The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries, while strengthening the capacity of governments and the private sector of these countries to create and maintain high-quality health systems that can succeed without our help. For more information, please visit: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org.
CHAI is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an environment of fairness and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion and recognizes that our mission is best advanced through the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds and culture.
CHAI’s global malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) program provides direct technical and operational support to countries around the world to strengthen their programs and reduce the burden of preventable and treatable diseases. We support governments to scale up effective interventions in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and surveillance, with the aim of sustainably reducing global disease and death in the short term and accelerating progress towards long-term elimination of malaria and neglected tropical diseases.
Role Overview
Vector control interventions (e.g. insecticide-treated bed nets [MII] and indoor residual spraying) reduce human contact with disease-carrying mosquitoes and are responsible for approximately 78% of the decline in malaria in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000.[1] Vector control programs often represent the largest proportion of a malaria program budget; Ensuring that these tools are properly targeted, implemented and monitored is extremely important in a context of rising raw material costs and decreasing financial resources. Prevention interventions other than vector control, such as seasonal malaria chemoprevention and vaccines, are of increasing importance in coordinated efforts to reduce the disease. CHAI supports National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) worldwide by providing analytical, operational and management expertise to help countries optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of vector control and other malaria interventions. prevention in order to achieve maximum impact on health.
CHAI is seeking a Global Technical Advisor to provide technical and operational assistance in support of malaria vector control programs in CHAI target countries worldwide. CHAI supports national malaria programs across the full spectrum of vector control execution, including operational micro-planning, targeting, scheduling, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and data use for decision making. This role would involve supporting regional and national CHAI associates on topics related to the implementation of prevention tools campaigns. This work would also involve building and strengthening CHAI’s support for ongoing ITN distribution channels, and particularly routine distribution channels. This role is global and will support regional and national staff across all CHAI geographies. Base location for the position is flexible, based on approval of the Country Director, with a preference for a base in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The position requires a highly motivated individual with exceptional analytical, problem-solving, organizational and communication skills. This individual must have substantial direct experience in providing operational support for malaria prevention tools in low- and middle-income countries, and must understand the challenges (and solutions) involved in implementing these interventions . They must demonstrate a passion for results and a commitment to excellence. The candidate must have excellent communication skills, patience and cultural sensitivity, as they will work on complex topics with global and national partners as well as multiple CHAI teams. The successful technical advisor will have strong organizational and project management skills, and will be able to conduct rapid quantitative analysis and communicate this analysis clearly and concisely to colleagues and partners. The successful candidate will be able to function effectively in a semi-independent environment and will therefore be a self-motivated individual, able to manage multiple tasks at once and advance multiple work streams. CHAI places high value on the following qualities of its staff: resourcefulness, responsibility, patience, tenacity, humility, independence, energy and work ethic.
[1] Bhatt et al. “The effect of the fight against malaria on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015.” Nature. October 08, 2015.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a trusted advisor to national malaria programs, CHAI country teams and regional technical leads on issues related to vector control and prevention operations.
- Provide technical and operational support for the implementation of vector control interventions, including long-acting insecticide nets, indoor residual spraying and larval source management, in targeted foci of transmission malaria. This involves ensuring that vector control campaigns are well planned and executed, as well as identifying and disseminating lessons learned after interventions are deployed.
- Develop and support a technically sound and feasible strategy to support routine distribution globally, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Support robust monitoring and evaluation of vector control interventions, including capturing meaningful indicators in clear forms, analyzing data in a timely manner, and applying data to decisions.
- Support country teams and national programs in translating evidence, current research and normative guidance on vector control into practical programmatic and field operations.
- Support national CHAI programs with product and resource quantifications, targeting and waste management plans.
- Support CHAI country teams to translate M&E data analysis results to national and subnational government partners to support evidence-based decision-making and disseminate results through clear presentations, reports and publications and high quality.
- Scope of innovative approaches to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of vector control implementation
- Support country teams to develop detailed operational plans, operational procedures and associated training materials related to vector control, in order to strengthen government capacity and improve effective delivery of malaria programs.
- Proactively develop and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders working on vector control campaigns within government and non-government organizations.
- Represent CHAI at relevant working groups and meetings to provide appropriate technical support as necessary.
- Support the continued development and refinement of the CHAI vector control strategy
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in entomology, biology, public health or a related field
- 5 to 10 years of field experience in disease prevention
- Able to travel frequently (up to 60% of the time) and answer calls across a wide range of time zones (Sub-Saharan).
- Africa, Mesoamerica and the Greater Mekong Subregion)
- Strong quantitative, presentation and writing skills, including proficiency in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Word
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including report writing skills
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Excellent organizational and management skills, including time management and project management
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in unstructured environments and adapt to new environments and challenges.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and set priorities remotely
- Ability to be efficient, patient and thoughtful in high-pressure situations
- Enthusiasm to work in a dynamic and multicultural environment
- Demonstrated ability to learn and act quickly on technical information, and translate new information into actionable insights for decision making.
Benefits
- An MPH or MS in public health, or work experience in the public health field, particularly in the field of international health/health policy and management.
- Direct experience working on vector control implementation, particularly bed net campaigns or continuous net distribution
- Experience working in developing countries, particularly on health-related issues
- Familiarity with digital tools and applications relevant to public health
- Remote work experience with a decentralized team
- Direct experience working with governments, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa
- Mastery of the French and/or Spanish language
