Global Health Corps

Placement Organization: Riders for Health
Placement Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
Eligible Citizenship: Malawian

About: Riders for Health is a leading social enterprise and not-for-profit organization based in the UK that manages vehicles to support the work of those whose remit is to reach the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa with healthcare and vital services. Our vision is a world in which health care reaches everyone, everywhere. Our mission is to make the ‘last mile’ the most important mile in health care delivery: creating, showing and sharing the solutions for achieving truly equitable health care. We currently work across seven countries in Africa and are expanding our program through partnerships with health ministries and other stakeholders, supporting and strengthening healthcare delivery systems on as large a scale as possible. We are currently launching a new five-year strategy, which will build on the last 20 years of work and take us forward.

Position Overview: Riders is seeking a talented, highly motivated, and flexible individual to fill the position of Partnership Officer at a crucial time in our organizational development. The position being sought is part of the partnership team at Riders, under the Partnership Director, a role which will directly contribute to the realization of this ambitious and exciting expansion strategy.  This role will further develop our understanding of the needs, challenges and demand for contracted-out vehicle fleet management systems to support African health systems. The research, analysis, and partnership building will directly inform Riders’ strategic approach to vital expansion and support of Ministries of Health going forward.

The role will be based in Malawi and will support partnership development and ongoing relationship management with our partners in-country, but the partnership officer will also support the global team. Therefore, most activities will be conducted from the base location, however limited travel may be required (under 10% depending on funding available) to relevant countries.

Our operations in Malawi are led by the Program Manager, whose role is to have responsibility for the day-to-day operations, for implementing the program strategy and actively contributing to the growth of the program. While the positions being sought will form part of the global partnership team, reporting to the Partnership Director, as the successful applicant will be based in the Lilongwe

Office he/she will also work closely in support of the Program Manager to ensure alignment of responsibilities and objectives and a collaborative approach in achieving Riders’ priority areas.

Responsibilities:

• Support the Malawi Program Manager to manage ongoing contracts and relationships with partner organizations
• Support the drafting and review of documents, proposals, and budgeting/costing for partners in coordination with other members of the partnership team, relevant departments and program staff
• Collect and collate operational, financial, M&E and partnership data on contracts for reporting back to partners
• Conduct comprehensive analysis on the partnership ‘landscape’ in Malawi (‘market scoping”), and possibly other target countries, including researching potential partners, networks and contract opportunities as they arise, producing concise updates and notifying relevant Riders’ staff
• Manage a database of opportunities for the partnership team to present to global health, development, and social enterprise stakeholders
• Under the guidance of the Partnership Director and Program Manager, effectively represent Riders to key potential stakeholders in Malawi and potentially other relevant countries
• Model the economic rationale for partner participation in the services which Riders contracts out, and articulate potential incentives to partner participation
• Under the guidance of the Partnership Director and Program Manager, have input into the design and creation of strategies for Malawi-specific collaborations and new project ideas as such opportunities emerge
• Gather information documenting Riders’ impact on individual partners and writing case studies for use by fundraising and partnership teams
• Drawing upon specialist knowledge in the priorities and processes of global health institutions, operational agencies, and funders – significantly add to Riders’ global health knowledge bank and elevate Riders’ profile within Malawi’s global health community
• Conduct literature reviews on various topics (such as cost-effectiveness in health care delivery) to develop Riders’ evidence base, which will help to inform Riders’ partnership, fundraising, and M&E teams
• Depending on experience, might be required to review DHS and MoH data to demonstrate the effectiveness of Riders’ program

While the main focus for the successful candidate will be Riders’ operations and growth and development in Malawi, due to the global nature of the partnership team function, the individual may be asked to conduct similar research and analysis for other Riders programs as and when necessary. This will not affect the location or placement of the successful applicant.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Exceptional problem solving skills
• Astute comprehension of the need for practically-focused and sustainable development-solutions
• Exceptional analytical ability, including the ability to manage and interpret financial data and models in MS Excel
• Ability to multi-task and to work in an independent and self-motivated manner
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build and nurture relationships in settings of political and cultural complexity
• Ability to be an effective ambassador for Riders, representing our work carefully, powerfully and appropriately
• Knowledge of multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors, their priorities and how they work
• A good understanding of, and interest in, social entrepreneurship and its intricacies
• At least three years of relevant professional experience
• Ability to work independently when necessary, but also to thrive in a team environment
• A passion and impetus for making a difference to the world’s severest problems is a necessity

It is also worth noting that the above outline of core responsibilities of the role is not an exhaustive list and it is the nature of everyone at Riders to perform different tasks as necessitated by changing roles within the organization and in keeping with our overall business objectives. However, this role is deliberately designed to be first and foremost a specialist role so the remit of the set projects are expected to remain highly focused and external facing.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Contract management and business development experience
• Supply chain logistics or public health program experience
• Background working with MoH or other government stakeholders, preferably in Africa
• Background in Monitoring and Evaluation
• Relevant professional experience preferably within a well-established global health institution or, alternatively, in management consulting or similar environments
• Proficiency in French would be a plus!

Living Conditions: Fellows will be provided with housing, health insurance and a living stipend of $650/month. Fellows will also receive an award of $1500 upon successful completion of the fellowship year. Flights to and from the placement site and all other costs associated with GHC programming are included.