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 2018, CHAI commenced working with National Immunization Program (NIP)/Maternal and Child Health Center (MCHC) within the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Lao PDR, to strengthen and sustain immunization services in the context of declining external resources and imminent transition from Gavi support.

CHAI’s work with the NIP/MCHC focuses on three areas:

1. Institutional strengthening at national and sub-national levels to plan, budget, manage, review and adapt the immunization program towards sustained improvements in immunization outcomes, including coverage and equity. This includes provision of on-the-job operational support to the NIP/NMCH and priority provinces to plan, implement and monitor routine EPI.
2. Sustainable financing of the immunization program in the context of health sector and service delivery reforms. This includes supporting NIP/MCHC to identify domestic resources for NIP and achieve efficiencies/savings including through resource mapping to better understand fund availability, flow, and use.
3. Supply chain strengthening, with focus on improving data visibility and ability to address supply chain management issues across the health system and improving distribution systems particularly at the sub-national level. This includes supporting NIP/MCHC in scaling integrated distribution of vaccines and other commodities in additional priority provinces, and improved stock management through data review and corrective action to address root causes of stock outs and wastage.

The focus is on supporting MoH/MCHC to improve and sustain immunization coverage through more integrated, patient-centered maternal and child health, and in a vision for strengthening primary health care and moving towards universal health coverage by 2030.

Position Overview

The Program Officer supports CHAI's Vaccines Program in Lao PDR by providing day-to-day implementation, coordination, and data support across the team's workstreams on routine immunization performance, electronic immunization systems, and applied research. Working under the direct guidance of the Senior Associate, the Program Officer contributes to effective delivery of the National Immunization Program (NIP) by helping ensure that data, documentation, and field activities are executed accurately and on time across national and sub-national levels.

A core feature of this role is regular, high-quality communication and coordination with both Ministry of Health counterparts and international partners. The Program Officer is expected to be a reliable point of contact who can represent CHAI credibly in routine engagements in both Lao and English.

Stakeholder coordination & communications

• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact with Ministry of Health counterparts, sub-national health offices, and international partners.
• Manage scheduling, draft correspondence and briefs, take meeting minutes, and follow up on action points to ensure timely progress.

Data management & monitoring

• Support routine data collection, entry, cleaning, and basic visualization to feed into dashboards, analytical tools, and performance reports.
• Assist with field-level monitoring of immunization service coverage, quality, and equity, including use of electronic immunization systems.

Applied research & learning

• Support research activities on electronic immunization systems, including logistical coordination, field data collection, and basic data entry and quality checks.
• Assist with ethics and protocol documentation and maintain organized, up-to-date study records.

Reporting & knowledge products

• Prepare inputs, slides, and short briefs for program reviews, planning meetings, and partner updates.
• Translate findings into clear meeting notes and summary materials in both Lao and English.

Training & capacity building

• Coordinate logistics, prepare materials, and assist with on-site facilitation for training and supportive supervision activities for national and sub-national counterparts.

Documentation & operational support

• Maintain organized program documentation and proactively flag operational, logistical, or data issues to the team.
• Undertake additional responsibilities as required to support evolving vaccines program priorities.

• Bachelor's degree in public health, management, statistics, social sciences, or allied areas.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience; prior exposure to Lao government counterparts or international organizations preferred.
• Familiarity with information management systems such as DHIS2 and EIR is an added advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in Lao and English, with full professional fluency in both. Confident facilitating meetings with government officials and international partners, drafting clear correspondence and briefs, and interpreting fluently between the two languages.
• Good quantitative skills and working proficiency in Microsoft Excel; willingness to develop stronger analytical skills on the job.
• Strong attention to detail, follow-through, and the ability to manage multiple tasks reliably under guidance in a fast-paced environment.

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