Technical Specialist

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: 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 by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

Oxygen Program:

Treatment for those experiencing acute respiratory distress requires oxygen therapy to support breathing. In the context of COVID-19, published data on the literature is all in agreement that COVID-19 patients require hospitalization, particularly those severe and critical cases, almost all of whom require oxygen therapy. In the absence of a proven therapeutic, medical oxygen and supportive respiratory care is a vital lifesaving intervention. The CHAI’s Oxygen Program aims at improving the capacity and infrastructure for sustainable oxygen delivery to both COVID-19 patients as immediate support and scale-up of oxygen therapy for broader respiratory diseases in the long run.

Technical Specialist Position:

CHAI seeks a highly motivated individual with strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills to work as a short-term Technical Specialist (Consultant) in Namibia. The Consultant will provide technical and operational guidance to the CHAI’s Oxygen team and other stakeholders, including support in coordinating relationships with key stakeholders in government, private sector partners, donors, and NGOs. This position is intended to support the Oxygen team in early program stages, with a range of programmatic needs.

• Lead on developing technical guidance documents and materials for oxygen systems application: supporting the Oxygen team and MOH on technical design, development, production, and use of oxygen equipment and ancillary system needs.
• Guide stakeholders to address the system planning, technology selection, specification requirements, procurement, distribution, maintenance, and asset management for properly utilizing oxygen systems and pneumonia and hypoxemia diagnostic equipment.
• Other responsibilities as requested.

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in biomedical engineering or other areas closely related to engineering strongly preferred, plus 2-3 years of related work experience, with a focus on working in developing countries, preferably spanning engineering (e.g., design, production) as well as commercial (e.g., product strategies, sales) areas of the private sector
• Familiarity with medical device quality management systems, including IMDRF countries’ regulatory frameworks and requirements and standards compliance, for the development, testing, production, and continued QA/QC of medical devices
• An ability to quickly understand new technology and complexities in its design, manufacturing and usage is a must for this position
• Ability to develop and manage relationships with multiple stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint
• Ability to travel at short notice

Advantages 

• Demonstrated knowledge of oxygen systems and equipment and biomedical products, complemented by sound knowledge of the legal and regulatory aspects of medical devices 
• Knowledge of health systems

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