Associate, Dengue Program

The Clinton Health Access Initiative Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades CHAI has expanded its focus. Today along with HIV we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19 malaria tuberculosis and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer diabetes hypertension and other non-communicable diseases and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines reduce maternal and child mortality combat chronic malnutrition and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health digital health and health financing. With each new and innovative program our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale ensuring that governments lead the solutions that programs are designed to scale nationally and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI our people are our greatest asset and none of this work would be possible without their talent time dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in with the majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work:

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 LAC Overview

In 2014 CHAI began working in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC) to support the Ministries of Health in their goal to eliminate malaria. Since then CHAI has continuously grown in the region and has worked on multiple projects including Digital Health Essential Medicines Medical Oxygen and more recently dengue; providing support to various countries including the Dominican Republic Haiti Honduras Guatemala Panama Ecuador among others.

CHAIs Dengue Control Project Overview

An estimated 50-100 million dengue cases occur each year claiming >40000 lives and imposing a global economic burden of $9-$39 billion. Without intervention this number will continue to escalate due to warming temperatures and urbanization. To date dengue control efforts have primarily focused on traditional mosquito control measures such as treating larval habitats and fogging. However these approaches will be inadequate to address the mounting dengue. Innovative approaches to combat this escalating threat are urgently required.

Wolbachia-based interventions to control dengue and other arboviruses have demonstrated promising efficacy and long-term protection. Certain strains of Wolbachia a naturally occurring bacteria that infects insects inhibit viral growth in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes demonstrating potential for reducing disease transmission. To unlock the global potential of this technology there is a need to enhance the cost-efficiency of Wolbachia programs. This will involve the establishment of a comprehensive political funding and market ecosystem to facilitate the scale-up of Wolbachia interventions.

Position Overview

CHAI is seeking a highly motivated and mission-driven professional to support national efforts to prevent and control dengue with a particular focus on the introduction of innovative technologies. This position will play a cross-cutting role supporting project management and technical activities as well as epidemiological entomological and community-level strategies to strengthen the national response. It offers a unique opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team committed to reducing the burden of vector-borne diseases.

The selected candidate will work closely with CHAIs country and regional teams to provide strategic technical and operational support to the Ministry of Health at local and central levels. Key responsibilities include helping design and implement high-impact strategies for the introduction and scale-up of new tools supporting the generation and use of evidence and engaging with stakeholders to ensure community acceptance and integration of interventions into national programs. The role will also include coordinating multisectoral efforts and strengthening collaboration with national and local health authorities.

The ideal candidate is proactive solutions-oriented and thrives in dynamic field-based environments. They must demonstrate a strong interest in public health particularly in vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria. Strong communication leadership and partnership management skills are essential as is the ability to work across sectors and disciplines. Empathy cultural sensitivity and a passion for health equity are critical to success in this role.

This position will report to the Country Manager and works closely with the regional team. The role is initially based in Guatemala City Guatemala and requires spending at least 50% of the time travelling to remote areas with limited infrastructure and health services.

Strategy & Planning

• Support MoH (national/subnational) to develop and update thenational dengue strategyand subnational operational plans with a focus onWolbachia deploymentand integration with existing tools.
• Contribute tosite selectionand phasing (prioritization criteria risk maps operational feasibility).
• Maintain adeployment readiness checklist(regulatory ethics logistics HR community M&E).
• Serve as CHAIsprimary subnational focal point ensuring alignment between national priorities and local execution.
• Contribute to technical working groups and participate in coordination with academia NGOs and suppliers.

Field Implementation & Operations

• Coordinate day-to-day implementation strategy witharea health teams; track milestones flag risks and drive corrective actions.
• Supportprocurement & logistics(release materials traps lab/field supplies) with CHAI Ops and MoH.
• Oversee the delivery of trainings mentorship and on-the-job coaching for MoH and municipal teams (operations data use CE surveillance) while coordinating the development of job aids SOPs and training materials tailored to local needs.
• Strengthen management and data-to-action practices at district/municipal levels.

Community Engagement & Risk Communication

• Map stakeholders and co-design acommunity engagement plan(leaders CBOs schools municipal authorities).
• Set upfeedback/grievance mechanismsand ensure timely responses.
• Translate technical concepts (e.g. Wolbachia) into clear materials for communities and decision-makers.

Regulatory Ethics & Quality

• Support MoH onregulatory/ethics pathways(vector control biosafety environment) including timelines documents and submissions.
• Facilitate tracking of compliance with national guidance and WHO/PAHO recommendations and escalate issues promptly.
• Help standardize SOPs and QA/QC for field and lab activities (in coordination with MoH technical leads).

Evidence Surveillance & M&E

• Set up and maintainmonitoring frameworksand dashboards for entomological/epidemiological indicators and operational KPIs.
• Coordinate routinedata collection quality assurance and analysis; translate findings into actions.
• Document lessons learned and contribute to operational research (as appropriate and approved).

Budgeting Grants & Reporting

• Supportactivity-based budgeting forecasting and burn-rate tracking for subnational work.
• Prepareconcise progress updates slide decks and briefs for regional MoH and internal leadership.

• Masters degree with a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience or bachelors degree with at least 4 years of relevant experience in projects related to community entomology or public health. Acceptable fields of study include public health entomology anthropology or other health-related disciplines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships in a challenging environment.
• Exceptional problem-solving organization including time management.
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to create compelling presentations briefs and reports.
• Proven experience in translating analysis into action and supervising execution of activities to meet results.
• Demonstrated ability to learn technical subjects quickly and communicate complex issues clearly.
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a high-pressure fast-paced environment.
• High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Word Excel PowerPoint and internet applications.
• Capacity to work diplomatically with policymakers and other partners.
• Fluency in Spanish and English.

Advantages

• Technical expertise in dengue transmission dynamics and interventions including Wolbachia-based approaches.
• Experience working remotely with a decentralized team.
• Experience living and working in Guatemala Central America or similar settings.
• Prior engagement in community mobilization or behaviour change communication projects.

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