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.

The William J Clinton Foundation (WJCF, India), an affiliate of CHAI, has been working in India in close partnership with and under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) at both the Central and States’ levels on an array of high priority initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS, TB, Hep C, Cancer and Immunization; providing effective care and treatment for children suffering from malnutrition, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and malaria; and helping increase access to quality family planning services within the RMNCH+A framework. WJCF focuses on improving market dynamics for medicines and diagnostics, lowering prices for treatment, accelerating access to life-saving technologies, and helping build capacity required for high-quality care and treatment programs.

Cancer Program

With an estimated annual mortality of ~800,000 and an incidence of more than 1.7 million new cases in 2020 (source PBCR Report, ICMR), cancer has rapidly grown into one of the leading drivers of mortality and morbidity in India. Cervical cancer, with an annual mortality of ~60,000 and an incidence of ~100,000 (source ICMR), is the second most common cancer among women in India. Approximately, 90% of cervical cancer cases are detected at a late (stage III and above), leading to a high Mortality Incidence Ratio (MIR of more than 60%). Five-year survival rate for early-stage cervical cancer is 73.2%, whereas the prognosis for advanced stage is poor, with five-year survival rate at 7.9%. Low awareness, limited availability of trained human resources and technology for treatment, broken referral systems and inadequate monitoring are key barriers in access to quality cancer care.

In 2019, CHAI initiated a program on secondary prevention of cervical cancer through improving access to and strengthening screening and treatment (of pre-cancerous cervical lesions) services. The program initiated catalytic support through technical assistance to the Government of Madhya Pradesh, where CHAI is supporting the state and district health departments to,

• build capacity on cervical cancer screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancerous lesions,
• catalyse deployment of new innovative technology / treatment devices and decentralize treatment of cervical pre-cancerous lesions,
• ensure availability of essential commodities and supplies to enable screening and treatment,
• strengthen reporting and referral mechanisms to monitor program impact and ensure positively screened beneficiaries receive appropriate care and treatment,
• create awareness to mobilize beneficiaries for cancer screening.

The program is embedded in the state governments’ program on strengthening access to screening and management of non-communicable diseases including common cancers.

With the objective of expanding access to quality cancer care across India, CHAI is working towards scaling up the technical assistance efforts to other State Governments in India including Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu. Learnings and best practices through implementation of the program in Madhya Pradesh – including on capacity building of service providers on screening and treatment, deployment of devices for treatment of cervical pre-cancerous lesions, and collaterals to mobilize eligible beneficiaries in communities for screening – will be leveraged to catalyse and strengthen systems and processes to increase and strengthen access to screening and treatment for cervical cancer prevention. This is expected to significantly inform discourse and policy on cervical cancer prevention at a national scale.

Role

CHAI seeks a highly motivated, entrepreneurial individual with relevant skills to anchor the initiative in respective states. Candidates must have excellent problem-solving ability, leadership, communication and writing skills, be able to function independently, familiar with public health program services, and have a strong commitment to excellence. The State Program Manager must be able to lead a team of associate/s, analyst/s, and independent consultant/s, coordinate the operations through cross-functional teams, and deliver the work with strong commitment towards excellence. CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, and work ethic.

• Anchor program at the state level and lend strategic support to multiple departments in the state government in operational roll-out of programmatic activities in the state, including capacity building of providers, plan for rapid deployment of treatment devices, initiation of services on screening and treatment, support state departments in improvement in reporting mechanisms and tools, and in roll out of communication activities to improve screening and compliance with appropriate treatment
• Engage, mentor and guide the program team and partners in the state in execution of key program modules
• Monitor program implementation activities; identify potential risks and challenges to the implementation plan and roll-out of activities; work towards addressing potential risks / mitigation mechanisms
• Build and maintain trust-based relationships with key government partners (from national and state level), developmental partners in the state, and other relevant stakeholders to expand access to quality cancer care.
• Support in design and implementation of processes, systems for collection, collation, and synthesis of program data to inform program strategy, operations, and reviews.
• Support program leadership in the overall grant management process including sharing inputs or drafting donor update reports including progress monitoring, budget utilization, risk assessments and sustainability structures.
• Disseminate key learnings from the program implementation in the state with government partners at the state and national level, CHAI program teams in other states and the donor to inform and strengthen interventions on cervical cancer prevention
• Aid and support other aspects of the cancer program by working closely with the CHAI program teams at the states, country and global levels.
• Support development of proposals, work plans, budgets and other reports and documents for ongoing and new areas.

• MBA / MPA / MPP or a postgraduate degree in economics, health / medicine, or related fields
• 10+ years of experience in a demanding, results driven environment; experience in management consultant, strategy, development and/or public health would be an advantage
• Ability to identify and pursue high-impact strategies in complex, uncertain and evolving environments
• Experience of engaging with government stakeholders, autonomous institutions and development partners for improving government’s ability to implement National Health Mission activities in the state
• Exceptional analytical (quantitative and qualitative) skills with the ability to effectively communicate (orally and in written form) and to tailor communication to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to absorb and synthesize a broad range of information, including technical information, and to prepare compelling presentations and reports.
• Ability to be effective in high-pressure situations, handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and set priorities.
• Strong desire to work in a fast-paced, limited-structure, high-pressure, multicultural environment.
• Willingness to travel extensively within and outside the program state.
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Fluency in English and Hindi; ability to understand, read and communicate in the local language (of the respective state) would be an advantage

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