Program Officer (Malaria)

Position Type: Regular – Full Time (eligible for benefits)Location: Banmauk Township (1 post) and Pinlebu Township (1 post), Sagaing Region, Myanmar

Overview:Founded in 2002, by President William J. Clinton and Ira C. Magaziner, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (“CHAI”) is a global health organization committed to saving lives, reducing the burden of disease and strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world. For more information, please visit: www.clintonhealthaccess.org.

BackgroundThe Mekong region is currently targeting elimination of malaria with a phased approach by 2030. Myanmar is a high malaria burden country which contributed 75,159 reported malaria cases in 2018 and has a goal of achieving malaria elimination by 2030. The Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) Vector Borne Disease Control (VBDC) program has planned immediate implementation of sub-national elimination according to micro-stratification based on Annual Parasite Index (API). Elimination strategies will launch in low endemic townships first, and expand to other areas as case burden decreases. Previously, 60% of 52 million total population are considered at risk for malaria; malaria risk is especially high among forest, mining, and plantation-related occupations and those migrating nationally and regionally for economic opportunity. Reaching malaria elimination is even more critical since artemisinin resistance has been identified in the region since 2008 and threatens to set back efforts.

Since October 2014, CHAI has been working with the Vector Borne Disease Control (VBDC) program on priority areas for support which includes strengthening case management and surveillance systems. Since 2018, CHAI further extended its support to the Sagaing region to help achieve the required level of programmatic capacity to devise targeted, evidence-based plans, identify sufficient resources to enact them, strengthen surveillance systems, scale-up interventions in high risk and hard-to-reach populations, and coordinate activities to ultimately achieve elimination by 2030.

Position OverviewCHAI is seeking two highly motivated and flexible individual to serve as Program Officers (Malaria) to support the intensification of targeted malaria elimination in Myanmar, in line with the regional drive towards malaria elimination. As core members of the CHAI country team in Myanmar and CHAI’s global malaria team, the Program Officers will provide day-to-day technical and operational support to the Vector Borne Disease Control (VBDC) Program of the Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) and a strong focus for supporting the township in optimizing current strategies and developing and executing new strategies to successfully eliminate malaria. The Program Officers must be a highly motivated, entrepreneurial individuals with outstanding problem-solving, managerial, logistical, analytical, and communication skills. The Program Officers must be able to function independently and flexibly and have a strong commitment to excellence. One position will be based in Pinlebu Township and one in Banmauk Township, with travel to other townships/ districts as required.

Responsibilities: Support VBDC to strengthen malaria surveillance systems, including:

o Supporting and monitoring the performance of existing and new surveillance platforms and applications for improved data collection, reporting, data management, automated analysis and data visualization

o Support to the maintenance of the master lists for the geographic objects (health facilities and villages) in the malaria surveillance system

o Providing technical support to data focal persons/community surveys conducted by Ministry of Health and Sports. This includes development of data collection tools, training material including SOPs, conducting training and coordinating the survey and ensuring completion

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o Supporting NMCP as appropriate to disseminate findings through high-quality presentations and reports including for non-technical audiences Coordinate with malaria implementing partners on surveillance and M&E activities

o Provide capacity building for township NMCP staff on information system, data management and reporting, and other topics as needed

o Co-facilitate subnational level training for Township staff, Basic Health Staff and ICMVs o o Support other relevant activities as requested by NMCP

Support NMCP and VBDC to strengthen malaria case management systems, including:o Provide technical assistance and strategic guidance to ensure healthcare workers have access to quality

diagnostics, and patients have access to high quality medicines, and that they are aware and applying the latest case management guidelines

Support data driven decision making by NMCP and VBDC, including:o Support implementation of active case investigation and detection, and provide feedback on how to improve

the protocolo Providing technical support regarding the management and analysis of malaria surveillance data, and

enhancing NMCP data management: organizing and merging data of variable cleanliness and file type, collate available epidemiological and other relevant data, and assessing quality and suitability for analysis – and treating all NMCP data and data products (e.g. maps) as confidential

o Support the investigation of high-risk areas to determine factors associated with transmission and collaborate with NMCP and VBDC to develop interventions to reduce each locality’s transmission potential

o Identify key impediments to successful collection of malaria surveillance data and work with NMCP, VBDC and partners to develop solutions to rapidly address these bottlenecks

o Supporting the implementation align with SOPs aiming at improving the availability, quality (completeness, uniqueness, timeliness, validity, accuracy, and consistency) and accessibility of surveillance data and the effective use of surveillance-related technologies across the NMCP

Identify opportunities for transformational change at the local, state/region and national level which could enhance efforts to eliminate malaria

Support additional responsibilities assigned by Program Lead

Qualifications / experience University degree with a background in data management or enough professional experience in that area to be

considered as equivalent 1+ years of experience in Malaria or other infectious diseases within a development context Knowledge of disease surveillance and strengthening information systems, including best practices in data

management and familiarity with data management systems (e.g. DHIS2, Microsoft Access, etc.) Experience in training and capacity building Fluency in English and Burmese, both written and oral Ability to work on complex problems without extensive support Exceptional problem-solving skills and quantitative and qualitative analytical capabilities Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral) and ability to build and nurture relationships in a

challenging multicultural environment Ability to multi-task and to be effective in high-pressure situations Ability to work independently on large, demanding projects Excellent understanding of MS Office with proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

Advantages

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Fluency in local dialects within Myanmar Experience working with geospatial data (shapefiles, rasters etc.) in QGIS, ArcGIS and/or other relevant software Familiarity with emerging technologies for web or mobile application development for data visualization and analysis Advanced degree in public health, clinical medicine, or business Experience in monitoring and evaluation Experience living and working in Southeast Asia, including as a native of the region Experience working with Asian governments and institutions

To apply, please go to: https://clintonhealthaccess.org/jobs/

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