Program Manager, Maternal & Child Health

About the role

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is seeking a Program Manager for its Maternal and Child Health (MCH) cluster in Papua New Guinea, covering Immunization and Nutrition. Reporting to the Country Director, the role provides strategic leadership, technical oversight and project management for the cluster, with day-to-day leadership responsibility for the MCH portfolio and its growth. Performance is reviewed monthly against an accountability scorecard.

Key responsibilities

• Set and manage the program work plan, budget, performance monitoring and reporting to donors, and manage relationships with government and donors
• Serve as CHAI's main counterpart to the National EPI and National Nutrition Programs within the National Department of Health, keep the engagement log current and hold weekly HPV and AIHSS huddles
• Build respectful working relationships with senior government officials, Provincial Health Authorities and key partners
• Represent CHAI in national and sub-national technical working groups, coordination forums and joint reviews
• Mentor and support the MCH team, escalate issues when needed, and foster a culture of accountability and learning
• Oversee the program budget, monitor utilization and flag over- and underspends early
• Lead the planning, implementation and monitoring of the MCH work plan, including annual operational plans and Nutrition and AIHSS deliverables
• Provide hands-on support to routine immunization service delivery, including outreach, supervision and performance improvement at provincial level
• Lead technical and programmatic support for new vaccine introductions, including roadmaps, readiness planning and coordination
• Support the rollout of the National Immunization Strategy and the National Nutrition Program, including timely payment of village health assistants and supportive supervision
• Prepare high-quality reports for government, donors and leadership, including a one-page monthly report to the Country Director, and share lessons learned regionally and globally

Required profile

• Master's degree in public health, health sciences or a health-related field
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in public health or development, with program leadership and delivery responsibility
• Strong experience in vaccines and immunization, including service delivery and new vaccine introduction; nutrition experience is an asset
• Proven experience working closely with government counterparts in low-resource or complex settings
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage multiple workstreams and support field-based implementation, including managing managers and provincial teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Required skills

• Monitoring and evaluation, including designing M&E frameworks, analysing program data and using evidence to improve programs
• Stakeholder management and relationship-building with government partners
• Financial and grant management, including managing a donor-funded portfolio against performance measures