Technical Advisor, Global Essential Medicines

Technical Advisor, Global Essential Medicines

Country

United States

Type

Full Time

Program (Division)

Child Health – Essential Medicines

Additional Location Description

This role has the flexibility to be based in countries where CHAI operates, pending country leadership approval.

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 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:

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 and Role Summary

CHAI has launched an ambitious effort to scale-up access to treatment for diarrhea and pneumonia, which combined, kill over 1.5 million children every year. Working with the governments of five high-burden countries and leading global institutions, CHAI's Essential Medicines team is supporting intensified efforts at both global and country levels to plan, resource, and implement effective interventions for scaling-up access to treatment for these conditions – specifically zinc and ORS for diarrhea, and amoxicillin and oxygen for pneumonia. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Essential Medicines team has expanded its oxygen work to over 20 countries, supporting pandemic response efforts while strengthening long-term oxygen systems planning.

The Essential Medicines team at CHAI is looking to hire a Technical Advisor to act as a technical leader and subject matter expert in supporting program design, procurement, operations and implementation planning, capacity building, and evaluation of complex cryogenic and gaseous oxygen system activities in CHAI focus countries. These countries are at various stages of implementation to deliver a range of high-impact programmatic strategies.

The Technical Advisor will work with CHAI technical teams, governments, and key stakeholders (private sector partners, donors, and NGOs) to support the rigorous analysis, selection, evaluation, installation, and operational project management aspects of oxygen generation, delivery, and supply chain equipment. The Technical Advisor will coordinate with various stakeholders to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and in compliance with sector-specific technical, safety, and regulatory standards. This role requires strong project management skills and technical expertise in the end-to-end completion of biomedical equipment projects in healthcare facilities (i.e., it involves planning, implementation, and oversight monitoring of equipment deployment and site construction management).

The candidate must be able to function independently, be flexible, have a deep personal commitment to producing results and have a demonstrated ability to lead challenging and complex projects and effectively communicate and collaborate with cross-functional teams. CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities such as resourcefulness, entrepreneurialism, tenacity, independence, humility, passion for the mission, and work ethic.

This role has the flexibility to be based in countries where CHAI operates, pending country leadership approval.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with engineering and country program teams to identify the medical oxygen equipment needs and specifications for various health facility settings. This includes identifying project requirements, resources, and constraints to ensure successful execution.
• Lead the review of technical proposals related to the design, planning, acquisition, installation, commissioning, and ongoing operations of oxygen equipment and all relevant supportive infrastructure (i.e., DWGs, civil/structural construction briefs, medical piping, and electro-mechanical requirements).
• Lead the development of technical guidance documents and materials for oxygen systems application. This includes supporting CHAI and MOH on the technical design, development, production, and use of oxygen-related equipment, services, and ancillary system needs.
• Guide stakeholders through the equipment management life cycle, including system planning, technology selection, specification development, safety and operational risk assessments, procurement, distribution, maintenance, and asset management. This is vital for the proper utilization of oxygen systems and pneumonia and hypoxemia diagnostic equipment.
• Respond to technical inquiries on oxygen system requirements from internal and external stakeholders and provide thought partnership as an expert focal point for troubleshooting and mitigating project-related risks required in CHAI focus countries.
• Coordinate equipment installation, commissioning, and validation activities to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and manufacturer guidelines.
• Support Country teams with the supervision of field personnel, vendors, and sub-contractors during the pre-construction phase, deployment phase, and start-up phase (remotely or in person at the job site).
• Support project monitoring, track milestones, and adjust plans as necessary to meet grant objectives.
• Develop technical documentation, such as Toolkits, FAQs, process SOPs, lessons learned, and facilitate forums to ensure effective dissemination and use across CHAI's Community of Practice.
• Develop training materials, manuals, and SOPs to facilitate user training and knowledge transfer.
• Support the development of tools for equipment monitoring and asset management post-installation.
• Stay informed on emerging technology and research developments in the field, both nationally and internationally, and disseminate this information to a broader team.
• The Technical Advisor will be involved with team travel up to 25% to 30% of the time for vendor meetings, workshops, or site visits.
• Perform other responsibilities as requested.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in biomedical, mechanical, electronic engineering or related fields, with a preference for candidates who have experience in planning, implementing, and evaluating medium to large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Minimum of 6 years of relevant project engineering experience, with a focus on working with medical equipment procurement, installation, operations, long-term maintenance, contract management, and other related supply chain operations.
• Proven project management experience, preferably in developing country settings, with the ability to multi-task, prioritize workload, and quickly solve complex adaptive problems.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance requirements and standards governing biomedical equipment in healthcare settings.
• Proven negotiation and interpersonal skills with senior leaders and external stakeholders – with the ability to promote consensus, communicate progress and results, and proactively resolve issues while ensuring effective work practices and ethics – diplomacy, tact, and courtesy hold paramount.
• An ability to rapidly research, absorb, and synthesize a broad range of technical information related to new technology and complexities in its design, manufacturing, and usage is preferred for this position.
• Experience and confidence working in a dynamic environment with a variety of stakeholders in external agencies, government partners, and Ministries of Health.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to write clearly and concisely and draft technical guidance recommendations, taking into consideration the views of multiple stakeholders.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, including the ability to work independently, self-motivate, and propose new initiatives.
• Strong desire to work in a fast-paced, ambiguous, and multicultural environment.

Advantages:

• Master's degree in biomedical, mechanical, electronic engineering or related fields.
• Demonstrated knowledge of managing the deployment of oxygen systems is an asset (specifically production, storage, distribution, and delivery of medical oxygen equipment and biomedical devices, complemented by a sound knowledge of the quality assurance and regulatory aspects of oxygen commodities recognized by regional and international professional networks).
• Project management certifications or credentials.
• Experience with site reliability engineering and continuous process improvement monitoring.
• Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese.

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