Program Assistant, Health System Strengthening

Program Overview:

The CHAI Malawi Health Systems Strengthening Cluster is comprised of the Sustainable Health Financing and Health Workforce teams, which collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to provide technical assistance, develop analytical tools, and strengthen capacity to manage resources in Malawi’s health sector.

CHAI’s Sustainable Health Financing program is working in 13 countries to support MOHs to substantially and sustainably improve access to essential health services for their populations. Health financing is often insufficient and overly reliant on donors and individuals paying out of pocket at facilities. The goal of the CHAI Sustainable Health Financing program in Malawi is to support the government to progressively move towards universal health coverage through sustainably bringing more resources into the health sector and to ensure they are distributed and utilized equitably, efficiently and effectively for the delivery of high-quality health services.

Furthermore, CHAI’s Health Workforce Program aims to ensure that our partner governments are able to optimize the number, skill mix, performance and distribution of their health workforces within available resources. When this is the case, governments will be able to make progress toward UHC and PHC by maximizing the extent to which available, high performing, and motivated health workers can provide quality services when and where needed. Currently, CHAI partners with the governments of Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia to strengthen health workforce and community health.

Position Overview:

CHAI Malawi seeks a Program Assistant based in Lilongwe, who will be responsible for providing administrative support to the CHAI Health Systems Strengthening Cluster. The Program Assistant will work with the CHAI Health Systems Strengthening Cluster and with government counterparts to execute activities in the team’s workplan, with a focus on meeting planning, logistics, budgeting, and liquidations.

The Program Assistant will report to the Project Manager, District Health Systems Strengthening. 

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the CHAI Health Systems Strengthening Cluster and government counterparts to plan, schedule, and organize activities
• Lead preparation of activity budgets and ensure timely liquidation of all activities once completed, in line with CHAI and donor best practices and policies for sound financial management
• Lead activity logistics in collaboration with the CHAI Finance and Operations teams, including disbursing allowances to meeting participants and ensuring that services such as venue hire, conferencing, printing, etc. are available for activities as relevant
• Support drafting of meeting reports and other required documentation for donor reporting as needed
• Maintain an effective and cordial relationship with government counterparts
• Provide regular progress updates, including identifying and proactively flagging any emerging challenges in activity implementation for joint solution-finding
• Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the Project Manager, District Health Systems Strengthening or the Program Manager, Sustainable Health Financing

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree with at least 2-3 years of work experience in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Public Health, or other relevant fields
• Familiarity with national and district health systems in the Malawian context, including experience collaborating with the Ministry of Health and District Health Management Teams
• Experience in activity budgeting, implementation, and liquidation according to donor policies for sound financial management
• Experience in drafting meeting reports and other required donor documentation
• Proven organizational, problem-solving, and task management skills, including excellent attention to detail
• Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills, including a demonstrated track record of building effective and trusted relationships with government stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to deliver in high-pressure situations, set priorities, and adapt to rapidly changing environments
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of independence
• Team player with excellent verbal and written communication and professionalism
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and Word