Program Manager, Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health

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.

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

 

Uganda has made significant progress in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality since 2016, with maternal mortality declining by 44% from 338 to 189 deaths per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality by 18.5% from 27 to 22 deaths per 1,000 live births. However, mortality remains unacceptably high, driven by causes such as birth asphyxia, prematurity, and maternal haemorrhage, with many deaths resulting from delays in recognizing danger signs, seeking care, reaching capable facilities, and receiving timely treatment. Strengthening emergency referral systems is therefore critical and requires functional communication and transport linkages, improved triage and referral protocols, and timely, safe transfer of women and newborns requiring emergency care. CHAI Uganda’s Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health (SRMNH) Program partners with the Ministry of Health to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by expanding access to priority family planning, maternal and newborn health products and services, while strengthening emergency referral pathways at community, health facility, and district levels.

 

POSITION OVERVIEW

 

Reporting to the Senior Program Manager – SRMNH, the Program Manager will provide technical and operational leadership for CHAI Uganda's Emergency Referral Systems (ERS) program. He/she will be responsible for overseeing the design, delivery, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions across the program's workstreams.

 

The Program Manager will play a key role in steering the ERS team toward delivering on program objectives in an efficient and timely manner. He/she will supervise a small team of program associates and will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, partner organizations, and CHAI's global Women and Newborn team. CHAI is seeking a motivated and mission-oriented individual with strong analytic, problem-solving and communication skills, a demonstrated track record of project delivery in a results-focused environment, and experience working effectively within government health systems.

Responsibilities

Program Management and Leadership

• Lead the design, implementation, monitoring and reporting of assigned SRMNCH cluster program activities across all workstreams, ensuring delivery against grant objectives and donor commitments.
• Develop and maintain structured program work plans, results frameworks, risk registers and budget plans, ensuring effective program execution and accountability.
• Lead quarterly and annual program performance reviews and develop an accountability culture within the team.
• Identify strategic areas for program expansion or redirection and guide strategic planning and proposal development for fundraising opportunities.
• Facilitate fundraising and business development efforts through grant writing, desk reviews and related documentation.
• Ensure effective documentation, file management and dissemination of best practices and lessons learned from program implementation.

Relationship Management

• Lead the development and management of key relationships with Ministry of Health Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) department and the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department leads, district health teams, partner organizations, national professional associations, and other public and private sector entities affiliated to the program.
• Represent CHAI at national and subnational technical working groups, partner coordination forums, and other high-level engagements.
• Collaborate with partners in the target districts to ensure synergies and avoid duplication.
• Facilitate cross-program collaboration within CHAI Uganda to leverage shared expertise, identify opportunities to align workstreams, and strengthen synergies across teams.
• Maintain regular interaction with CHAI's global teams, providing updates and insights from the Uganda program, soliciting input and guidance, and contributing to cross-country learning.
• Guide program staff in navigating complex stakeholder relationships and facilitate positive and collaborative decision-making processes.

Strategic Communication

• Lead the development of high-quality internal and external program reports, donor updates, presentations, and other knowledge products.
• Synthesize complex program data into clear, actionable insights and recommendations for diverse audiences including government officials, donors, and internal teams.
• Lead documentation and dissemination of best practices in the form of case studies, success stories, abstracts, and other knowledge products.
• Represent CHAI Uganda's ERS program in national and global engagements and foster effective exchange of best practices. 

People Management

• Manage, develop, and motivate a team of 2–3 members to deliver on program objectives, providing hands-on guidance, constructive feedback, and identifying opportunities for skill development and career growth.
• Foster an innovative and high-performing team environment, a culture of high performance, professionalism, continuous improvement across a diverse and dynamic team, ensuring team members clearly understand their roles within the broader program.
• Build team capacity in project management, data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and compliance with CHAI policies and protocols.
• Be a role model and team player who demonstrates high performance and effectively transfers knowledge and skills within the program team.
• Proactively identify and address programmatic and performance management matters that arise. 

Financial Management

• Lead program budget planning, tracking, and reporting across of assigned budgets.
• Lead allocation of team resources and prioritization of program activities in line with donor requirements and program objectives.
• Coordinate allocation of team resources and prioritization of team activities with the Program Managers of other CHAI Uganda teams to facilitate cross-team design and implementation
• Lead development and review of financial and donor reports on program budget execution.
• Ensure compliance with CHAI Uganda finance and operations policies across all program activities.
• Support resource allocation and prioritization of program activities to maximise efficiency and impact across assigned projects in collaboration with the supervisor 

Problem-Solving

• Lead the team in proactively identifying and managing program-related risks and escalating sensitive issues as needed.
• Apply a rigorous, data-driven approach to program problem-solving, developing insights and recommendations with clear evidence base.
• Analyse and draw conclusions from program data and present findings to key stakeholders to inform decision-making and course corrections.
• Develop and refine approaches and tools to improve program processes and optimize impact.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the broader implications and potential ripple effects of decisions across program areas. 
• Lead the development of innovative tools and approaches, and support documentation and dissemination of best practices and lessons learned. 
• Undertake additional responsibilities in relation to addressing emerging cluster priorities as assigned to support program objectives. 

Technical

• Provide technical leadership in the design and implementation of ERS interventions, adopting a quality improvement approach to increase access to timely, high quality, maternal and newborn health services.
• Provide technical guidance to partners and government counterparts in ERS logistics management, capacity building, demand generation, monitoring and evaluation, and health systems strengthening.
• Design and implement program performance-monitoring plans to track the impact of technical activities and system-strengthening interventions.
• Perform any other tasks as requested by the supervisor.

Qualifications

Education

• Master's degree strongly preferred in public health, business administration, or a related field; bachelor's degree minimum with exceptional experience.

Experience

• At least 5–7 years of working experience in a demanding, results-driven environment, including at least 2 years in a leadership or people management role.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder programs or projects, including budgeting, activity planning, and performance management.
• Experience working with Ministries of Health or other government agencies in a technical assistance capacity.
• Proven track record of project delivery in a results-focused environment, ideally in global health, international development, or a related field.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: maternal and newborn health, sexual and reproductive health/family planning, supply chain, health systems strengthening, or monitoring and evaluation. 

Skills

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and quantitative skills, with the ability to use data to inform program development and strategy.
• Excellent program management skills including experience leading structured planning, monitoring, and review processes.
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to create compelling, logical presentations and write clearly and persuasively for diverse audiences.
• High emotional intelligence, patience, and thoughtfulness even in high-pressure, stressful situations.
• A flexible, entrepreneurial, and output-focused mindset, with strong self-motivation and the ability to function independently with minimal guidance.
• Strong organizational skills, high level of attention to detail, and exceptional time management.
• High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 

Advantages

• Experience working and communicating with government officials and multilateral organizations in developing countries.
• Experience in business development and fundraising, including grant writing and proposal development.
• Familiarity with Uganda's health system, data systems architecture, and partner landscape.
• Experience in management consulting or similar fast-paced, output-oriented environments.

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