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.

Position Summary:

While cervical cancer is preventable in many cases, it continues to generate a significant burden of disease and death in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). More than 300,000 women die of cervical cancer each year, with more than 90% of deaths occurring in LMICs. Malawi has the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the world, with an age-standardized rate of 75.9 and 49.8 per 100,000 population respectively. Cervical cancer is also the most common female cancer among women aged 15 to 44 years accounting 45.4% of all cancers in women in the country.

High prevalence of HIV and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infections, inadequate screening and treatment services for precancerous lesions, late diagnosis, limited access to timely, standard treatment of cancer and palliative care are the main contributing factors for high cervical cancer incidence and mortality. HPV vaccination and effective programs to screen and treat women for pre-cancerous lesions (primary and secondary prevention, respectively) offer the opportunity to move towards elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.

CHAI’s new cervical cancer program, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), aims to reach women with effective secondary prevention services by leveraging existing platforms such as multiplex diagnostics and VIA screening programs to deploy innovative tools on the market that are not yet widely used in Malawi: HPV tests for screening, and portable devices to treat pre-cancerous lesions.

CHAI is therefore seeking a dynamic, flexible, and result-oriented individual with strong analytical skills to support scale up of secondary cervical cancer prevention services through innovative screening and treatment approaches. Candidates must have excellent writing skills, be able to function independently and be self-motivated with a strong commitment to excellence. The Associate will provide support both analytically and programmatically. The position will be based in Lilongwe, Malawi with up to 50% travel in-country, and will report to the Program Manager, SRMNH.

• Work with MOHP and other relevant stakeholders to assess cervical cancer screening and treatment capacity.
• Coordinate and manage distribution of HPV testing commodities and portable treatment devices by developing distribution plans and monitoring deployment.
• Develop tools to monitor and track procurement and distribution, device maintenance and adverse event monitoring activities.
• Work with MOHP to map existing referral pathways and design and implement an effective patient tracking system, including developing M&E tools to support  patient follow up.
• Support the review of national guidelines, treatment protocols and training materials to integrate updates on screening and treatment of cervical cancer.
• Manage all M&E and operational research for the program, including routinely tracking program indicators, design of data collection tools as needed, leading collection and analysis of national and sub-national data, and presentation of analysis to support decision making
• Support the MOHP to develop costed cervical cancer scale up plan and plans for resource mobilization to strengthen the national cervical cancer program.
• Support the evaluation, write up and dissemination of implementation lessons across the project sites by supporting data collection, analysis and developing presentations.
• Closely work with civil society and government channels and engage them in program development.
• Develop strong working relationships and collaborate closely with key government, partner and donor stakeholders at national and sub-national level.
• Represent CHAI at stakeholder and district meetings and participate in national technical working groups and committees.
• Support the Program Manager in donor reporting and work-planning.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Program Manager.

• Bachelor degree in relevant field such as Public Health, Nursing, Social Sciences, or Management.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in demanding, results-oriented environments in the public and/or private sector.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and advanced technical proficiency with MS Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proven ability to operate independently, multitask, and work effectively in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment.
• Natural ability to build strategic relationships and interact with individuals of different backgrounds.
• Demonstrated experience building and analysing quantitative data to inform decision-making and translating analyses into actionable options for decision makers.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support.
• Tenacity and a can-do attitude.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and navigate political environments.
• English language fluency, both written and verbal.

Advantages:

• Masters’ degree in relevant field such as Public Health, Economics, Business.
• Professional experience in public sector policy/planning, health policy and experience with or interest in shaping national health policy decisions.
• Experience working in developing countries, particularly in the health sector and in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Experience working with country governments and international partners.

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