Lao People's Democratic Republic (the): Program Manager, Malaria

Founded in 2002, by President William J. Clinton and Ira C. Magaziner, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (“CHAI”) is a global health organization committed to saving lives, reducing the burden of disease and strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world.

CHAI began providing direct support to the Centre for Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology (CMPE) in late-2014 to provide the national malaria control program with central-level operational support to accelerate progress toward elimination. Currently, CHAI is augmenting its existing support at the national level to provide hands-on implementation support to sub-national staff in the five southern provinces in Lao PDR, which represent approximately 95% of the national malaria burden. CHAI is seeking a Malaria Program Manager to lead the CHAI malaria team.

Description:

The Malaria Program Manager will manage CHAI's malaria support program in Lao PDR. S/he will be required to use a hands-on approach to understand the Lao PDR'S health system and work directly with various stakeholders within the government to accelerate progress towards national goals. The Malaria Program Manager will lead a team at central level providing broad technical and management support to CMPE and partners. In addition, s/he will work closely with the five southern Provincial staff to establish CHAI support in the malaria burden provinces and ensure that CHAI's focused support is aligned with national policies and priorities and effectively delivered in these areas.

The Malaria Program Manager will also take the lead on strategic planning and launching new project areas within malaria. The position entails high level of direct coordination with multiple stakeholders within the government, partners, and CHAI's global technical teams. S/he will represent CHAI in high-level meetings with donors and other partners on policy-making and management-related matters. S/he will also assist the Country leadership on budgeting and financial planning for malaria programs. Frequent domestic travel may be required for the subnational support program. Limited international travel to participate in internal CHAI meetings or international conferences or meetings with donors and partners is also expected. This position reports to the Country Director in Lao PDR.

CHAI's Program manager will provide effective day-to-day support to the Center of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology (CMPE) of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to optimize current strategies and develop and execute new strategies to eliminate malaria at both the central and provincial level. The Program manager will divide his/her time between CMPE and CHAI offices in Vientiane and will be expected to travel to peripheral health departments and health facilities, as needed. Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Program Management

• Lead a team of associates and analysts to provide overall technical and operational support to CMPE at the central level, and oversee CHAI's sub-national team to ensure similar support is provided provincial and district malaria units in targeted areas;
• Serve as technical point person to government and CHAI country team regarding approaches to malaria elimination and liaise with CHAI global teams regarding technical matters and additional support required to execute country work plans;
• Support the improvement of clinical services for malaria, including supply chain strengthening initiatives, and the development of a robust, case-based surveillance system necessary for malaria elimination.
• Utilize available data to help the national program direct resources and interventions to accelerate progress toward elimination;
• Support the government and partners to update national guidelines and policies to ensure alignment with overall elimination goals;
• Assist government counterparts to develop detailed operational plans and budgets aligned with national strategies and global elimination recommendations;
• Help CMPE to identify potential sources for and mobilization of additional funding to address any potential gaps preventing robust implementation of its national malaria strategic plan;
• Monitor and evaluate progress of CHAI's national and subnational malaria program work plans including planning, budgeting, and reporting;
• Identify key impediments to the successful execution of the national malaria elimination strategies and leverage CHAI resources and Lao partners to develop solutions to rapidly address these bottlenecks;
• Serve as the focal point for CHAI Laos leadership and CHAI Global Malaria Team for headquarters and donor reporting as needed.

Government and Partner Relations

• Establish new and maintain direct relations with multiple units within the government and with partners to ensure a coordinated approach and the production of high quality deliverables;
• Form new relationships and grow existing collaborations with partners and donors relevant to CHAI's overall goals.

Human Resource Management

• Direct the hiring and training of all CHAI malaria staff in Laos;
• Develop internal work plans aligned with national strategy objectives, and oversee the quality of the delivery of work by CHAI malaria staff on regular basis, supporting as necessary to ensure high quality delivery;
• Supervise CHAI provincial support staff to ensure that the national level elimination strategies are effectively implemented by government stakeholders in targeted provincial areas;
• Promote and manage effective communication between central-level and subnational support staff in order to ensure high synergies and well-coordinated delivery of CHAI overall support.

Strategic Vision

• Identify strategic areas for expansion or redirection, and lead the development of new proposals as needed;

CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, and work ethic. We seek a highly committed and adaptable individual with a track record of delivering quality results with limited resources. S/he should be able to work independently and effectively in high-pressure, unstructured environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously whilst mentoring a team to perform consistently. The ideal candidate will also possess cultural sensitivity skills and demonstrate high emotional intelligence, as they will be working closely with government and external partners.

• Bachelor's degree, plus 4 - 8 years of work experience
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a managerial role
• Exceptional problem solving skills, quantitative and qualitative analytical capabilities
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships in a challenging multicultural environment
• Ability to manage numerous work streams simultaneously in high-pressure situations
• Ability to work independently on large, demanding projects
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
• Ability to fluently speak and write English

Advantages:

• Master's Degree in health, business management, or other relevant field
• Candidates with a mix and a range of private and public sector experience are encouraged to apply
• Knowledge of malaria and/or other major global infectious disease problems;
• Experience living or working in resource-limited countries and/or Southeast Asia;
• Lao language skills

PI99920412

Apply Here

Apply Here