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.

Overview of the Role

CHAI is seeking a highly motivated and mission-driven individual with strong public health management experience and analytical skills to meet the evolving needs of the Panama health sector and the priorities of the Panamanian Ministry of Health to take over the position of Country Program Manager, Panama.

The Country Program Manager will be the strategic leader of the CHAI-Panama team, responsible for overseeing the vision and effective execution of multiple programmatic strategies and ensuring CHAI provides high-quality support to the Ministry of Health. They will represent CHAI directly to the Panama Ministry of Health and have overall responsibility for the performance of the country’s programs, with mainly focus on eliminate malaria in Panama, leveraging the latest technology, epidemiological data, vector control tools and cutting-edge analytics.

The Country Program Manager will directly manage a proactive and creative team of technical and subnational associates, helping them create and execute impactful, prioritized work plans that lead to elimination of malaria and, at the same time, providing coordinated operational and strategic support to the national malaria program. The Country Program Manager will be supported by a diverse and technically strong regional team of entrepreneurial problem-solvers based in the Latin America region.

The Country Program Manager must be able to build and manage effective relationships, identify creative solutions to difficult problems, and have a deep personal commitment to achieving impact. The successful candidate will be hardworking and willing to personally take on any task, while also having demonstrated experience managing large, complex programs and directly managing small to medium size teams. CHAI places great value on the resourcefulness, tenacity, patience, humility, and high ethical standards of its staff.

This position acts as the “Back up Safety Point Person” for all staff members based in and traveling to Panama, in close partnership with the Global Safety & Security Department.

The Country Program Manager will report to CHAI Regional Operations Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, working very closely with the Malaria Regional Manager who will serve as a thought partner and will contribute to a technically sound strategic vision for achieving malaria elimination in Panama.

This position is based in Panama City, Panama. This role requires travel to remote regions with limited infrastructure and medical care.

• Participate with the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the definition of the Country Team’s overall strategy, and continually identify opportunities for CHAI to add value and maximize impact.
• In collaboration with the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, build and leverage strong effective relationships with local key partners and stakeholders, identify and establish additional partnerships as appropriate.
• Support the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean on the fundraising efforts, including new program development, budgeting and the development and management of relationships with existing and potential donors.
• Manage and lead the execution of all components of the Country programs, and ensure deliverables are met on time.
• Lead the planning of CHAI operational and technical support to the Ministry of Health and oversee project performance against workplans. Disseminate outputs through high-quality presentations, reports, and publications and communicate them internally and externally.
• Directly manage a team of associates and establish effective communication and coordination mechanisms within the CHAI team to ensure well-coordinated and executed work streams.
• Contribute, with the regional operations team, to develop clear operational plans for program execution in Panama.
• Contribute, with the regional operations team, to establish robust financial, administrative, and human resource policies and systems, ensuring they are aligned with CHAI global policies.
• Support human resources management, including recruitment and management of existing staff.
• Develop and manage annual program budgets in collaboration with program staff and regional finance team.
• Oversee the financial management of the programs, including monthly cash flow and financial reporting, cash allocations and budget forecasting and planning with the support of the regional finance team.
• With the support of the Admin Coordinator, oversee internal management of the office’s daily operations, including contracting with vendors, ensuring compliance with local laws, and interfacing with CHAI’s legal and financial teams.

In relation to the objective of eliminating malaria in Panama:

• Explore innovative approaches and interventions to accelerate malaria elimination efforts. Stay updated on emerging technologies, best practices, and global trends in malaria control and elimination, and assess their applicability to the national context.
• Continuously analyze program data and research findings to identify trends, gaps, and areas for improvement. Translate these insights into actionable recommendations and strategies to enhance program impact.
• Assist the national malaria program to optimize the allocation of available funding while identifying any remaining financial gaps preventing robust implementation of national malaria strategic plans.
• Act as a liaison between CHAI and national authorities, advocating for sustained political commitment and resource allocation to malaria elimination. Engage in high-level discussions and negotiations to ensure malaria remains a priority on the national health agenda.
• Support regional health offices in Panama Este, Wargandi, Madugandi, Guna Yala and Ngobe Bugle and other high-risk areas of the country to implement, monitor, and evaluate malaria interventions.
• Work closely with CHAI’s malaria regional and global management teams and technical advisors to set strategic areas for expansion and guide strategic planning or proposal development as needed.
• Lead local efforts to coordinate and collaborate with international partners, donors, development banks, and non-governmental organizations to align resources and strategies, avoiding duplication and ensuring a harmonized approach towards malaria elimination.
• Perform other tasks as necessary.

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Business Administration, Health Science, Health economics or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, including management experience.
• Experience conceiving, planning and executing complex programs or projects with verifiable results.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships in a challenging environment.
• Exceptional problem-solving, organization and management skills.
• Expertise in providing technical or operational support to government agencies, their stakeholders, or related complex organizations.
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to create compelling presentations, briefs, and reports.
• Comfortable in a peer relationship with political leaders such as the Minister of Health, as well as civil servants.
• Ability to navigate complex government processes with multiple influencers, and to negotiate and achieve consensus.
• Demonstrated ability to work with organization leadership on strategic, operational, and organizational issues, as a strong yet collaborative team member.
• Proven experience in translating analysis into action and supervising execution of activities to meet results.
• Demonstrated ability to learn technical subjects quickly and communicate complex issues clearly.
• Ability to work independently and effectively in high-pressure, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
• Strong capacity to work diplomatically with policymakers and other partners.
• High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and internet applications.
• Previous experience managing a team.
• Previous experience living and working in a high risk, and/or low- or middle-income country.
• Ability to travel within Panama and/or Central America 30% of the time.
• Fluency in Spanish and English.

Advantages

• Experience executing successful health projects in developing countries, ideally malaria-specific projects and/operational research.
• Experience working with governments and institutions from Latin America.
• Technical expertise in infectious disease surveillance, entomology, vector control, and/or case management.
• Experience working remotely with a decentralized team.

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