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.

Program Overview

In 2019, CHAI Sierra Leone began assisting Sierra Leone's Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to address essential challenges concerning data quality, supply chain enhancement, and the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Over the span of 2019 to 2022, with funding from Gavi and other donors, CHAI Sierra Leone provided crucial technical support to enhance data-driven decision-making within EPI. This included the improvement of data accuracy, identification of key performance metrics, tool reviews, and data workflow analysis, culminating in the establishment of a review and response system in all districts. This effort led to tangible outcomes, notably a substantial increase in stock reporting within the DHIS2 at the PHU level, which in turn enhanced vaccine stock visibility and reduced vaccine stock-outs in numerous health facilities.

In response to the global pandemic, CHAI pioneered the creation of the 'COVID-19 Impact Tracker Dashboard.' This innovative tool was instrumental in comprehending the ramifications of COVID-19 on immunization services at various administrative levels, from districts to individual facilities. The insights gathered from this dashboard empowered EPI to act swiftly, implementing measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of the pandemic on immunization efforts. Additionally, CHAI Sierra Leone has been a leading partner in the introduction of the HPV vaccine. The HPV introduction involvement spanned a range of activities including the identification of the HPV age cohort, coordination at both national and district levels, resource mobilization, and even on-ground efforts like readiness assessments, vaccine quantification, and community outreach programs.

In 2023, Gavi extended support to Sierra Leone to roll out the malaria vaccine in response to the country's significant health challenges posed by malaria. Malaria disease is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five and contributes to high outpatient morbidity rates across all age groups. In alignment with the Sierra Leone National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan 2021-2025, the Government of Sierra Leone proposed introducing the malaria vaccine for children under 2 years.

CHAI will extend Technical Assistance to the Expanded Programme for Immunization and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) on the malaria vaccine introduction covering planning, readiness assessment, vaccine introduction, and post-introduction phases.

Position Overview

CHAI Sierra Leone is seeking a highly motivated individual with strong public health experience and analytical skills to serve as a Technical Advisor to its vaccine program and other programs at large. The Technical Advisor will integrate with the CHAI Sierra Leone country initiatives, collaborating closely with the vaccine team. This role offers a unique opportunity for a talented individual to apply health system strengthening and analytical skills to guide the operations of a country health program team. The successful candidate will report directly to the Vaccines Program Manager and will work directly with government counterparts to assess, design, and scale-up health systems; conduct robust data analysis; and monitor and evaluate the success of ongoing efforts to achieve improved vaccination coverage, malaria elimination and improve health outcomes generally.

Based in Freetown, the Technical Advisor will collaborate with a diverse team of CHAI staff based in country and globally, government programs, academics, technology companies, and public health agencies. The successful candidate will possess strong communication, organizational, and management skills; work independently to drive implementation; have the potential to grow into a global health leader; and have deep personal commitment to producing results. Key attributes sought in the ideal candidate are alignment with CHAI’s foundational values: resourcefulness, entrepreneurialism, flexibility, independence, humility, and a steadfast work ethic. The candidate should exhibit technical and analytical competencies, paired with a fervent aspiration to apply these skills to devise pragmatic solutions in demanding settings.

• Provide technical guidance to establish CHAI operations at national and districts level.
• Liaise with stakeholders to evaluate national immunization commitments, workplan specifically focusing on the introduction of the new malaria vaccine into the immunization schedule.
• Lead the conduct of formative research on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) regarding malaria and immunization, and disseminate findings to inform vaccine deployment strategies and malaria elimination.
• Provide technical guidance in the development of advocacy briefs and engage in advocacy efforts targeting political and traditional leaders at national and local levels to promote awareness and support for the malaria vaccine introduction.
• Support coordination meetings at EPI, NMCP, Child Health program, and other relevant MOHS technical meetings such as ICC by providing technical input to ensure alignment with international best practice.
• Provide input to training materials, strategic documents, donor application documents etc.
• Guide the immunization program to ensure monitoring of first dose malaria vaccination to ensure minimized dropout rate up to the 4th dose.
• Engage with MOH leadership to ensure institutionalization of program strategies and national health policies.
• Periodically review and update guidelines based on new research findings, challenges faced, and lessons learned.
• Provide technical expertise on implementation and research.
• Initiate and lead special initiatives and participate in joint initiatives with other CHAI programs as agreed upon by supervisor.
• Assist country teams to document and share lessons learned and best practices, including inputs on health program reports and technical publications.
• Represent CHAI in academic forums, donor meetings, inter-agency working groups, and various global/regional forums as assigned by the supervisor.
• Engage with the government to ensure a smooth transfer of skills, fostering government ownership.
• Develop and maintain robust working relationships with government entities, internal partners, donors, and INGOs, ensuring optimal coordination of resources and endeavors within the district and at national level.
• Develop and contribute content for presentations and reports tailored to provide program updates to donors and government.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

• Master’s in public health, epidemiology or related field. 
• At least 5 years’ experience in public health, including at least two years in developing countries with increasing level of responsibility including in a technical or management position.
• Ability to work independently and to develop and execute plans to achieve specified impact with limited guidance and a high level of uncertainty, including an ability to multi-task and be effective in high-pressure situations and unstructured settings.
• Enthusiasm for applying research methods to solve global health problems focusing on vaccine, malaria and/or other major global infectious disease concerns.
• Proficiency in data management and analysis, including experience with AEFI systems and tools.
• Experience mentoring and managing junior technical staff.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the capacity to synthesize data into an effective presentation of results and recommendations to guide program implementation.
• Exceptional diplomatic, strategic-thinking, and interpersonal skills, and an ability to build durable relationships.
• Excellent leadership, and team management abilities.

Advantages

• Medical degree.
• Knowledge of vaccines, malaria, NTD and/or other major global infectious disease problems.
• Experience in conducting surveys and data analysis.
• Experience working in fast-paced, output-oriented environments.
• Experience living or working in resource-limited settings.

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