Senior Associate, Global Lead Exposure 

Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of 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 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 skill sets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with the 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.

 

Lead Exposure Program Overview 

Lead (Pb) exposure is a silent yet devastating global health crisis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Roughly 1 in 2 children in LMICs have elevated blood lead levels, contributing neurological damage, reduced cognitive development, and various health impacts.

 

CHAI’s Lead Exposure program builds on our proven market shaping capabilities and experience partnering with governments to address large-scale and cross-sectoral health challenges. Market shaping is a key pillar of our broader Lead Exposure strategy, with two components: 

Accelerating access to technologies – CHAI is working with innovators and global experts to bring new products to market, including point-of-care diagnostics for blood lead level (BLL) measurement and pXRF devices for detection of lead in the environment. 

Developing market-based interventions to reduce exposure – This includes ongoing work to reduce the use of lead in paint and to shift demand for cheap, low-quality lead acid batteries to longer-lasting alternatives. 

CHAI is also partnering with governments in LMICs to support effective governance and coordination of nationally led efforts to address lead exposure. Through these partnerships, CHAI will provide strategic support to governments at the national and subnational levels, supporting the development and execution of national action plans, streamlining and mobilizing domestic and international resources, strengthening systems, and more.

 

Role Overview

 

CHAI is seeking a highly motivated Senior Associate to support the design, execution, and scale-up of interventions to reduce lead exposure. The Senior Associate will conduct analytical workstreams, contribute to project execution, support country-level implementation, and engage government and external partners to advance national and global goals. This role requires strong analytical, project management, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.

 

This position is ideal for an emerging professional who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments; is committed to solving complex public health and environmental challenges; and can translate evidence into clear, actionable recommendations for governments and external partners. Prior experience in lead exposure or environmental health is welcome but not required; we are seeking strong generalists who are excited to make an impact on this major global health issue.

 

The position can be based within 7 hours of US Eastern Time. It may also be based in a CHAI program country, pending leadership approval. We anticipate the role will require up to 20% travel. We are also open to hiring exceptional candidates with less professional experience at Associate level. 

Responsibilities

Program Strategy & Execution 

• Support the design, planning, and execution of analytical and operational workstreams for multi-country or country-specific projects to reduce lead exposure, including: 
  • Accelerating access to blood lead level diagnostics, including the next generation of point-of-care tools  
  • Increasing access to portable environmental testing equipment to generate country-level data on sources of lead exposure 
  • Supporting nationally-driven coordination mechanisms and national strategic plans for lead mitigation 
• Conduct complex quantitative and qualitative analyses, such as market assessments, regulatory landscape mapping, burden estimation, cost-effectiveness modeling, or surveillance data interpretation. 
• Translate analytical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for governments, donors, and CHAI leadership. 
• Contribute analytical inputs on lead exposure, environmental health surveillance, regulatory approaches, and product testing, supporting government counterparts in interpreting data and developing practical recommendations. 

Country & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Build and manage productive relationships with country teams, academic partners, private-sector actors, multilateral organizations, and civil society. 
• Support country teams working closely with governments in developing or strengthening: 
  • National action plans to reduce childhood lead exposure 
  • Regulatory or enforcement frameworks 
  • Surveillance systems and data management approaches 
• Support CHAI’s engagement in key meetings of technical working groups, partner meetings, and donor discussions. 

Operational & Financial Oversight 

• Monitor execution against project budgets, donor commitments, and donor reporting requirements. 
• Ensure a high level of quality and proactive troubleshooting to ensure the work is completed on time.  
• Support the development of proposals, concept notes, budgets, and strategic plans to expand the lead exposure portfolio. 

Cross-Team Collaboration & Thought Leadership 

• Contribute to the development of global public goods, toolkits, and best practices for lead mitigation. 
• Stay up to date with emerging evidence, policy innovations, and global strategies on lead poisoning prevention, bringing new ideas to refine CHAI’s approach. 
• Collaborate with other CHAI teams (e.g., Child Health, Diagnostics, Women’s and Newborn Health, Global Markets) to integrate lead exposure reduction into broader public health initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, economics, business, public health, environmental health, environmental science, or related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in fast-paced, results-oriented environments (e.g., consulting, finance, pharma).
• Strong project management skills; demonstrated ability to conduct analytical workstreams, synthesize findings, and generate practical recommendations for decision makers. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with government and external partners. 
• Strong analytical (qualitative and quantitative) and communication (written and verbal) skills, including preparing polished presentations and reports for senior stakeholders. 
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint. 
• Humility, curiosity, resourcefulness, tenacity, and commitment to CHAI’s values. 
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Advantages 

• Master’s in Public Policy, Business, Public Health, Environmental Health, or related field. 
• Experience in lead exposure, environmental health, or child health. 
• Experience in market shaping, supply chain assessment, or economic analysis. 
• Experience working with governments in LMICs and/or experience with laboratory systems, surveillance systems, or regulatory work in LMICs. 
• Experience fundraising for social impact programs and/or private sector business development (e.g., management consulting, startups). 
• Fluency in additional languages relevant to CHAI program countries (e.g., Hindi, French, Swahili, Amharic, Yoruba).

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