Country Support Manager

Overview

Founded in 2002, by President William J. Clinton and Ira C. Magaziner, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. ("CHAI") is a global health organization committed to saving lives, reducing the burden of disease and strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world.

With the establishment of the ambitious 2020 "90-90-90" treatment targets, there is a renewed focus on initiating HIV-infected people onto ART as soon as possible, and ensuring they remain on effective treatment to achieve viral suppression - both of which require better access to Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and Viral Load (VL) testing. However, access to effective EID and VL testing is hampered, as the market for both tests has historically been dominated by complex, laboratory-based technologies, which are unable to meet the entire testing need in resource-limited settings. These technologies require high capital investment, sophisticated laboratory infrastructure and highly trained technicians that are not available in many settings, and have limited geographic reach. As a result, most patients do not have access to testing on-site where they receive care, instead relying on transportation of samples to and results from centralized laboratories to provide access to testing. Although these conventional, laboratory-based technologies have formed the backbone for national testing programs and have provided testing to many patients, implementation has been hampered by system challenges in establishing effective sample transportation networks, transmitting test results to patients, and optimizing laboratory workflows.

The goal of this project is to speed clinical decision-making by reducing test turn-around time for EID and VL testing. This will enable earlier treatment initiation for HIV-positive infants, earlier interventions for patients with poor treatment adherence, and timelier switching of patients onto more effective second-line regimens in the case of first-line treatment failure. To reach this goal, the project will increase the proportion of EID and VL results that are returned to patients through the scale-up of point of care (POC) products as well as the strengthening of existing conventional HIV diagnostics programs.

Position Overview

The Country Support Manager (CSM) will work with the Laboratory Services Team (LST) to ensure the rapid scale-up and effective management of high-quality diagnostics for high burden diseases, focusing primarily on diagnostics for patients with HIV. The CSM will work with Ministries of Health and CHAI country teams across multiple focal countries, helping to optimize policies and processes, expand access to high-quality diagnostics, ensure that countries have adopted best practices in planning and implementation of testing programs, and support forecasting and procurement of essential diagnostic products.

The CSM will support countries in the implementation of both conventional, laboratory-based diagnostic products and new, innovative POC products that bring diagnostics out of the laboratory and closer to the patient. In particular, The CSM will support countries in adopting the recently published WHO 2016 guidelines and to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets by 2020, by working with countries to develop and implement innovative strategies for scaling up testing and monitoring programs, which include HIV diagnosis (targeting key populations in lower prevalence settings), CD4 testing, Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and viral load (VL) monitoring of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, the CSM will assist countries with the evaluation, adoption, and uptake of new POC diagnostic products, which can reduce the burden of undergoing testing, and improve access to essential tests, particularly in rural areas.

The CSM will also support LST in global negotiations with diagnostics manufacturers to lower prices, and with the development of new procurement strategies such as instrument rental deals to enable easier product switching. Finally, the CSM will help develop LST's market-shaping strategy for fostering competition in the global diagnostics market. In doing so, the CSM will develop strong relationships with various teams within CHAI, as well as Ministries of Health, diagnostics manufacturers, and other external partners in beneficiary countries.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with outstanding credentials, qualitative and quantitative analytical abilities, and communication skills. The CMA must be able to function independently and flexible and have a strong commitment to excellence. CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, work ethic, and emotional intelligence.

This is a challenging but rewarding role, which will have a direct and near-term impact on thousands of patients in need of life-saving health services. The role will be based in Tanzania and will support Malawi and Zimbabwe, with up to 50% travel time.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key advisor to Ministries of Health, CHAI country teams, and in-country and global partners on the expansion of access to diagnostic testing, and the adoption of new diagnostic products and their integration into existing laboratory networks
• Manage and coordinate diagnostics projects across multiple CHAI focal countries, with multiple work streams in each country
• Act as the focal point to manage the relationship between LST and CHAI country teams, including country team leadership
• Share best practices across country program to ensure knowledge is shared on the strategies, tools and experiences of all programs
• Support countries in the adoption of the recently published WHO 2016 guidelines
• Support countries in the development of strategic and implementation plans for HIV diagnosis in adults and children, targeted at achieving the UNAIDS 90:90:90 targets by 2020, focusing on HIV Diagnosis and EID (First 90), CD4 (Second 90),VL testing (Third 90), and integration of TB-HIV services
• Support the adoption of current and new HIV and TB diagnostic products and their integration into existing lab networks
• Assist Ministries of Health to build capacity to perform technical evaluations to drive regulatory approvals and ensure that new technologies perform accurately, conduct operational pilots to demonstrate the cost effectiveness and impact of new products on patient outcomes, and assist with analysis and writing of evaluation reports
• Develop and share deployment models and strategies for how to maximize the impact of existing and new diagnostic technologies
• Prepare impact analysis and build tools (forecasting, budgeting, work plans, etc.) to support countries' activities
• Assist Ministries of Health in the development of testing policies and national implementation plans, and the creation of operational systems to support the wide-scale implementation of new and existing diagnostic products, such as training, quality assurance, and data management
• Work with CHAI country teams, governments, and partners to identify funding for increased and sustainable investment in diagnostic products
• Design and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to measure the impact of new and existing technologies and assess progress against project goals
• Assist LST to manage global supplier relationships through product demand forecasting, market analysis, sharing of market intelligence, and supporting price negotiations
• Provide remote and in-country technical assistance to CHAI country teams and governments in support of work streams related to diagnostics
• Assist senior regional management and countries to identify funding opportunities to strengthen HIV labs and diagnostics, engage potential in-country donors, and support development of concept notes and proposals
• Work with LST and CHAI country teams to identify synergies across programs (including HCV and TB) and support efforts to enable collaboration across programs
• Troubleshoot technical and programmatic issues raised by countries and coordinate appropriate support from LST to address technical issues

Qualifications

• Master's Degree preferred; Bachelor's degree required, with a minimum of 5 years' professional work experience
• Experience working in management consulting, business strategy groups, investment banks, or similar fast-paced results-oriented environments strongly preferred
• Familiarity with global health issues, particularly HIV, HCV, and TB
• Experience managing and developing demanding work plans and budgets
• Ability to navigate government processes with multiple stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills
• Technical proficiency with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Ability to solve challenging problems without extensive structural or operational support
• Able to adapt to fast-paced and changing environments, both internally and externally
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare and deliver compelling presentations and work on complex analyses
• Fluent in English, proficiency in both written and verbal
   

Advantages:

• Lab and diagnostics-related experience, either in a programmatic or clinical setting
• Laboratory experience in either microbiology, molecular diagnostics, flow cytometry (CD4 testing), Hematology, Chemistry
• Previous work experience in sub-Saharan Africa
• Knowledge of workflow related to EID, CD4, Viral Load, POC, understanding the clinical underpinnings of these programs, and general market dynamics of their respective technology platforms and reagents
• Demonstrated growth in responsibility in current or previous roles