Malaria Technical Advisor

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to save, protect, and transform lives in need, CRS operates in more than 100 countries, providing relief and development services without regard to race, religion, or nationality. The organization focuses on various sectors including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation, and it welcomes staff from diverse faiths and secular traditions who share its values and commitment to serving those in need. The agency has a collaborative, mission-driven culture and offers a comprehensive benefits package to its employees, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and retirement savings plans. The organization prioritizes candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of the countries where CRS has offices, reflecting its commitment to local engagement and support.

Job Overview:
The Malaria Technical Advisor will play a crucial role in the USG-funded Reaching every at-risk community and household with malaria services (REACH Malaria) global project, where PATH is the prime contractor and CRS serves as a major sub-contractor. The primary aim of the REACH project is to provide implementation support services and technical assistance to countries to enhance the delivery of comprehensive malaria services. This includes malaria case management, prevention of malaria in pregnancy, seasonal malaria chemoprevention, health systems strengthening, and data collection for service delivery. The advisor will be responsible for providing technical advice and support to Country Program teams, ensuring that malaria programming aligns with CRS program quality principles, donor guidelines, and industry best practices. The role requires a proactive approach to problem-solving and the ability to engage with various stakeholders to advance high-quality malaria programming for vulnerable populations.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Malaria Technical Advisor will be responsible for several key duties, including:

• Contributing to the development and implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in malaria programming that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments.
• Ensuring a cross-sectoral approach that integrates gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction into malaria programming.
• Providing technical solutions to REACH Malaria teams, both remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and design" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">program design and implementation standards.
• Offering overall technical support for the project across multiple countries where CRS leads activities in partnership with PATH.
• Maintaining current technical knowledge on malaria and managing the introduction and scale-up of best practices and interventions.
• Contributing to capacity strengthening initiatives for staff and partners through the development of training strategies, conducting workshops, and mentoring.
• Engaging in knowledge management and learning by collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating activities, and sharing lessons learned.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with donors, national malaria programs, and peer organizations to foster collaboration and share best practices.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must demonstrate a strong application of technical principles and concepts in malaria programming, with a general knowledge of related disciplines to ensure a cross-sectoral approach. Proficiency in MS Office applications and web conferencing tools is essential, along with experience in business development, project design, and proposal development in malaria. The ability to mentor, coach, and facilitate training using adult learning principles is crucial, as is experience in program monitoring and evaluation, including data collection and analysis. Strong networking skills and the ability to manage relationships with diverse stakeholders are required, along with excellent communication and presentation skills.

Educational Background:
A Bachelor’s Degree is required for this position, with a preference for candidates holding a Master’s Degree in Public Health, Health Systems, Medical Sciences, or a related field. The educational background should support the technical knowledge necessary for effective malaria programming and project management.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of eight years of relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role, ideally within an international NGO. This experience should include at least three years focused on programming interventions in malaria, with a proven track record of providing technical assistance and developing successful proposals for external donor funding.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, and proficiency in French is preferred. The ability to communicate effectively in both languages will enhance collaboration with diverse teams and stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
This position is remote and contingent upon funding. CRS will only consider candidates based in countries where it has existing offices, and it does not sponsor visas for remote employees. The role may require travel up to 30%. There are no supervisory responsibilities associated with this position. CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package for U.S.-based staff, while benefits for candidates employed outside the U.S. will be based on the country of employment. The successful candidate is expected to adhere to CRS's Code of Conduct and commitment to safeguarding program participants and community members.