AMR/Infectious Disease Consultant

GARDP Africa is a registered not-for-profit company based in Cape Town, South Africa. It is part of the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership Foundation's (GARDP) network and supports GARDP to deliver its mission to accelerate the development and availability of effective, affordable healthcare technologies to fight antimicrobial resistance, by partnering with researchers, governments, hospitals and civil society.

To fulfil GARDP Africa's responsibilities as a consortium member in the ComBac Africa project (Combating Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in Africa through Diagnostic and Antimicrobial Stewardship).

The ComBac-Africa consortium has the overall goal to improve the management of severe infections due to multi drug resistant (MDR) gram negative bacteria (GNB) in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria through the establishment of a needs-adapted diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme that provides equitable access to appropriate (including novel) antibiotics for targeted treatment.

This will be achieved through:

1.     Provision of high-quality and accurate microbiological diagnostics for prompt and correct identification of causative agents in bacteraemia and other severe infections;

2.     A comprehensive One Health assessment of the epidemiology of GNB in humans, animal and environmental specimens;

3.     Tailored AMS initiatives, including early outbreak detection and infection prevention measures, to optimise the use of novel antimicrobials;

4.     Development of clinical algorithms for targeted diagnosis and treatment of infections due to MDR GNB; and

5.     Establishment of sustainable and affordable access to these antibiotics in SSA. A clinical trial will assess and quantify the impact of this multi-pronged intervention on patient outcome.

GARDP Africa is specifically involved in last component (5) and this consultancy shall seek to optimise the national antibiotic formularies for Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria (based on data from other work packages and locally available data) to ensure that GNB infections can be appropriately treated. In addition, explore if these formularies can be harmonised and thus create a unified antibiotic formulary (for GNB infections).   

Recommended Professional Profile: Senior Health Systems Researcher, Infectious Disease Specialist or Clinical Pharmacist

Tasks & Responsibilities:

• Convening a core Technical Committee comprising clinical experts from the three study countries as well as representatives from the MoHs virtually and twice face-to-face to review existing AWaRe antibiotics handbooks, data generated from other project work packages, any existing African formularies for MDR GNB as well as other possibly useful data points.
• Facilitate a process whereby the Technical Committee designs and validates an optimisation methodology for their context.
• Convening a series of consensus-building meetings will be held in 2026 and 2027 in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria (at national level), with identified relevant continental stakeholders to develop an optimised and harmonised formulary (which is the ultimate deliverable)

1. Technical/Clinical Skills:

Essential:

• Clinical pharmacology or infectious diseases expertise, especially with:
  • Antibiotic stewardship and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
  • WHO's AWaRe classification of antibiotics
  • Development or review of formularies, treatment guidelines, or essential medicines lists
• Strong grasp of multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) management

Desirable:

• Experience working with Ministries of Health and national AMR committees

2. Project Design, Facilitation, and Methodology Development

Essential:

• Experience in facilitating technical working groups or committees — ideally involving multidisciplinary and multi-country experts
• Skill in developing consensus methodologies (e.g., Delphi processes, nominal group technique)
• Ability to design and validate methodologies for data optimisation or contextual adaptation (for instance, adapting AWaRe lists to local resistance profiles)
• Competence in synthesising data and evidence from multiple sources (existing guidelines, surveillance data, etc.)

Desirable:

• Background in health research methodology or implementation science
• Familiarity with data triangulation and optimisation approaches in healthcare

3. Stakeholder and Consensus-Building Facilitation

Essential:

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills — ability to convene and manage discussions among clinicians, policymakers, regulators, and public health experts
• Experience organising and leading regional and national consensus meetings
• Proven ability to achieve consensus and policy alignment across diverse settings and stakeholders

Desirable:

• Existing networks within African AMR or pharmacology communities
• Experience managing multilingual or cross-cultural meetings (particularly in English and French)

 4. Project and Logistical Management

Essential:

• Experience managing multi-country projects in global health or research
• Competence in virtual and in-person event organisation (workshops, committee meetings, etc.)
• Budget and timeline management, including donor or institutional reporting

Desirable:

• Experience with international donors or consortium projects
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years' experience in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic stewardship, ideally within LMIC settings.

Education:

• Advanced degree (Master's or higher) in Clinical Pharmacology, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, or a closely related field.
• A Doctorate (PhD or MD) in a relevant discipline would be an advantage.

Reporting & Deliverables:

• He/she reports deliverables and updates to the Director of GARDP Africa as per agreed requirements.
• Detailed hours of service
• Progress and written updates as requested

Mandatory Requirements:

• Based in the West African region
• Ability to travel periodically to the three focus countries: Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea-Bissau.
• Bilingual (French and English) proficiency essential.
• Availability to work 50 –70% (15 days per month) of the time between February 2026 and July 2027 (contract position)

Closing Date: 07 December 2025

All applications must be done online. No email applications will be accepted.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.