The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: 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.

Position Overview:

CHAI Zambia’s programmatic work is organized into two major programmatic clusters. The first cluster is known as the Non-Communicable and Infectious disease cluster and the other is the Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) cluster. CHAI Zambia is seeking an Associate Director Health Systems Strengthening to lead the HSS cluster. This cluster of programs is comprised of a broad range of interventions targeted at strengthening the Zambian health system across the various health system building blocks.

The Associate Director (AD) will report to the Country Director and will oversee staff and work related to this cluster which includes, but is not limited to, Health Workforce, Health Financing, Assistive Technology, Medical Oxygen, Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health and broad health systems strengthening initiatives in the CHAI Zambia office. The AD will need to take a broad view and ensure effective linkages and synergies among the programs in this cluster and between other clusters in the office. The AD will also provide leadership and strategic thinking around program direction, ensure high quality program deliverables, manage human resource within the cluster and oversees a wide range of internal and external partnerships.

The AD is a member of the Senior Management Team, which makes decisions for the CHAI Zambia office as a whole and ensures effective linkage and reporting between the CHAI Zambia office, relevant CHAI global teams, donors and many other stakeholders. Lastly, the AD is responsible for providing strategic direction and ensuring the coordination of resource mobilization efforts as well as technical leadership in the development of proposals and concept notes for new HSS initiatives.

Program Management:

• Ensure effective management, coordination and synergies across all programs within the HSS cluster;
• Oversee and manage all program staff working on the HSS cluster through talent management initiatives, succession planning and provision of continuous feedback and capacity building ;
• Work with Human Resource in the process of hiring, promotion, and teambuilding to ensure effective team staffing, leave approval, administration and performance in a multicultural environment;
• Provide direct support to program managers in the cluster in their strategic planning, budgeting, expenditure tracking, problem-solving, overseeing project performance against work plans and budget and overall grant management;
• Work closely with the CHAI Zambia finance, compliance, headquarters and donors to ensure compliance with donor and CHAI regulations, ensure sound financial transactions including the approval of expenses based on set thresholds.
• As directed by the CD, serve as official liaison between CHAI, donors, Government, regulatory bodies, partners, and other relevant governmental and non-governmental institutions on issues related to activities on the cluster.
• Ensure effective documentation and knowledge management within the programs and provide technical guidance and oversee quality of deliverables and ensure that communications and work products that are shared externally meet CHAI standards.
• Participate in Senior Management Team meetings and functions and provide strategic guidance and support on issues that affect the cluster.
• Develop new and maintain strategic relationships with senior stakeholders necessary to advance the program objectives.
• In concurrence with the CD, provide strategic direction in reprioritization, expansion, scoping of new initiatives, proposal development, coordinating resource mobilization and fundraising efforts to help achieve program objectives of the CHAI Zambia office.

Technical:

• Lead the design and implementation of projects to support Government’s HSS priorities in Zambia based on WHO and other health systems strengthening frameworks to achieve UHC.
• Provide technical oversight in the implementation and execution of CHAI Zambia’s health systems strengthening interventions and guide evidence-based decision-making regarding policies, guidelines, and program operations;
• Ensure technical congruence between program activities, Governments priorities, and donor requirements.
• Provide in-depth and high-quality technical assistance/inputs to GRZ health systems strengthening programs, policies, strategies and proposal development processes at all levels
• Based on a firm knowledge of the distribution, determinants and distribution of health-related states and events collaborate with GRZ and other stakeholders to develop innovative technical strategies to strengthen health systems at all levels to improve health outcomes
• Provide technical leadership, strategic guidance, oversight and continuity of CHAI’s support to GRZ on the following grants/initiatives:
  • Strengthening accountability across various health programs in the cluster to improve equitable access to high quality health services.
  • Oversee the implementation of the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health program work plans including program planning, budgeting, coordination, forecasting, monitoring and reporting. Including the provision of technical assistance to GRZ to assist with SRMNH program design and rollout influencing national research, policy formulation, strategic documents development and analysis.
  • Increase access of basic health services in rural parts of Zambia by strengthening community health systems including the enrollment, training, deployment, supportive supervision and motivation of Community Health Workers such as Community Health Assistants (CHAs) as well as other community systems strengthening activities
  • Addressing Zambia’s health workforce challenges including the training, absorption, distribution and retention of health workforce as well as pediatric workforce scale up activities.
  • Development and implementation of strategies to build health systems resilience to absorb “shocks’ to the health system including ensuring access to oxygen such as liquid oxygen (LOX). Also, ensuring health worker availability, safety and competence in the provision of both COVID-19 and general health services.
  • Sustainable health financing through improved financial risk protection, financial management and performance
  • Increase access to Assistive Products (AP) and systems for delivering assistive technology (AT) in Zambia. This includes providing programmatic and technical oversight for effective program implementation.
• Ensure all programs in the cluster are on course to achieving their respective targets through effective monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Seize opportunities to build capacity, skills and relationships with Government and cooperating partners to develop competencies that ensure local leadership and sustainability of the programs.
• Perform any other tasks assigned by the Country Director. This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties.

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent plus 10 years work experience; or Advanced Degree or equivalent plus 8 years work experience; or equivalent work experience
• Minimum of Master’s Degree in Public Health, Health Economics, Community Health, Development, Business Management, Public Administration or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in a demanding result driven environment, including at least 5 years of successful experience in a leadership role managing staff and directing a division or a large program in developing countries
• Experience and skills in financial management and performance monitoring are essential
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experiences in health systems strengthening, health workforce, health financing, community health, SRMNH and building heath system resilience
• Working collaboratively across technical disciplines
• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with a wide network of partners and stakeholders