The Country Support Manager (CSM) will work with
LST to ensure the rapid scale-up and effective management of
high-quality diagnostics for high burden diseases, focusing primarily on
diagnostics for patients with HIV and TB. The CSM will work with
Ministries of Health and CHAI country teams across multiple focal
countries, helping to optimize policies and processes, expand access to
high quality diagnostics, ensure that countries have adopted best
practices in planning and implementation of testing programs, and
support forecasting and procurement of essential diagnostic
products. The CSM will also provide support in the quantification and
mapping of funding needs against available resources, helping the
government to identify funding gaps and design interventions and scale
up plans in consideration of current resources.
Historically, the majority of diagnostic testing
for HIV and TB has been conducted on conventional, laboratory-based
technologies using sample transportation systems to expand access to
testing to patients living in rural areas. However, access to these
products is limited in many countries, and Ministries of Health require
continued support to improve the efficiency of these technologies,
expand their reach, and introduce new types of essential tests. In
addition, several POC products for diagnosis, disease staging, and
treatment monitoring have recently become available or are in
development, with the potential to dramatically increase access to
treatment, improve patient retention, and make healthcare systems more
efficient. These technologies need to be integrated with existing
conventional laboratory networks, with an appropriate balance between
centralized and decentralized testing.
The CSM will support countries in the
implementation of both conventional, laboratory-based diagnostic
products and new, innovative point-of-care (POC) products that bring
diagnostics out of the laboratory and closer to the patient. In
particular, The CSM will support countries in adopting the recently
published WHO 2013 guidelines, including the use of viral load (VL) for
monitoring patients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), and developing
strategies for scaling up testing programs, which include HIV diagnosis,
CD4 testing, Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and other opportunistic
infections. In addition, the CSM will assist countries with the
evaluation, adoption and uptake of new POC diagnostic products, which
can reduce the burden of undergoing testing, and improve access to
essential tests, particularly in rural areas.
The CSM will also support LST in global
negotiations with diagnostics manufacturers to lower prices, and with
the development of new procurement strategies such as instrument rental
deals to enable easier product switching. Finally, the CSM will help
develop LST’s market-shaping strategy for fostering competition in the
global diagnostics market. In doing so, the CSM will develop strong
relationships with various teams within CHAI, as well as Ministries of
Health, diagnostics manufacturers, and other external partners in
beneficiary countries.
We are seeking a highly motivated individual
with outstanding credentials, qualitative and quantitative analytical
abilities, and communication skills. The CSM must be able to function
independently and flexibly and have a strong commitment to excellence.
CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness,
responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, work ethic and
emotional intelligence.
This is a challenging but rewarding role, which
will have direct and near-term impact on thousands of patients in need
of life-saving health services. The role will be based in Nigeria with
up to 50% travel in the region.
Responsibilities:
- Serve as a key advisor to Ministries of Health, CHAI country teams,
and in-country and global partners on the expansion of access to
diagnostic testing, and the adoption of new diagnostic products and
their integration into existing laboratory networks
- Manage and coordinate diagnostics projects across multiple CHAI focal countries, with multiple work streams in each country
- Support the adoption of current and new HIV and TB diagnostic products and their integration into existing lab networks
- Assist Ministries of Health to build capacity to perform technical
evaluations to drive regulatory approvals and ensure that new
technologies perform accurately, conduct operational pilots to
demonstrate the cost effectiveness and impact of new products on patient
outcomes, and assist with analysis and writing of evaluation reports
- Design and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to
measure the impact of new and existing technologies and assess progress
against project goals
- Assist LST to manage global supplier relationships through product
demand forecasting, market analysis, sharing of market intelligence, and
supporting price negotiations
- Provide remote and in-country technical assistance to CHAI country
teams and governments in support of work streams related to diagnostics
- Act as the focal point to manage the relationship between LST and CHAI country teams, including country team leadership
- Share best practices across country program to ensure knowledge is
shared on the strategies, tools and experiences of all programs
- Support countries in the adoption of the recently published WHO 2013 guidelines
- Support countries in the development of strategic and implementation
plans for HIV diagnosis in adults and children, including EID, CD4 and
VL testing.
- Develop and share deployment models and strategies for how to maximize the impact of existing and new diagnostic technologies
- Prepare impact analysis and build tools (forecasting, budgeting, work plans, etc.) to support countries’ activities
- Assist Ministries of Health in the development of testing policies
and national implementation plans, and the creation of operational
systems to support the wide-scale implementation of new and existing
diagnostic products, such as training, quality assurance, and data
management
- Work with CHAI country teams, governments, and partners to identify funding for increased investment in new diagnostic products