Malaria Diagnosis Country Support Analyst

For decades, most fevers in Africa have been treated as malaria, and international guidelines, national policy and treatment interventions have all assisted in institutionalizing this practice. Today, however, scale-up of malaria control efforts has in many places resulted in significant reductions of malaria morbidity and mortality rates. The age-old practice of equating fever with malaria is no longer appropriate, as on average, over 60% of clinically diagnosed malaria is not malaria. Those other fevers are often caused by treatable yet potentially lethal diseases that, with the continued over-diagnosis of malaria, remain untreated. There is growing consensus that for greater health impact, cost-effective management of malaria, and accurate understanding of true burden – which enables better planning and resource allocation – public health policy and interventions should focus on improving fever, and not just presumptive malaria, case management. The most recent WHO Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria state that parasitological confirmation by microscopy or Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) is recommended in allpatients before treatment is started. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is supporting four high-burden countries (Cameroon, Malawi, Liberia, and Uganda) in rapidly scaling up RDTs in the public sector to improve health outcomes and achieve greater value-for-money on RDT and ACT investments. CHAI’s managerial and technical assistance will focus on establishing the building blocks for introducing a new technology (e.g., forecasting and product selection, QA-QC plans, behavior change strategies), and work with the country to identify problems in RDT scale up and test scalable solutions to these challenges. The Malaria Diagnosis Country Support Analyst will be responsible for assisting CHAI’s in-country teams with RDT demand-side activities, including providing necessary ‘fire-fighting’ capacity as required. The Analyst must be able to function independently and flexibly and have a strong commitment to excellence. The position will be based in Kampala, Uganda with frequent travel to the other three focal countries.

Responsibilities:

Provide remote and in-country support to CHAI’s country offices to establish and/or strengthen the building blocks (needed for introducing and scaling up RDTs. For example, establish a case for changing national guidelines; assist in national commodity forecasting; help mobilize resources for, plan and execute a campaign to change behavior. Travel to CHAI’s focal countries to support intensive activities (e.g., survey implementation, forecasting training). Serve as trusted advisory to CHAI country teams and governments on issues related to malaria RDTs (e.g. pricing, procurement, training best practices). Assist country teams and Diagnosis Manager to gather information on related diagnosis issues from secondary and primary sources, including writing short literature reviews and liaising with global technical experts as needed. Send monthly project updates to CHAI diagnosis team members to leverage lessons learned across the team. Assist the Diagnosis Manager with donor reporting and financial management. Support the development, implementation and dissemination of projects to test new approaches to improving uptake and adherence to RDTs. Contribute towards information gathering and documentation of programmatic best practices and lessons learned for national and global audiences. Help refine and implement the strategy for CHAI’s malaria diagnosis program. Create linkages between CHAI’s supply and demand side work to facilitate a more effective feedback mechanism.

Qualifications:

Qualities Required: At least 3 years of professional experience after university graduation Exceptional problem solving skills and 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 multi-task and to be effective in high-pressure situations Ability to work independently in unstructured settings, and communicate effectively within a remote, decentralized team Ability to absorb and synthesize a broad range of information High level of proficiency in relevant computer applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Word Advantages: Advanced degree in public health or related field Experience living and working in Africa and/or developing countries Experience working with African governments and institutions Experience in working in public health, malaria and/or other infectious diseases Experience or training in research: developing survey tools, managing data collection, overseeing contractors, leading analysis Experience in management consulting, finance, and/or relevant private sector experience a plus

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