Job Description

Health Data Scientist & AI/ML Specialist – Eswatini

About Palladium 

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. 

Palladium Americas

Our Americas’ business team has brilliant and passionate colleagues working in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America as well as the Caribbean, fulfilling projects and assignments for clients from institutions, corporations, governments, and foundations based in the Americas. We have offices in Washington, DC, New York City, and Raleigh-Durham, NC.

This Opportunity:

Palladium is seeking a Health Data Scientist & AI/ML Specialist to support the Ministry of Health in strengthening the use of routine health information, advanced analytics, data science and artificial intelligence within Eswatini's digital health ecosystem. The position will play a key technical role in transforming data generated through the Client Management Information System (CMIS) and other national health information systems into actionable information for clinical, programme and management decision-making.

The Specialist will support the development and operationalization of advanced analytical solutions across CMIS, the National Data Repository (NDR), national dashboards, the Health Information Exchange (HIE), surveillance systems and supply-chain information systems.

A particular area of focus will be the design, testing and evaluation of AI and machine learning-enabled applications within CMIS, including decision-support approaches for identifying clients who may require additional follow-up or intervention. The role will combine data science, machine learning, health analytics, data engineering, data quality, visualization, AI solution development and capacity strengthening.

The position is expected to work closely with Ministry of Health HMIS, programme, monitoring and evaluation, clinical and software development teams to ensure that advanced analytics and AI applications address real public-health and service-delivery needs and can be sustainably managed by local teams.

This is a full-time position based in Eswatini.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and operationalize advanced analytics, statistical models and machine-learning solutions using CMIS, HIE, NDR and other national health information system data to support programme and clinical decision-making.
• Design, test and integrate AI-enabled decision-support tools within CMIS, including patient risk stratification, interruption-in-treatment prediction, follow-up prioritization and other approved clinical or programme use cases.
• Develop and maintain analytical datasets, automated data pipelines and data-quality processes for CMIS, and other integrated health information systems.
• Design and enhance dashboards, automated reports and analytical products that identify trends, service gaps, outliers and priority areas requiring management action.
• Apply advanced analytics to surveillance, programme and supply-chain data, including CMIS-eLMIS information, to support forecasting, anomaly detection, commodity visibility and early identification of operational risks.
• Explore and prototype appropriate generative AI and natural-language analytics use cases, including secure querying of approved health datasets, policies, SOPs and technical documentation.
• Build the capacity of Ministry of Health technical and programme teams in data science, Python/SQL analytics, machine learning, dashboards, data quality and responsible AI, while documenting and transferring solutions for sustainable local ownership.

Candidate Qualifications and Profile:

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Health Informatics, Information Systems or related quantitative field; a relevant Master’s degree is an advantage.
• At least 3–5 years’ experience in data analytics, data science, health information systems or business intelligence, with strong practical skills in Python, SQL, databases and dashboarding tools.
• Demonstrated experience in machine learning, predictive modelling, data quality, ETL/data pipelines, model validation and analytical visualization; exposure to Generative AI, NLP or MLOps.
• Experience working with health information systems and patient-level data, preferably EMRs such as CMIS, DHIS2, HIE/FHIR environments, surveillance systems or supply-chain platforms.
• Strong analytical, communication, documentation and teamwork skills, with the ability to translate health-programme needs into data-driven solutions and build the capacity of MoH technical and programme teams.
• Must be legally authorized to work in Eswatini.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion 

Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.  

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss. 

Safeguarding 

We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.