Regional Manager, Tuberculosis

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries, while strengthening the capabilities of governments and the private sector in those countries to create and sustain high-quality health systems that can succeed without our assistance. For more information, please visit: 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.

Overview of Tuberculosis (TB) program:

TB is the one of the top ten causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent. By acting as a trusted advisor to governments, CHAI aims for transformational improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of national responses to the TB epidemic, by supporting the introduction and rollout of new drug and diagnostic products; designing, testing, and supporting the scale-up of service delivery models; and providing technical support in the areas of strategic planning, data management and analytics, costing and procurement and supply chain management. On the global side, the team interacts with donors, manufacturers, multilateral agencies and other partners to identify and implement market-based interventions to improve the affordability and supply security of quality assured TB products, with a primary focus on MDR-TB and TB preventive therapy (TPT) medicines. The team is also engaging in the areas of TB care in the private sector and TB case finding.

CHAI’s curent program areas include:

• Latent TB infection management. CHAI is working to accelerate the adoption and uptake of short-course, rifamycin-based TB preventive therapy (TPT) regimens by:
  • Negotiating lower access pricing and supporting the entry of generic products;
  • Supporting countries to introduce and roll out shorter, safer TPT regimens; and
  • Strengthening programmatic interventions to increase coverage among target populations.
• Strengthening TB case finding. CHAI’s strategic focus is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of case finding programs by:
  • Increasing the use of digital chest x-ray and artificial intelligence-supported interpretation for screening and clinical diagnosis;
  • Supporting the adoption and implementation of sensitive screening algorithms customized to settings and populations;
  • Optimizing the use of molecular testing; and
  • Introducing interventions to improve the affordability of TB screening and diagnosis.
• Improving drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) treatment and management. CHAI is working with our country partners to improve DR-TB treatment outcomes by transitioning to shorter, all-oral DR-TB regimens and improving the quality of care.

Position Overview:

The Regional TB Manager will support several work areas, which include project management, work product development, team operations functions, country support work, and knowledge management. They will work to ensure the rapid scale-up and effective management of high-quality treatments and diagnostics for DS-TB/DR-TB and in the process become a trusted advisor to governments and CHAI country teams alike. Specifically, the Regional TB Manager will work closely with country teams helping to optimize policies and processes to ensure access to high quality DS-TB/DR-TB drugs and diagnostic testing.

In addition, the Regional TB Manager will ensure that countries have adopted best practices of TB and MDR-TB drugs and diagnostic care.

The Regional TB Manager will also be assigned to assist and provide technical assistance to the CHAI Vietnam Country Team with the day-to-day project management of two upcoming operational studies that leverage innovative technologies for diagnosis and surveillance of TB at the country level (approximately ~50% LOE).

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with outstanding credentials, analytical ability, and communication skills. The candidate must be self-driven, adaptable and have a high level of comfort with ambiguity. They will be expected to function independently and flexibly, with little to no oversight. They must be self-assured, a fast learner, resilient, and a strong team player. CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, and work ethic.

The position will require significant regional travel, estimated at ~30-40% (as Covid-19 protocols/policies allow). This position reports to the Associate Director, Global Tuberculosis Team.

The base location is Hanoi, Vietnam.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Regional support (~50% LOE)

• Provide strategic insights to the development of country programs as well as the overall CHAI TB program
• Serve as a trusted advisor to governments and CHAI country teams on a variety of topics relating to access to medicines and diagnostic devices (e.g., drug quality and pricing, market intelligence, regimen optimization, diagnostic accuracy and pricing, procurement, forecasting, new product introduction, product tradeoffs, costing exercises, implementation planning and scale-up)
• Support the introduction of new, improved, or less costly medicines by supporting country teams with the development of new product roll-out strategies for Ministries of Health
• Support country teams with budget and scenario analysis; help develop strategies to advocate for the changes with key in-country opinion leaders
• Provide analytic support to improve data utilization to improve TB program decision making and identify opportunities to increase program efficiencies
• Develop and leverage expertise in procurement best practices for medicines and other health commodities in low resource settings
• Build country capacity on quantification and forecasting practices to avoid stock-outs, minimize wastage and costs
• Act as the focal point to manage the relationship between CHAI country teams and global team members (including the laboratory services and HIV teams and other programs)
• Share best practices and key supply dynamics and access-to-medicine issues across country programs to ensure knowledge is shared on the strategies, tools and program experiences
• Provide mentorship and guidance to country support associates and country staff
• Responsible for tracking and monitoring grant deliverables across CHAI focal countries
• Partner with country teams to devise strategies to achieve grant objectives in line with country priorities
• Responsible for reporting and annual reviews for donors and internal CHAI leadership
• Responsible for maintaining up to date expertise on MDR-TB patient identification to cure practices and knowledge sharing among internal CHAI teams
• Support CHAI TB director & associate director in budgeting/fundraising and team management as needed
• Anticipated 30-40% travel regionally

CHAI Vietnam focused support (~50% LOE)

• Provide technical assistance and general project management support to the CHAI Vietnam Country Team’s designated project lead (and other country team members) with the day-to-day project management of two upcoming operational studies that leverage innovative technologies for diagnosis and surveillance of TB at the country level (approximately ~50% LOE).

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree (public health, global health, epidemiology, medicine/medical sciences, international development, or a related discipline preferred), plus 3 to 5 years of relevant work experience; all candidates are expected to have experience in international/global health programming.
• Experience living and/or working in low- and middle-income countries.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate (orally and in writing) complex issues in a concise, compelling, and easily understandable manner.
• Strong problem-solving skills and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to learn on the job quickly.
• Ability to manage multiple work streams simultaneously, set priorities, and work independently.
• Ability to be effective in high-pressure situations and work in a fast-paced, limited-structure, multicultural environment. Skilled in successfully working with geographically dispersed teams and working in a multi-cultural environment.
• Strong capabilities in and commitment to partnership, co-creation, and respectful engagement with a diverse range of individuals and partners with demonstrated ability to build relationships quickly.
• Ability to act as a strategic thought partner to, and build the capacity of, government partners and country team members.
• Proficient computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.