Program Manager: Malaria Access Initiatives in the Asia Pacific

About MMV

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is the world’s leading product development partnership (PDP) dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering affordable and effective antimalarial drugs.

MMV collaborates with government agencies, private and public sector partners, and clinical centers in malaria-endemic regions to bring lifesaving solutions to the people most affected by malaria. Our work is made possible through funding from various sources, including government agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals.

The Asia Pacific region faces unique challenges in its fight against malaria, necessitating targeted and efficient strategies. The access action plan for the Asia Pacific is grounded in the seeks to address the region's specific needs and vulnerabilities and is focused on the overall goal of supporting National Malaria Control Programs and their partners achieve malaria elimination and/or significant burden reduction by 2030. Vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, bear a disproportionate burden of the disease, further exacerbated by the effects of climate change.

The challenges are multifaceted: from reaching indigenous, migrant, and mobile populations, who are often in high-risk categories, to combating the transmission driven by activities such as illegal gold mining and seasonal agriculture. Furthermore, there is a discernible fragmentation in addressing vivax malaria. However, MMV has a well-connected regional team that has been focusing on vivax malaria given the region's epidemiology and the latest tools available for vivax radical cure. Recognizing the need for a more holistic approach to malaria elimination, and the potential for ensuring access closer to the ground for more MMV developed tools, the regional access team will shift from a sole focus on vivax malaria to a more comprehensive approach towards malaria case management. This role is designed against this backdrop.

The primary responsibility of the program manager, reporting to the regional advisor, will be to ensure the smooth operation of the different activities in the region; the position holds a crucial role in coordinating and facilitating communication and joint work-planning amongst regional teams.

About the Role

This role is designed against the backdrop of shifting focus from vivax malaria to a more comprehensive approach towards malaria case management. The primary responsibility of the program manager, reporting to the regional advisor, will be to ensure the smooth operation of the different activities in the region; he/she will play a crucial role in coordinating and facilitating communication and joint work-planning among regional teams.

Responsibilities

Operational Oversight and Coordination (40%)

• Manage day-to-day operational aspects of the program, ensuring effective and efficient execution of activities including coordination with sub-contractors/implementers to:
• Develop Scopes of Work
• Raise purchase orders or ensure purchase orders are raised, shepherd contracts through MMV Geneva contracting processes, respond to queries from business development and legal teams and follow up on approvals with business partners as needed.
• Manage contracts with implementers in the region, oversight on deliverables due from implementers.
• Implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track program milestone progress and ensure reporting is provided in a timely manner.
• Support coordination of the activities by providing calendar management to prioritize and coordinate internal and external partner discussions; support with agenda preparation and compile/disseminate relevant materials for meetings as needed.
• Draft meeting minutes and actions for internal calls; input and monitor action items assigned and other follow-up activities.
• Coordinate travel requests for consultants and external stakeholders as needed.
• Support recruitment processes for malaria project consultancy roles.
• Collaborate with Communications and Advocacy Manager on the vivaxmalaria.org website content and advocacy/comms materials as needed.
• Support ad hoc requests as needed.
• Ensure efficient file management and support meeting coordination in collaboration with MMV events team and key stakeholders. This would include reports, minutes, assessment, resources and other key files on MMV platforms for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned

Coordination, monitoring and reporting of key workstreams (25%)

• Work closely with regional advisor and coordinators to ensure alignment of program activities with overarching objectives.
• Monitoring indicators for all plan of action activities and identifying where the regional team are not delivering on planned outputs and outcomes to raise to regional advisor.
• Coordinate different workstreams on the workplan related to implementation studies, policy change and effective malaria case management and ensure activities are completed in a timely way.
• Prepare comprehensive reports detailing program achievements, challenges, and lessons learned for funders and internal MMV teams.

Financial Management and Budget Oversight (20%)

• Oversee the program budget, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and financial accountability.
• Coordinate with MMV Geneva program team to ensure full transparency and manage routine updates on budgets.
• Coordinate with donors and funding bodies to secure ongoing financial support.

Advocacy and Communications management/oversight (10%)

• Liaise with Advocacy and Communications leads in Geneva to plan out facebook topic series and posts
• Identify key moments of the AP elimination team and raise to Regional team and Advocacy and Communications leads in Geneva

Capacity Building and Team Leadership (5%)

• Identify new administrative or other tools, such as AI-based tools, that could make the teams work more efficient

Qualifications

Master’s degree in public health, global health, or a related field and/or at least 5 years of experience in program management, preferably in a global health context. Experience in providing constructive support to technical teams and identifying areas where team processes can be made more efficient.

Required Skills

The ideal candidate should have a strong background in program management, particularly in global health or public health, preferably in the field of malaria. They should be adept at strategic planning, operational oversight, and have a proven track record in leading teams towards achieving health-related objectives. The candidate should possess excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills and have experience in monitoring and evaluation, financial management, and advocacy. The candidate must have excellent attention-to-detail with a problem-solving mindset. Highly motivated, self-motivated and innovative. Capable of being productive while working remotely.

IMPORTANT

Please note that this position is not an expatriate package. We are hiring locally through an Employer of Record (EOR) and offering a competitive local salary with generous benefits, paid in local currency. Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the aforementioned malaria-endemic country.

MMV is committed to building a talented and diverse workforce, selecting candidates based on their skills, abilities, and experience. We foster an inclusive workplace, free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, political beliefs, age, nationality, disability, gender, or sexual orientation.