Independent Contractor Associate

ToRs for Independent Contractor Associate
Location: Lilongwe
Number of Positions: 1
Period of Assignment: 1 year, renewable

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to 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. CHAl is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

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.

Program Summary

Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is implementing the Accelerating Commodity Security and Systems Strengthening for Advanced HIV Disease (ACCESS-AHD) project, a strategic initiative designed to safeguard access to life-saving Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) commodities in low-and middle-income countries. The project aims to prevent supply disruptions, strengthen national forecasting and quantification systems, secure sustainable financing for AHD commodities, and transition critical supply chain functions to government ownership before project close.

Implemented from June 2026 to May 2028, ACCESS-AHD is being delivered in three phases: Rapid Stabilization, Operationalization, and Embedding and Handover. The project supports five countries through a tiered implementation model. Malawi, as a Tier 2 country, focuses on strengthening national forecasting and quantification capacity, improving market visibility and coordination for low-volume AHD commodities, and advancing financing advocacy to ensure sustained access to essential AHD interventions.

In Malawi, the project will support three key objectives:

• Strengthening market visibility and coordination for low-volume AHD commodities.
• Building national capacity for forecasting and quantification of AHD commodities.
• Ensuring AHD commodity access is prioritized within Global Fund Grant Cycle 8 (GC8) and United States Government (USG) financing and planning frameworks.

The project focuses on five priority AHD commodities critical to reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality: Point-of-Care CD4 tests, Tuberculosis Lipoarabinomannan (TB-LAM), Cryptococcal Antigen Lateral Flow Assay (CrAg LFA), Flucytosine (5FC), and Liposomal Amphotericin B (L-AmB).

Beyond supply chain strengthening, ACCESS-AHD incorporates a robust clinical monitoring component. The project will collect and analyse clinical cascade data from sentinel sites, tracking patients from HIV diagnosis through AHD screening, opportunistic infection diagnosis, treatment initiation, and clinical outcomes. This integrated approach enables evidence-based decision-making by linking commodity availability and supply chain performance to patient outcomes and mortality reduction efforts.

To support implementation in Malawi, CHAI seeks an Independent Consultant (IC) with a strong clinical background and demonstrated analytical expertise. The successful candidate will work across forecasting, quantification, costing, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement with the Ministry of Health and key partners. The role requires the ability to bridge clinical and supply chain perspectives, generate actionable insights from complex datasets, and contribute to strengthening national systems that ensure uninterrupted access to essential AHD commodities for people living with HIV.

Purpose of the assignment

Provide day-to-day technical leadership for the ACCESS-AHD program in Malawi, ensuring delivery of all required Tier 2 outputs. The IC Associate will strengthen national forecasting and quantification (F&Q) systems for Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) commodities, contribute Malawi demand signals to cross-country coordination mechanisms, and lead the analysis and advocacy required to secure and sustain AHD financing within Global Fund Grant Cycle 8 (GC8) and U.S. Government (USG) MOU planning processes.

The role will also oversee sentinel-site clinical and commodity data collection, analysis, and use for program decision-making, ensuring timely identification of gaps and opportunities for improvement. Working closely with the Malawi Ministry of Health and relevant Technical Working Groups (TWGs), the IC Associate will support national coordination, capacity strengthening, and evidence-based planning. A core objective of the position is to build government ownership and institutional capacity so that key functions are sustainably transitioned to the Ministry of Health by the close of the grant period.

Scope of work and key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain AHD commodity forecasts covering a minimum of 12 and ideally up to 36 months, and revise these across quarterly cycles.
• Contribute Malawi demand signals to CHAI consolidated cross-country forecasts and to supplier and Antiretroviral Procurement Working Group (APWG) engagements.

• Track pipeline risks, lead times, and order fill rates, and flag emerging supply disruptions as soon as they arise.
• Support any pooled procurement or coordinated ordering pilots relevant to Malawi, including local market intelligence.

