Head of Programmes

Luke International- Malawi (LIN-Malawi) is an independent non-governmental organization that has been working with the Government of the Republic of Malawi (GoM) in HIV and AIDS, TB and related health issues in the health sector to improve health information systems since 2009. LIN’s mission is to promote activities that increase local human capacity and technical competence for providing HIV and AIDS care and support and advocate people to attain universal health coverage goals in Malawi. LIN is collaborating with the Ministry of Health, implementing partners, academic institutions, and hospitals, community-based organizations and international/domestic partners to provide ongoing technical assistance and implement digital health and information technology programs.

Luke International is opening the following positions in Mzuzu;

Head of Programmes (1 Position)

Reports to : The Country Representative
Location : Mzuzu

Overview of the position

The Head of Programmes provides overall leadership, strategic direction, and coordination of LIN’s programme portfolio in Malawi. This role ensures that all digital health, public health, and community-based projects are designed, implemented, and evaluated in alignment with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Education and all relevant Government of Malawi’s policies, donor requirements, and LIN’s strategic vision.

As a senior leadership position, the Head of Programmes serves as one of the deputies to the Country Representative, acting as the key link between programme implementation, research, and external stakeholders.

The role

balances technical oversight with programme management and plays a critical function in ensuring that LIN’s initiatives contribute to sustainable health system strengthening, local community developments and international visibility. The Head of Programmes will explore new thematic and geographical approaches and contribute to innovations in line with LIN’s strategic vision.

Duties & Responsibilities:

A. Programme Oversight & Coordination

• Provide strategic leadership for all programmes under LIN Malawi, ensuring coherence, efficiency, and impact.
• Develop quarterly, annual and multi-year programme plans, cost-drivers, and results frameworks in consultation with program teams and research and innovation department teams.
• Ensure compliance with funder requirements, reporting standards, and government regulations.
• Oversee coordination across programmes, preventing duplication and promoting synergy.
• Support proposal develooment and resource mobilisation initiatives.
• Maintain and develop partner and donor relations and networks relevant to LIN programmatic engagement.
• Explore new donor partners and programme opportunities.

B. Technical & Digital Health Strategy

• Guide the strategic direction of digital health initiatives (e.g., MaHIS, ICHIS, OHSP, WCB), ensuring alignment with MoH priorities and global standards (HL7/FHIR, OpenHIE, DHIS2).
• Provide high-level technical input into project design and system architecture (without direct responsibility for coding or system administration).
• Ensure quality assurance processes, system interoperability, and sustainability measures are integrated into programme design.

C. Community Development Strategy

• Oversee high-level technical input into project design, development, execution, monitoring and evaluation of the project.
• Ensure quality assurance of the community project activities, community engagement and sustainability measures are embedded into Malawi’s and global development context.
• Guide the strategy direction of community development towards integration with digital information systems.
• Explore approaches that may expand the scope of LIN’s community development engagement.

D. Research, Monitoring & Knowledge Translation

• Collaborate with the Research & Innovation team to ensure robust monitoring and evaluation across all programmes.
• Promote knowledge translation of programme outputs into policy briefs, academic publications, and international conference presentations.
• Support operational research initiatives and facilitate learning across projects.

E. Capacity Building & Stakeholder Engagement

• Strengthen capacity of LIN-Malawi programme staff through coaching, training, and mentoring.
• Cultivate strong relationships with MoH, donors, implementing partners, and community stakeholders.
• Represent LIN-Malawi in technical working groups, consortium meetings, and international forums.

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Global Health, Health Information Systems, International Development, Management, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of 7-10 years in programme management in health, digital health, or international development, with at least 5 years in a leadership/ supervisory role.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work with internal teams and external stakeholders including government bodies, auditors, and development funders.

Required Skills

Technical Knowledge:

• Strong understanding of digital health systems, standards, architecture design, and interoperability frameworks (e.g., HL7/FHIR, DHIS2, OpenHIE) – for digital health-related development projects.
• Familiarity with public health programme design, implementation, management, and evaluation.
• Not required to code but must be able to oversee and guide technical teams with coding (software programming) knowledge.

Skills & Attributes:

• Strong strategic leadership and people management skills, with the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation and negotiation.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to work effectively in diverse environments.
• Strategic thinker with problem-solving capacity and adaptability
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work with internal teams and external stakeholders including government bodies, auditors, and donors.

Knowledge on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, is a prerequisite for both positions. The above role falls under Category VI of LIN’s salary framework with an expected annual gross salary between MWK 49,000,000 and MWK 72,300,000, commensurate with experience and level of responsibility. Placement within the stated salary range will be based on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and level of expertise.

Those who meet the above responsibilities and requirements should submit their updated CVs and application letter as one attachment, quoting the position to the following email address: hr@linmalawi.org postal or hand delivered to:

Human Resources
Luke international
P. O. Box 1088
MZUZU

Deadline for submission is 11th November 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Luke International – To Restore Humans Health and Dignity