Overview:

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.

CHAI’s global malaria and neglected tropical disease (NTD) program provides direct technical and operational support to countries around the globe to strengthen their programs and reduce the burden of preventable, treatable diseases. We support governments to scale up effective interventions for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance, with the goals of sustainably reducing the number of illnesses and deaths worldwide in the short-term and accelerating progress towards elimination of malaria and NTDs in the long term.

Overview of Role:

Vector control interventions reduce human contact with disease-carrying mosquitoes and are responsible for dramatic reductions in malaria burden across Africa. Among vector control interventions, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are most widespread and have contributed monumentally to the reduction in malaria in Africa, accounting for an estimated 68% of the decline in malaria cases in Africa since 2000.[1] Because of the efficacy and low cost of LLINs, the WHO has called for universal coverage of populations at risk of malaria,[2] and over 3 billion nets have been distributed worldwide since 2000.[3]

While most nets are distributed in mass distribution campaigns that happen every three years, routine distribution of nets through antenatal care (ANC) and childhood immunization (Expanded Program on Immunization, or EPI) channels is very important to ensure high net coverage among those at greatest risk of malaria mortality while simultaneously strengthening the primary healthcare system. Routine distribution is chronically underfunded, and multiple issues persist, including consistent availability and issuing of nets through these channels, and quality of monitoring these channels. Performance is known to vary widely across settings.[4]

Alongside in-country teams, CHAI’s vector control and prevention technical team aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of vector control interventions in malaria endemic settings. Building on existing relationships in high transmission countries across sub-Saharan Africa, CHAI is looking to assess the challenges associated with routine distribution of nets in two country contexts. CHAI is seeking a short-term associate who can delve into challenges related to routine distribution of nets in one of two settings, with particular attention to reporting, data flows, data management, and how this data is used to feed into stock management, supervision visits, and other programmatic decisions. (Note: this position will also be available to externs.) This position will be for a period of 9-12 months, depending on candidate availability.

[1] Bhatt, et al. “The effect of malaria control on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015.” Nature. 08 October, 2015

[2] WHO. Achieving and maintaining universal coverage with long-lasting insecticidal nets for malaria control. December 2017. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/259478/WHO-HTM-GMP-2017.20-eng.pdf?sequence=1

[3] Net Mapping Project. Alliance for Malaria Prevention. Accessed 10 May, 2018. http://netmappingproject.allianceformalariaprevention.com/

[4] Miller, J.E., Malm, K., Serge, A.A. et al. Multi-country review of ITN routine distribution data: are ANC and EPI channels achieving their potential?. Malar J 21, 366 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04373-6

Responsibilities:

The associate will help assess routine net distribution challenges in a high-burden context and identify solutions to improve cost effectiveness of this intervention. This work will include, but is not limited to:

• Developing a resource mapping of funding sources for routine nets
• Evaluating the true coverage achieved of highest risk groups and the key drivers for drop-offs in coverage
• Achieving a detailed understanding of the data collected for routine distribution, data flows, how data is used, and areas for improvement
• Identifying opportunities to improve cost effectiveness of the intervention
• Developing a budget and timeline required to resolve the above challenges and meet prioritized opportunities

Deliverables will be shared with government malaria programs and potential donors.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, logistics, public health, or other relevant field
• At least three years of relevant work experience
• Experience in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Excellent quantification skills
• Strong capacity to work with individuals from different cultures and contexts
• Analytical and critical thinking skills
• Ability to synthesize information from primary and secondary sources
• Ability to work independently and multi-task
• High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Advantages:

• Master’s degree in business, logistics, public health, or other relevant field
• Professional experience at a strategy consulting firm
• Experience living/working/traveling in resource limited settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience working with public- and private-sector stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience working with government officials
• Fluency in French

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