Regional Strategy and Finance Associate, Americas

Overview:
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.

CHAI’s global malaria and neglected tropical disease (NTD) program provides direct technical and operational support to countries around the globe to strengthen their programs and reduce the burden of preventable, treatable diseases. We support governments to scale up effective interventions for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance, with the goals of sustainably reducing the number of illnesses and deaths worldwide in the short-term and accelerating progress towards elimination of malaria and NTDs in the long term.

Position Summary:
CHAI is seeking a highly motivated individual to work as part of CHAI’s Global Malaria Management, Strategy & Financing Team. This Associate will directly support governments in Central America and Hispaniola in a strategic role to help countries achieve historic malaria elimination goals.

The Associate will provide direct support at the highest levels of malaria program policy and management in government. Areas of support consist of working alongside country and technical experts to evaluate program impact; develop or refine the governments’ national strategic plan for malaria; support the development of a costing model to assess financial resources needed; assist with cost optimization analysis for health strategies; and provide management trainings and support at the national and subnational levels to ensure ambitious elimination targets are met.

In addition to the general responsibilities above, the Associate will also support the Ministry of Health in Guatemala to develop a Global Fund Funding Request for the current funding cycle to secure key financial resources to help the country achieve its malaria targets. Further, across Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras, the Associate will lead the development and costing of different elimination initiative scenarios.

The Associate will report to the Associate Director of the Global Malaria Management, Strategy, Finance Team, but also have a close working relationship with the regional technical team and country teams.

The Associate will bring outstanding analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills and must be able to work independently and have a deep personal commitment to producing results. No background in malaria is required, but the Associate is expected to be proficient in using Microsoft Excel. Most of all, CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities including resourcefulness, tenacity, independence, patience, humility, and strong work ethic.

**The position will be based in Panama City, Panama, with periods of international travel (40-50%) within the region.**

**Responsibilities**:

- Work with national malaria staff and CHAI country teams to conduct malaria program reviews; update or write national strategic plans; and optimize and cost national malaria programs by building Excel-based costing and budget models
- Conduct costing and financial analyses and support the development of funding proposals and operational plans
- Serve as a trusted advisor to CHAI country teams
- Serve as liaison between CHAI regional technical teams, country partners, and stakeholders
- Build strong relationships with stakeholders across government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector
- Engage with and cultivate donors, including individuals, corporations, and organizations interested in supporting malaria programs
- Draft presentations and reports for internal and external stakeholders
- Coordinate meetings and facilitate knowledge sharing between government programs and partner organization in the region to ensure coordination
- Provide program and budget updates for internal project management, best practice sharing, and donor reporting
- Other responsibilities as needed

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Policy, Public Health, International Development, or related field
- 2-5 years of working experience with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership in management consulting, public health, or other relevant fields
- High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, and moderate knowledge of Word, and PowerPoint
- Fluent in spoken and written English and Spanish (French would be an asset)
- Demonstrated excellent analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to oversee multiple work streams simultaneously, to set priorities, and to work independently and flexibly with a strong commitment to excellence in high-pressure situations
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills
- Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills and ability to build