Malaria Program Officer (2 positions)

Terms of Reference – Malaria Program Officer
Clinton Health Access Initiative, Vietnam

Position 1: Malaria Program Officer in Quy Nhon City
Position 2: Malaria Program Officer in Ho Chi Minh City
Length of position: One year, extendable based on performance and funding
Reports to: Malaria manager

Background

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a trusted advisor to governments worldwide, helping them transform the way they provide health services. In Vietnam, CHAI works with a number of departments in the Ministry of Health to help reach national HIV, TB, and malaria targets. Established in Vietnam in 2006, CHAI has emphasized a sustainable and integrative approach to health systems strengthening premised on a close partnership with government to build national capacity.

CHAI’s team in Vietnam consists of a dynamic core of 12 staff in addition to resources available at the regional and global levels. CHAI is now seeking Vietnamese nationals to help our government partners strengthen malaria surveillance.

Description

The Malaria Officer will help accelerate Vietnam’s drive towards malaria elimination by helping regional and provincial government counterparts to transition from a malaria control response to a malaria elimination response. This work will focus on strengthening active surveillance systems, especially to apply new case-based reporting and investigation tools, to analyze and interpret data, and to help make intervention adjustments as needed.

As a core member of the Clinton Health Access Initiative’s (CHAI) country team in Vietnam, the Malaria Officer will provide effective day-to-day support to regional and provincial institutions.

The Malaria Officer must be a highly motivated, entrepreneurial individual with outstanding problem-solving, managerial, analytical, and communication skills. The Officer must be able to function independently and flexibly and have a strong commitment to excellence. The position will be based in either Quy Nhon or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with significant in-country travel expected.

This position reports to the CHAI malaria manager in Vietnam.

Main Responsibilities

Support Quy Nhon and Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology (IMPE) to implement their malaria roadmap to elimination. Specific activities may include:

• Helping IMPE to reorient malaria interventions from malaria control to malaria elimination approach
• Helping IMPE to apply new active reporting systems and procedures in alignment with national guidelines
• Helping IMPE to develop other operational plans and materials and to conduct trainings to build provincial, district, and commune capacity execute their malaria program
• Helping IMPE to identify key impediments to the successful execution of the malaria elimination strategy and other national guidelines and work with the IMPE and partners to develop solutions to rapidly address these bottlenecks
• Helping IMPE to review the utilization of new tools and interventions to eliminate malaria and develop operational plans and other materials to support the implementation of these tools
• Support all other CHAI staff working on malaria elimination in Vietnam

Qualifications

• Vietnamese citizen (due to travel permissions) who is comfortable living and working in remote locations in Vietnam
• Bachelor’s degree plus 3 - 5 years of work experience
• Exceptional problem solving skills and quantitative and qualitative analytical capabilities
• Strong written and oral English and Vietnamese communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships in a challenging multicultural environment
• Ability to manage numerous work streams simultaneously
• Ability to multi-task and to be effective in high-pressure situations
• Ability to work independently on large, demanding projects
• Proficient in Excel, Powerpoint, and Word

Advantages:

• Advanced degree in public health or business
• Experience working with geographic information systems
• Experience developing database systems and using statistical software for data analysis
• Experience working with government institutions
• Experience in working with malaria and/or other infectious diseases

A one-page cover letter should specify the position sought and highlight why the candidate believes they are the right person for the position. A CV detailing professional experience, relevant qualifications and three reference contacts should be provided. Interested candidates should send materials to [email protected]. Indicate position sought in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed as they arrive, but must be received by 10 January 2017. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview.