The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI – formerly the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative) under the leadership of former President William Jefferson Clinton III has worked since 2002 to reduce the pricing of HIV/AIDS medicines and tests, and to work with governments around the world to further turn the tide on the disease by building the systems needed to deliver care and treatment.
In ten short years, President Clinton and CHAI have made a substantial impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This includes seven breakthrough price reductions for drugs and diagnostics. Today, more than two million people living with HIV/AIDS are on lifesaving treatment using medicines purchased under CHAI agreements with manufacturers. This includes two out of every three children who are on HIV/AIDS treatment. CHAI’s greatest work is as a trusted partner to national governments whose efforts have made possible tremendous gains in HIV/AIDS services and public health. In addition to programs focused on HIV/AIDS, CHAI has expanded in recent years to assist efforts to fight malaria, lowering the prices and improving access to malaria medicines. CHAI has also worked with a number of governments on improving the underlying systems needed to deliver comprehensive health care.
In 2006, CHAI signed an MOU with the Malawi government to strengthen health systems in the most challenged districts, provide national support to HIV/AIDS drug pricing and programmatic work, support the pilot and scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) initiatives, expand access to ART for children, strengthen the Malawi’s Lab system, and scale-up an integrated nutrition program for children. CHAI’s support to Malawi has expanded to include Human Resources for Health, Vaccines (pneumococcal and rotavirus), Health Financing and Malaria Testing and Treatment.
Position Overview
The HIV Systems Program Manager will lead two staff in managing CHAI Malawi’s HIV Point-of-Care program, working in close collaboration with the existing Lab Systems team to see through successful scale-up of Point-of-Care (POC) testing in Malawi.
POC has the potential to revolutionize testing and access to treatment in the developing world. POC diagnostic machines offer a faster turn-around of results than traditional diagnostic equipment. This allows lower level facilities, particularly those serving patients in hard-to-reach areas, the ability to conduct critical HIV testing without sending blood samples to larger facilities, significantly reducing barriers to access. POC not only has the potential to increase access to treatment, but improve patient retention and improve overall health systems efficiency. The most immediate application is with CD4 testing, which is used to determine HIV+ patients eligibility for antiretroviral therapy. With limited access to CD4 testing in Malawi, POC technologies for CD4 testing will drastically reduce barriers for patients to qualify and access treatment to life-saving drugs.
Based in Lilongwe, the Program Manager will work closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and development partners to help accelerate the uptake of new POC testing technologies in Malawi. CHAI’s activities will focus on accelerating the introduction of new POC products, evaluating these technologies, forecasting commodity needs and supporting the national roll-out following pilot testing. The Program Manager will be leading CHAI’s in-country presence to accelerate market entry, adoption and uptake of innovative, affordable and high-quality POC diagnostics.
CHAI’s combined activities are expected to increase patient access to on-site CD4 testing from less than 50% to 75%, driving earlier ART initiation and resulting in at least 325,000 additional patients retained due to reduced loss to follow-up, leading to large reductions in mortality and significant extension of life.
Responsibilities: - Working in close collaboration with MOH, the Program Manager will: - Supervise a team consisting of approximately three staff to introduce, evaluate and facilitate national roll-out of new POC diagnostic technologies; - Work with Senior-level MOH staff and development partners on HIV and diagnostics-related initiatives in Malawi, participate actively in Technical Working Groups and support resource mobilization efforts on behalf of CHAI and the MOH; - Oversee CHAI’s procurement of POC devices and related products valued at over $1.5 million per year; - Conduct a select number of operational pilots to develop evidence on the impact and cost-effectiveness of POC products in an effort to encourage uptake; - Work through existing technical and policy bodies to develop national plans and funding mechanisms for new products; - Oversee the development of effective training programs, quality assurance and service and maintenance guidelines, and data management and supply chain tools to support accelerated product roll-out; - Design monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to measure the impact of POC testing; - Drive operational and policy changes to optimize clinic workflow and maximize impact of POC testing; - Provide technical advice and assistance to MOH HIV and Diagnostics departments on lab strengthening related issues; - Provide support and follow-up to district-level lab managers on quality improvement projects; - Develop work plans and budgets, and ensure all activities are conducted in line with them; and - Provide regular reports to Country Director and program staff on progress of activities.
Qualifications: - A Master’s Degree (preferably in Business) from a well-recognized, high-calibre institution; - A minimum of 4 years’ experience in private sector enterprise, preferably in management consulting, finance or health care; - Excellent program management skills, ability to handle multiple work streams and deliver against demanding timelines; - Strong analytical skills and technical proficiency with MS Excel and PowerPoint, with experience developing quantitative models to inform decision-making and demonstrable results developing compelling presentations to stakeholders; - Experience conceiving, planning and executing programs or projects with verifiable results and little external support; - Experience developing training materials and/or reports for broad consumption; - Ability to navigate complex government processes with multiple influencers, and at negotiating and achieving consensus; - Ability to solve challenging problems without extensive structural or operational support; - Able to adapt to fast-paced and changing environments, both internally and externally; - Demonstrated growth in responsibility in current or previous roles; - Excellent business-oriented verbal, visual and written communication skills; and - English language fluency, both written and verbal.
How to apply:
Program Manager, HIV Systems , Malawi
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