Director, Newborn Health

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Act as the global leader for newborn health at CHAI.

• Oversee the workstreams focused on preterm respiratory care and the elimination of congenital syphilis.

• Formulate CHAI’s strategy for a well-rounded newborn health portfolio.

• Take ownership of program outcomes and enhance clinical quality and access to commodities.

• Create a program vision that addresses the primary causes of neonatal mortality.

• Establish priorities, sequence investments, and highlight CHAI’s unique value proposition.

• Provide leadership and technical guidance to newborn health workstreams.

• Spot opportunities for portfolio expansion, such as birth asphyxia and neonatal infections.

• Direct the execution of global newborn health initiatives, ensuring technical quality, relevance to countries, and measurable outcomes.

• Offer technical assistance on clinical intervention rollout, commodity access, procurement strategies, provider training, health information systems, and demand-side programming.

• Lead market-shaping initiatives for newborn commodities and diagnostics.

• Supervise impact models and conduct cost-effectiveness analyses.

• Generate programmatic opportunities from landscape assessments through resource mobilization.

• Forge partnerships with WHO, donors, governments, implementing organizations, and academic institutions.

• Represent CHAI in global newborn health discussions and engage in WHO technical processes.

• Coordinate strategies and learning among partners.

• Draft concept notes and proposals while managing grant components.

• Identify and nurture funding opportunities.

• Oversee and mentor program staff.

• Collaborate with WNH leads, market shaping teams, M&E/research, and country units.

• Contribute to team culture, operations, and initiatives centered on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

• Report directly to the VP for Women’s and Newborn Health.

⛳️ Requirements

• Possess an advanced degree in public health, medicine, or a related field.

• Have ten or more years of progressive experience in global health.

• Hold substantial experience in maternal or newborn health, or related fields such as diagnostic or commodity access programs.

• Have a comprehensive understanding of the newborn health landscape, including causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality, essential interventions, health systems, and supply chains.

• Experience with cost-effectiveness analysis, impact modeling, or quantitative methods for program prioritization and investment case development.

• Proven capability to develop and implement strategies in intricate, multi-country environments.

• Demonstrated success in engaging with and influencing multilateral organizations, bilateral donors, and global health partners.

• Strong analytical abilities and proficiency in working with epidemiological, programmatic, and market data.

• Excellent communication skills, particularly in simplifying complex clinical and programmatic information for varied audiences.

• Proven experience managing and developing teams within a matrixed, multicultural setting.

• Strong work ethic, integrity, credibility, and commitment to CHAI’s mission.

• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in French is a significant advantage.

• Experience living and working in sub-Saharan Africa is a plus.

• Technical expertise in newborn health topics such as preterm care, neonatal infections, birth asphyxia, or maternal infections with newborn implications is beneficial.

• Familiarity with sexually transmitted infection programs, eMTCT, or triple elimination is advantageous.

• Knowledge of market shaping, commodity access, or health commodity procurement in LMICs is a plus.

• Experience in developing investment cases or enabling environment strategies for the introduction of diagnostic or therapeutic products is beneficial.

• Involvement with WHO technical working groups or global guideline development is advantageous.

• Proven success in fundraising from major donor organizations is a plus.

• Experience in building or expanding a programmatic area is beneficial.

• Experience working remotely with a geographically diverse team is advantageous.

• Willingness to travel approximately 25–35% of the year to program countries and global meetings.

🏝️ Benefits

• Equal employment opportunity and a strong commitment to fairness, mutual respect, diversity, and inclusion.

• Flexible work location within one of CHAI’s program countries, contingent upon country leadership approval and work authorization.

• Opportunities for professional growth and investment in team development.

• Collaboration with a global team and engagement with international partner networks.

• Mission-driven work aimed at addressing newborn mortality and stillbirths.

• Approximately 25–35% travel to program countries and global convenings.