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

CHAI is a trusted advisor to governments worldwide, helping them transform the way they provide health services. Established in Vietnam in 2006, CHAI works with a number of departments in the Ministry of Health to help reach national HIV, hepatitis, TB, malaria and vaccination targets. CHAI has emphasized a sustainable and integrative approach to health systems strengthening premised on a close partnership with government to build national capacity so that programs can continue without our support. CHAI’s team in Vietnam consists of a dynamic core of 18 staff in addition to resources available at the regional and global levels.

Vietnam is on the cusp of elimination, with fewer than 1,100 confirmed cases in 2020, highly focalized in only 4 of 63 provinces (Binh Phuoc, Dak Lak, Gia lai and Phu Yen). CHAI has been working since 2014 with the Vietnam Malaria program to support their objective of eliminating P. falciparum malaria by 2025 and all forms of malaria by 2030. CHAI primary focus is on establishing an integrated, sustainable surveillance system to catalyze elimination in Vietnam and deploy subnational staff to capacitate government staff to aggressively pursue elimination through targeted interventions among the most at-risk populations.

Overview of Role

CHAI is seeking a highly motivated individual to work as a Health Information Associate. The Associate will play a critical role in helping the malaria program in Vietnam improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their surveillance systems in order to eliminate malaria. S/he will be responsible for designing and implementing updates to the malaria surveillance system; driving the creation of data analytics and supporting data use; and building capacity of government staff in effectively using and maintaining systems.  The Associate will work closely with local developers, and multiple stakeholders to ensure the malaria program in country has the tools required to monitor and evaluate progress towards elimination. A successful candidate will be able to work independently to drive implementation and have deep personal commitment to producing results. The Associate may also be asked to support other CHAI countries in the region to strengthen their health information systems.

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

Technology design and modification:

• Work with CHAI staff in the country and across the regional to understand technological and non-technological requirements for malaria surveillance, including the monitoring of malaria epidemiology and the impact of malaria interventions
• Define requirements to upgrade the surveillance system in coordination with other staff in the malaria global team, country team, and the government
• Support the design of dashboards to improve data to action practices

Technology development:

• Work with local vendors and developers to manage software roadmap and ensure deliverables are completed in a timely basis
• Develop testing templates and lead end to end testing processes of different information systems to ensure systems works smoothly before implementation
• Coordinate with country team, global team and vendor/developer for the importation of historical data into the surveillance system

Capacity Building

• Help build capacity of relevant government entities to independently use and manage the surveillance system
• Develop manuals, SOPs, training materials and help train staff and government partners in the use of information technology
• Develop and implement SOPs to ensure timely collection of feedback from end users
• Work closely with local vendor/developer to ensure system maintenance is done in a timely manner
• Execute additional responsibilities as needed

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in relevant field (information systems, computer science, medical engineering, etc.) required.
• At least three years’ working experience as a software developer, product manager or in a similar role
• Experience managing developers and ensuring quality timeline delivery of work
• Proven experience in implementing technology-based solutions with users, preferably for disease surveillance and in low and middle income countries
• Experience working closely with stakeholders to coordinate technology design and implementation; particularly government stakeholders
• Experience in adult learning and user centric design approaches
• Languages: SQL, JavaScript, HTML, Java, PHP, and Python preferred
• Understanding of system administration, server set up, and hardware management
• Experience in data management (including managing databases) and data analysis
• Proficiency in Access, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Ability to be effective, calm, and flexible in high-pressure situations, to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and to effectively prioritize
• Ability to communicate effectively with people of varied professional and cultural backgrounds
• Fluency in Vietnamese

Advantages

• Knowledge of malaria or other global infectious diseases and understanding of disease surveillance (including surveillance platforms)
• Experience living or working in resource-limited countries
• Familiarity with emerging technologies for web or mobile application development for data visualization and analysis (business intelligence/analytics tools, Tableau, etc.)