• Work with the Ministry of Health and AHD technical working groups to build comprehensive but realistic AHD forecasts, standardizing tools and assumptions.
• Deploy CHAI F&Q tools, transition to needs-based forecasting where not yet in place, and complete forecast cycles with progressively less CHAI input, moving toward a fully Ministry-owned final cycle.
• Measure and reduce forecast variance against baseline, targeting variance below 20 percent.
• Support the Ministry of Health to identify, map, and cost supply chain and procurement functions left unfunded following implementing partner withdrawal.
• Participate in south-south knowledge exchange with other project countries.
• Where prioritized, develop a Ministry-owned F&Q and supply chain transition roadmap embedded in the national planning cycle, with formally assigned post-withdrawal responsibilities.
• Develop and drive a structured advocacy plan to safeguard AHD commodities in GC8 concept notes and USG MOU implementation plans.
• Support the Ministry of Health to prioritize AHD commodities within constrained budgets through targeted costing analyses, funding gap identification, and engagement with the Global Fund and partners.
• Track written financing commitments to AHD commodities by product and monitor the value of financing committed beyond 2027.
• Sustain advocacy and stakeholder engagement through the interim period between MOU and GC8 finalization and implementation.
• Sentinel-site clinical and commodity data
• Support selection of sentinel sites and finalization of indicators and data collection tools with the Ministry of Health.
• Oversee quarterly collection of the clinical cascade dataset, from HIV testing through AHD screening with CD4 and clinical staging, TB LAM and CrAg screening, and linkage to treatment.
• Oversee collection of commodity data, including stock on hand, average monthly consumption, stockout days, expiries, and order lead times.
• Conduct root cause analysis of stockouts and expiries and interpret the cascade to link commodity availability to clinical outcomes.
• Ensure baseline assessment is completed, and quarterly reporting is timely and accurate.
• Cross-cutting responsibilities
• Serve as the primary CHAI technical counterpart to the Malawi Ministry of Health and relevant technical working groups for AHD commodity security.
• Coordinate with complementary initiatives, including Unitaid THRIVE, the APWG, and the CQUIN network, to avoid duplication.
• Contribute to Malawi workplans, budgets, and routine reporting, and flag anticipated challenges early.
• Document lessons and support transfer of functions to Ministry of Health ownership ahead of grant close.

Required qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy, Public Health, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Supply Chain Management, Health Economics, or a related field. A master’s Degree in supply chain management, Public Health, Health Economics will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in health commodity supply chain management, procurement, forecasting and quantification, or logistics management within the public health sector.

• Demonstrated experience supporting forecasting and quantification (F&Q) of HIV/AIDS, laboratory, pharmaceutical, or other health commodities at national or sub-national level.
• Strong understanding of health supply chain systems in Malawi, including procurement planning, inventory management, distribution, and commodity security.
• Experience working with the Ministry of Health, Central Medical Stores, Global Fund-supported programs, USAID/PEPFAR-funded programs, or other donor-funded health initiatives.
• Proven ability to analyze commodity consumption, stock status, and supply planning data and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Experience coordinating with technical working groups, implementing partners, donors, and government stakeholders to address supply chain challenges.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Excel and supply chain information systems for forecasting, quantification, reporting, and data analysis.
• Strong analytical, communication, stakeholder engagement, and report-writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

Professional experience

• Experience working with the Ministry of Health, national HIV program, or supply chain system in a low- or middle-income setting.
• Experience with health commodity supply chains, procurement, or logistics is strongly preferred.
• A track record of working effectively with government counterparts and technical working groups.
• Strong written and spoken English, with clear reporting and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple workstreams, and meet deadlines under time pressure.

Desirable

• A postgraduate qualification in public health, health economics, epidemiology, supply chain management, or a related field
• Prior experience with the Global Fund or USG-funded programs and their planning cycles.
• Knowledge of the Malawi health system and existing relationships with national stakeholders.

Reporting and location

Reporting line. The IC Associate will report to the Technical Advisor and will coordinate closely with the CHAI global AHD team.

Location. The role is based in Malawi, with travel to sentinel sites and national stakeholders as required

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit a Curriculum Vitae and a short cover letter to recruitmentmalawi@clintonhealthaccess.org setting out their suitability against the required qualifications and experience, closing date 21 September 2026.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.