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 skill sets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with the 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 and Position Overview:

CHAI is working with the Government of Malawi and a consortium of partners to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate a robust project for strengthening maternal and newborn health (MNH) services and improving MNH outcomes. This MNH initiative will focus on operationalizing priority interventions during antenatal care, labor and delivery, and newborn care targeted at the primary drivers of maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths. Under this project, CHAI staff will work closely with the Ministry of Health and a consortium of implementing partners to implement evidence-based strategies that will improve the availability of quality MNH commodities; increase the number, competency, and skill-mix of the MNH workforce; reinforce MNH data in national health information systems; support maternity and neonatal unit infrastructure development; and strengthen referrals and emergency transport for obstetric and newborn emergencies.

CHAI Malawi is seeking an Associate, Human Resources for Health (HRH) based in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Associate will report directly to the Program Manager and work closely with the Government of Malawi to strengthen the development, deployment, motivation and retention, and monitoring of a robust MNH workforce that will improve the health outcomes of pregnant women, mothers, and their children across the country.

This is a challenging but rewarding position which will directly impact the government’s capacity to deliver improved health services for the country’s population. It presents an opportunity to work closely with a government that is committed to finding opportunities for bolstering the health workforce and creating a stronger health system for the people of Malawi.

• Support the Ministry of Health and districts to quantify the optimum number of MNH specialist health workers required to deliver high-quality health services, in line with the Ministry’s integrated service delivery framework known as the Health Service Packages. This will also include working with training institutions to align health workforce production and education for MNH specialists with the country’s need
• Collaborate with the Ministry of Health to facilitate the strategic selection of trainees for postgraduate training supported by program funding, including applying defined selection criteria and supporting ongoing oversight of the selection process
• Provide technical assistance to Malawi’s Paediatric and Child Health Association to plan for and support subspecialty training, including developing transparent, evidence-based criteria for selecting paediatricians for international subspecialty training programs and estimating Malawi’s subspecialty needs
• Support the Ministry of Health and the donor in the monitoring and management of scholarship recipient students across the duration of the program as needed
• Foster strong relationships and closely work with the Ministry of Health’s training selection committee to identify health worker trainees that will be supported by this program, in line with criteria established by the Ministry of Health and donor
• Support the Ministry of Health and regulatory councils to develop and implement certification programming for existing neonatal nurses, including facilitating the development of an evidence-based curriculum for certifying health workers that incorporates hands-on learning and practical exercises
• Provide technical assistance to the Government of Malawi to plan and budget for graduates and recruited health workers, including supporting timely promotion and revising the staffing establishment to align with the quantified need for MNH specialists
• Track and support the optimal deployment of graduates, while monitoring shifts in skill-mix where graduates are deployed in targeted districts. This will include collaborating with the Ministry of Health to coordinate across partners and mobilize funding to promote the comprehensive rollout of information systems for monitoring Malawi’s health workforce
• Support the integration of certification of clinical competencies with harmonized continuing professional development and performance management systems with mentoring from central hospitals, in line with reforms outlined in the Ministry of Health’s Health Sector Strategic Plan III
• Build strategic relationships and facilitate meetings with government officials, donors, and other stakeholders to drive operation and implementation of policies
• Backstop fundraising and resource mobilization efforts for the team, including through targeted technical and coordination support and proposal development
• Provide overall implementation support for CHAI activities under this project, including facilitating partner and team coordination
• Contribute to the development of program work plans, budgets, and reporting for internal and external audiences
• Lead preparation of activity budgets and ensure timely liquidation of all activities once completed, in line with CHAI and donor best practices and policies for sound financial management
• Lead activity logistics preparation and management in collaboration with the CHAI Finance and Operations teams, including disbursing allowances to meeting participants and ensuring that services such as venue hire, conferencing, printing, etc. are available for activities as relevant
• Perform any other relevant duties and lead day-to-day implementation of activities as assigned by immediate supervisor and CHAI leadership

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in health systems, public health, health sciences, health economics, public policy, education or similar subject preferred
• Minimum of two years of professional experience, preferably in human resources for health strengthening, pre-service education in higher education, health systems strengthening, health workforce, health financing, public health, public policy, or other relevant experience
• Knowledge and experience in health systems and/or human resources for health or higher education (health professions education), particularly in low- and middle-income countries
• Outstanding analytical skills and advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Strategically minded and able to think creatively about long-term program goals and objectives, and the detailed steps necessary to achieve these goals
• Structured thinker with experience analyzing and interpreting complex datasets to identify key trends and to translate them into actionable options for decision-makers
• Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills and ability to build strategic relationships with government partners, donors and other stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to deliver excellence in high-pressure situations, set priorities, and adapt to rapidly changing environments
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support
• Strong writer, facilitator, and oral communicator, able to distill and explain complex concepts to varied audiences

Advantages:

• Experience supporting governments and donors to make health policy and health workforce decisions at the national and subnational levels
• Experience in programmatic reporting for donor-funded programs
• Experience in MNH service delivery or programming
• Experience working in resource-limited settings and a multicultural office environment, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

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