program implementation, monitoring, and decision-making. The position will work closely with the Ministry of Health, PMO-RALG, and implementing partners to ensure interoperability of health information systems, integrate maternal and newborn health indicators into national medical records, and comply with national data standards. The position will also support routine monitoring and evaluation, regional performance reviews, and data-driven quality improvement initiatives to enhance program effectiveness and sustainability. The ideal candidate must be ready and available to assume duties immediately upon appointment.

Responsibility

• EMR/EHR Integration Work closely with ICT teams from PORALG and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to integrate maternal and neonatal variables into the government Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and/or Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems.
• System Administration Manage and maintain data systems and servers supporting Maternal and Newborn programs, including regular updates, performance tuning, and security patching.
• Backend Automation Implement and maintain backup scripts to automate and streamline the backup process for data security.
• Application Development Build and maintain data-driven applications using frameworks such as Django (Python), Java, and Laravel (PHP) to support program operations and data workflows.
• Security & Compliance Prioritize data protection through encryption, access controls, and ensuring strict compliance with HL7, and FHIR standards during data transmission.
• Server Management Manage web server configurations (Apache) and handle server-side security protocols to ensure system stability.
• Data Quality Assurance Conduct regular Data Quality Assessments (DQA) utilizing scripting to identify and resolve data integrity issues.
• Infrastructure Support Facilitate secure data sharing practices by managing permissions and technical access protocols in alignment with organizational and government policies.
• Protocol Development Regularly review and update data management protocols to align with best practices in software engineering and data security.
• Capacity Building Provide technical training to data clerks and health workers on the use of data collection and management tools (including REDCap when needed).
• Stakeholder Collaboration Liaise with PORALG and MoH ICT teams to ensure interoperability and alignment with national health data standards.
• Support routine M&E supervision using the data team and QI regional coordinators.
• Support data performance reviews in the implementing regions.

Skill

• Programming Strong experience with Python (Django), Java and proficiency in R, Shiny, and STATA for statistical analysis and data management and visualization.
• Databases Solid experience in SQL with relational databases (MySQL), including query optimization.
• Infrastructure Hands-on experience managing web servers (Apache) and handling server-side security protocols.
• Standards Familiarity with health data standards and compliance (HL7, FHIR).
• Scripting Expertise in automating backup processes, encryption, and access control mechanisms.
• Data Handling Expertise in handling large datasets, including cleaning and validation.
• Proven experience working with REDCap
• Soft Skills Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate with ICT teams from PORALG and MoH, statisticians, and healthcare professionals.

Qualification Required

• Education Bachelors Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Health Information systems or related fields.
• Experience Minimum of 2-5 years of experience in data management roles, especially within health-related projects.
• Technical Experience Experience working with different data systems, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and/or Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems.
• Proven experience working with REDCap or ODK.

No. of Position

1

Preferred Language Skill

Good written and spoken English and Kiswahili.

Remuneration

An attractive and competitive remuneration package shall be offered to the successful candidates as per IHI salary scales.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Ifakara Health Institute is an equal employment opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. We prohibit discrimination of kind during recruitment and employment. All employment decisions are based solely on job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications, in compliance with the labor laws of Tanzania.

• EMR/EHR Integration Work closely with ICT teams from PORALG and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to integrate maternal and neonatal variables into the government Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and/or Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems.
• System Administration Manage and maintain data systems and servers supporting Maternal and Newborn programs, including regular updates, performance tuning, and security patching.
• Backend Automation Implement and maintain backup scripts to automate and streamline the backup process for data security.
• Application Development Build and maintain data-driven applications using frameworks such as Django (Python), Java, and Laravel (PHP) to support program operations and data workflows.
• Security & Compliance Prioritize data protection through encryption, access controls, and ensuring strict compliance with HL7, and FHIR standards during data transmission.
• Server Management Manage web server configurations (Apache) and handle server-side security protocols to ensure system stability.
• Data Quality Assurance Conduct regular Data Quality Assessments (DQA) utilizing scripting to identify and resolve data integrity issues.
• Infrastructure Support Facilitate secure data sharing practices by managing permissions and technical access protocols in alignment with organizational and government policies.
• Protocol Development Regularly review and update data management protocols to align with best practices in software engineering and data security.
• Capacity Building Provide technical training to data clerks and health workers on the use of data collection and management tools (including REDCap when needed).
• Stakeholder Collaboration Liaise with PORALG and MoH ICT teams to ensure interoperability and alignment with national health data standards.
• Support routine M&E supervision using the data team and QI regional coordinators.
• Support data performance reviews in the implementing regions.

• Strong experience with Python (Django), Java and proficiency in R, Shiny, and STATA for statistical analysis and data management and visualization.
• Solid experience in SQL with relational databases (MySQL), including query optimization.
• Hands-on experience managing web servers (Apache) and handling server-side security protocols.
• Familiarity with health data standards and compliance (HL7, FHIR).
• Expertise in automating backup processes, encryption, and access control mechanisms.
• Expertise in handling large datasets, including cleaning and validation.
• Proven experience working with REDCap
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate with ICT teams from PORALG and MoH, statisticians, and healthcare professionals.

• Bachelors Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Health Information systems or related fields.
• Minimum of 2-5 years of experience in data management roles, especially within health-related projects.
• Experience working with different data systems, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and/or Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems.
• Proven experience working with REDCap or ODK.