Program Associate – Laboratory Services

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has been working in Swaziland since 2007.  The team began by managing a donation of paediatric commodities to the Government of Swaziland through UNITAID, and since that time has been providing technical assistance in a variety of the Government’s public health priority areas.  Most of the work to date has been done in the areas of paediatric HIV/AIDS care and treatment, increasing access to high-quality, affordable medicines, and malaria elimination.  Currently, CHAI Swaziland is also partnering with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other partners in Swaziland on a project addressing the continuum of HIV testing, care, and treatment, with a particular focus on the benefits of treatment as prevention. This program is called “Maximizing ART for Better Health and Zero New HIV Infections”, or MaxART.

CHAI requires a highly motivated individual with strong analytical capability, for the position of Programme Associate- Laboratory Services.  Supporting the MaxART HIV Care and Treatment Programme Manager, the Programme Associate will provide support to the Ministry of Health in strengthening laboratory systems, particularly as they relate to laboratory services for rural clinics including point-of-care services and sample transportation.

Responsibilities:

The Programme Associate, in support of the Programme Manager, will be responsible for the following:

• Provide technical assistance to the National Clinical Laboratory Services (NCLS) in the development of guidelines, standard operating procedures and manuals for point of care testing.
• Support the MOH to establish new point-of-care (POC) systems in rural clinics including POC CD4, POC Chemistry, and remote data connectivity for these systems.
• Coordinate with various partners and the clinical mentoring teams to develop effective clinic flows in clinics to ensure increased uptake and quality of POC CD4 testing in facilities
• Provide advice and support to NCLS in establishing a minimum package of laboratory services for rural clinics
• Provide support to the NCLS in commodity planning for point-of-care and rural laboratories
• Work with M&E team to support the lab in analysing operational research and performance to guide future roll out of POC systems.
• Provide strategic technical assistance to continue strengthening the national sample transportation system
• Additional tasks as designated by the Programme Manager

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree plus 2-3 years of professional experience in an analytical/project management position
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and problem solving skills
• Strong analytical ability, including analysis of operational research results
• Strong work ethic with a commitment to excellence
• High level of proficiency in computer applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Exceptional diplomacy and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build strong professional relationships with a range of stakeholders in a challenging, multi-cultural environment
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, set priorities, and work independently and flexibly

Advantages:

• Experience living and/or working in developing countries
• Experience working with health facilities and/or the national health system in Swaziland
• Familiarity with global health issues
• Competency in siSwati/Zulu

Please apply online   

Contact Person:      Recruitment Team

Company Website: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/

Closing Date:         7 June 2013

Job Location:         Mbabane, Swaziland