Vacancy Announcement: Health Economist

November 30, 2010

Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.

This is a contract position.

The annual salary range for this position is $105,000-$124,000.
(Actual pay will be set within the range specified in this vacancy announcement and will be based on the qualifications, education, experience, training, and availability of funds.)

The ability to obtain a security clearance at the Secret level is required.

Expressions of interest, including resumes and salary requirements, should be submitted by no later than Friday, December 17, 2010, to peoplestn2@state.gov.

Background

The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC) is responsible for implementing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) - the U.S. Government initiative to support partner nations around the world in responding to HIV/AIDS. PEPFAR was launched in 2003, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease internationally in history. Through PEPFAR, the U.S. Government has committed approximately $32 billion to bilateral HIV/AIDS programs; the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and bilateral tuberculosis programs through Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. The human impact of America's investments in partner nations' efforts is profound. PEPFAR has directly supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for over 2.4 million men, women and children as of September 2009. PEPFAR has directly supported more than 11 million people with care and support programs, including more than 4 million orphans and vulnerable children, through FY 2009. PEPFAR's efforts around prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs have allowed nearly 340,000 babies of HIV-positive mothers to be born HIV-free, including nearly 100,000 in FY 2009. PEPFAR is the cornerstone and largest component of the President's Global Health Initiative (GHI). This Initiative supports partner countries in improving health outcomes through strengthened health systems, with a particular focus on improving the health of women, newborns and children through programs that address a range of health issues.

Additional information about S/GAC and PEPFAR is available at www.pepfar.gov.

Introduction

This position is located in the Strategic Information unit of the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC). The incumbent serves as a health economist. In this capacity, the incumbent is unique in that he/she serves as S/GAC's technical advisor on health economics and is S/GAC's authority on all matters related to the collection and analysis health economic data. Under the general supervision of the Deputy Coordinator for Strategic Information and Management and Budget, the incumbent has complete responsibility for coordinating relevant counterparts among partner agencies to formulate and develop a PEPFAR-wide program of data collection and analysis bearing on the major international HIV/AIDS health economic policy issues addressed by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Planning and Development of PEPFAR Economic Research

Advises the executive staff of S/GAC on the development of program goals, methods of study, and data systems as they relate to economic aspects of HIV/AIDS programs and the HIV/AIDS health care system. Keeps abreast of changing requirements for health economic data through participation in national and international meetings and contacts with other components of S/GAC; agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS); the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); other federal departments; international agencies such as the World Bank, UNAIDS, and World Health Organization (WHO); advisory committees; and professional organizations.

Contributes to health economic research throughout the world and is in contact with investigators and users of health economic analyses to guide S/GAC and PEPFAR partners toward the most effective use of data and analytic resources. Recommends long-range policy for S/GAC in guiding methodological development in health economics. Among the issues to be considered are: health outcome measures for treatment-, care-, and prevention-effectiveness studies (e.g., methods for estimating quality-adjusted life years and averted infections); the development of cost projection and resource allocation models; models to determine the benchmark package of services among alternative public health programs; improvement of benefits estimation methods; willingness-to-pay, contingent valuation; adaptation of intervention effectiveness methods, specifically the use of cost-benefit analysis; the development of health care infrastructure to reduce HIV infections and AIDS-related morbidity and mortality; and the development of large-scale national studies for examinations of the economic burden of HIV/AIDS and related impacts; the economic cost of HIV/AIDS on labor and annual productivity losses associated with the illness.

Serves as a key PEPFAR-wide focus for activities related to treatment, care, and prevention effectiveness in international HIV/AIDS program evaluation, including the evaluation of clinical, behavioral, and environmental interventions. This involves providing the leadership and direction for designing research plans for investigating the methods and data to estimate the cost of HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention programs, the costs of illness and disease including productivity costs, and the health outcomes; identifying deficiencies and limitations and recommending actions to eliminate such deficiencies and limitations; devising methods for acquiring data and calculating estimates of economic costs for specific disease categories that will provide needed intervention effectiveness determinations; and monitoring large and complex tasks that involve agreements with other organizations.

Health Policy and Economic Standards

Leads analyses and interpretations of the economic impact of proposed health policies, programs, and budgets for S/GAC and PEPFAR. Works with country representatives to conduct economic evaluations of proposed or existing policies and programs and to interpret the findings of such studies, including projecting the economic impact of implementing such policies for both the health care system and the economy. Examples include policies that affect the allocation of prevention services and health delivery through national health systems. Develops guidelines for conducting and presenting effectiveness studies and coordinates with other federal agencies, international organizations, and other groups to promote the adoption of international standard methods.

