Program Manager, Malaria

Country
Sierra Leone
City
Freetown
Type
Full Time
Program (Division)
Country Programs - Sierra Leone
Telecommute
No
Overview

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 skill sets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with the 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.

Program Overview

CHAI established its presence in Sierra Leone in 2015. While the original intent was to provide assistance related to the Ebola response, preliminary discussions with the government made it clear that the greater need for partner support was in health systems strengthening. In response, CHAI developed a scope of work focused on human resources for health and supply chain management, supporting the Human Resources for Health Directorate within the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Pharmaceutical Procurement Unit (NPPU). Working closely with the MOH, CHAI helped to strengthen the national supply chain and health workforce management systems. This included improving commodity data collection, visibility, and use for distribution planning, and identifying health workforce gaps following the Ebola crisis and supporting measures to address these. CHAI’s work has contributed to strong relationships and trust with the government.

Over time, CHAI has expanded its support to the Government of Sierra Leone to include programmes on sexual and reproductive health, vaccine delivery, assistive technology, geospatial data use (GRID3), medical oxygen, and malaria. Across these programmes, CHAI’s approach is to maximize sustainable impact at scale by ensuring that the Government of Sierra Leone leads the solutions, that interventions are designed for national scale-up, and that lessons are shared globally.

In 2024, CHAI commenced support to the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) of the MOH. At the outset, CHAI worked with the NMCP to understand strengths and gaps within the malaria programme, the broader health system, and the landscape of partner and donor support. Through a set of technical and operational assessments—including a surveillance assessment, stakeholder consultations, a supply chain landscape assessment, a community health worker (CHW) desk review, and epidemiological analysis—CHAI and the NMCP have defined milestones and interventions to substantially reduce malaria mortality and morbidity.

Based on these assessments, CHAI has identified and prioritized areas of work according to expected impact and feasibility. Current focus areas include strengthening data reporting, analysis, and disease surveillance; supporting epidemiological stratification; strengthening the supply chain for malaria commodities and accountability across all levels; updating CHW and geo-registry databases; strengthening the functionality of the CHW programme; and supporting digitalization of vector control interventions. CHAI is also supporting the NMCP to develop the 2026–2030 malaria strategic plan and related applications to the Global Fund. CHAI will continue to consult with government and non-government partners in the country to ensure it adds value to ongoing efforts.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Sierra Leone, the Malaria Program Manager will help shape CHAI’s overall malaria strategy for the country, develop clear operational plans for execution, and continually identify opportunities for CHAI to add value and maximize impact. This is an opportunity to contribute to building a targeted, results-oriented malaria program in Sierra Leone.

The successful candidate will manage all operational and programmatic aspects of CHAI Sierra Leone’s malaria work, act as a trusted partner to government health officials and partners and facilitate the involvement of CHAI’s regional technical teams in delivering high-impact interventions to reduce malaria mortality and morbidity.

The Malaria Program Manager will have a strong personal commitment to achieving measurable results, the ability to navigate complex political and institutional environments, and the patience and optimism to work through challenging constraints. They must be a highly motivated, entrepreneurial individual with strong people and program management, problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills. The candidate must be fluent in English and have excellent relationship-building and communication skills. They must also be able to function independently with minimal oversight and demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence with close attention to detail.

CHAI places high value on personal qualities including resourcefulness, tenacity, independence, patience, humility, and a strong work ethic.

Responsibilities
  • Lead implementation of CHAI’s malaria strategy in Sierra Leone in close collaboration with CHAI’s country, regional, and global malaria teams, ensuring alignment with NMCP priorities and national goals.
  • Develop and execute annual work plans with clear milestones, timelines, and budgets to ensure timely, high-impact delivery of malaria program activities.
  • Support NMCP to strengthen systems and processes for effective execution of the national malaria strategy 2026 to 2030, including:
    • Enhancing malaria surveillance systems to ensure timely, complete, and accurate reporting from health facilities and CHWs, and promoting data use for decision-making.
    • Supporting digitalization and operational planning for vector control interventions.
    • Strengthening malaria case management across public and private sectors to ensure prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
    • Updating policies, guidelines, and operational plans in line with WHO recommendations and national priorities.
    • Supporting the functionality and data systems of the CHW program, including geo-registry and CHW database updates.
  • Coordinate the development, finalization, and operationalization of the 2026–2030 national malaria strategic plan and contribute to Global Fund funding request development, including gap analysis, costing, and partner alignment.
  • Identify and pursue new opportunities for CHAI to add value, based on evolving NMCP needs, partner landscape, and data insights.
  • Manage and mentor the malaria program team, including recruitment, performance management, and professional development.
  • Coordinate with government and non-government stakeholders, including NMCP, DPC, DPPI, donors, and implementing partners, to ensure alignment, reduce duplication, and foster collaboration.
  • Support resource mobilization efforts by identifying funding gaps and contributing to proposal development and donor engagement.
  • Develop high-quality communication materials, including technical reports, presentations, and briefs for internal and external audiences.
  • Track program performance and financials, ensuring activities are on budget, compliant with CHAI and donor requirements, and well-documented.
  • Contribute to cross-country learning by sharing lessons, tools, and innovations with CHAI’s global malaria team and other country programs.
  • In close coordination with CHAI’s malaria global team, draft quarterly country progress reports for donors and internal leadership
  • Undertake additional responsibilities as requested by CHAI’s country leadership to support broader health systems strengthening efforts.
Qualifications
  • Master's Degree in Public Health, Business Administration or related field strongly preferred; or
  • Bachelor’s degree with +7 years of work experience with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership
  • Experience planning and executing complex programs or projects with verifiable results
  • Experience in strategy development, planning, and project implementation
  • Experience working and communicating with government officials and multilateral organizations
  • Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, team building and interpersonal skills
  • Comfortable in peer relationships with senior managers and leadership at the Ministry of Health, including civil servants and other senior government officials
  • Ability to navigate complex government processes
  • Ability to favourably influence decision-making processes in a diplomatic and collaborative manner
  • Ability to work independently without extensive structural or operational support from line manager
  • Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, set priorities, delegate, and work independently
  • Ability to be effective in high-pressure situations and work in a fast-paced, multicultural environment
  • Ability to be patient and to achieve maximum efficiency and impact with limited human and financial resources
  • Strong mentor, manager, role model and team player who demands 100% performance from self and entire team
  • Excellent business-oriented oral and written communication skills
  • Willingness and ability to travel as needed
  • Fluency in English language, both written and oral

Advantages

  • Knowledge of malaria or other global infectious diseases
  • Experience living or working in West Africa
  • Experience working in resource constraint environment
  • Previous CHAI experience
  • Fluency in Krio or other local languages of Sierra Leone

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