Methodological Research

Works with PEPFAR counterparts to conceive and direct PEPFAR's research program on health economic topics. This involves development of the appropriate conceptual or theoretical framework relative to the policy issues under consideration; location and assembly of data; direction of the economic analyses; and writing reports, articles for scholarly journals, and presentation at professional conferences. Consults on the development and evaluates the products of analytic and research projects which, while not primarily economic in focus, have important economic components. Conceives, designs, and directs methodological studies to determine the optimum procedures for measurement and data collection in the health economic realm. Reviews methodological work conducted elsewhere, improving health economic data.

Committees, Task Forces and Meetings

Attends and participates on high-level task forces and other international interagency committees concerned with costs of illness and works with other appropriate entities of the federal government in studying costs of illness and disease. Specifically, as the S/GAC economist on interagency projects, works with other agency representatives to systematically review treatment, care, and prevention effectiveness activities in the USG system and PEPFAR-country systems, develop proposals to improve methodology, and formulate methodological guidelines so that the various prevention effectiveness studies used to set priorities and make government policy decisions will employ consistent methodology and produce comparable results. Attends professional meetings and conferences dealing with health economic issues.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Selection Criteria

Knowledge Required by the Position

Knowledge of health economics applicable to all matters related to the analysis of health economic data.

Knowledge of health economic research methods, theory, and trends of treatment, care, and prevention services on health outcomes and health care costs sufficient to conceive and direct S/GAC's research program on HIV/AIDS.

Knowledge of state-of-the-art economic evaluation and econometric and decision analysis in order to develop the most appropriate conceptual and/or theoretical frameworks relative to HIV/AIDS policy issues.

Knowledge and skill to conceive, design, and direct methodological studies to determine optimal procedures for measurement and collection of data in health economics.

Skill in identifying the health economic information most important and relevant to policymaking, including data on cost effectiveness of health care programs, costs of illness, trends in aggregate expenditures for health care, and cross-national and international comparisons of data on health and the health care system.

Supervisory Controls

Works under the broad general guidance of the Deputy Coordinator for Strategic Information and Management and Budget. Acting on broad S/GAC objectives and priorities, interprets policy and plans and directs economic studies on own initiative. Advises S/GAC staff at meetings of general and sometimes specific issues related to economic activities. Informs the Deputy Coordinator of other activities, events, and issues as seems appropriate or upon request.

Guidelines

Utilizing legislative mandates and under the broadly stated objectives of formulating and developing a program of data analyses bearing on major health economic policy issues, the incumbent exercises considerable judgment in reviewing methodological work conducted elsewhere, developing analytic and research projects on health economic data and formulating health economic models which contribute to the development of national health economic policy.

Complexity

The work involves the application of economic models and statistical methodologies to a variety of health data to derive trends in economic factors in health care delivery, utilization, and resources. In conducting studies of health policy issues, alternative data collection and analytic resources must be considered, appropriate tools utilized, and data aggregated from many sources to ensure consistency of data and findings for national utilization. Interacts with epidemiologists, medical officers, statisticians, economists, and health planners from all levels of government to identify the health economic information most important and relevant to policymakers. Analyses are presented to senior level officials for decision-making on health issues.

Scope and Effect

The purpose of this position is to plan, conduct, and coordinate analyses of health economic variables which directly affect international HIV/AIDS policy. Responsibilities have immediate and critical effect on new and existing programs needed to evaluate the efficacy, effectiveness, and economic feasibility of proposed and ongoing HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment interventions. The incumbent is also called upon to take a direct leadership role in the development of research projects, the analysis and reporting of findings of studies, and the review of proposed recommendations and procedures. In conjunction with senior-level officials of governmental, national, and international organizations, the incumbent develops models to portray the economic aspects of health and the health care system and organizes and conceptualizes study results in formal presentations to various national governments in host countries as well as the U.S. Government towards improved policies for the delivery of national HIV/AIDS care and prevention standards be used for establishing the cost effectiveness of prevention activities.

Personal Contacts

Personal contacts are with senior officials within S/GAC and within PEPFAR partner federal agencies; other federal departments; the legislative and executive branches of the government; high-ranking officials of national and international organizations (e.g., the World Bank, UNAIDS, WHO); and experts in the field of health services research and health economics. Contacts are characterized by working group meetings and task forces dedicated to establishing priorities for analyses and data bearing on the major health economic policy issues.

Purpose of Contacts

Contacts with senior officials at all levels of government and private organizations are for the purpose of coordinating the exchange of health economic data, for presenting analyses of emerging health economic issues, for eliciting cooperative efforts in health economics activities, and for identifying and establishing standards for appropriate methods for assessing intervention effectiveness.

Domestic and international travel is required (approximately 25% of time).

A Secret security clearance is a requirement for this position. As a result, the incumbent must be a U.S. citizen and possess or be able to obtain a security clearance at this level.