NEST360 Malawi Clinical Director at Rice University in Houston, Texas

Job Description:

Special Instructions to Applicants:

"All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues."
About Rice:
Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice's culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name - RICE - Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

The Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. Rice360 is a co-founding member of the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) alliance. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to transform hospital newborn care by installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality. NEST360 Phase 2 focuses on scaling up collaboration with governments to develop resources and integrate evidence-based solutions into local hospitals and national policies.

Rice360 is seeking a NEST360 Malawi clinical director, to work in tandem with the NEST360 Malawi programs director and the NEST360 Malawi country lead, to achieve agreed-upon NEST360 goals for the country. The NEST360 Malawi clinical director will provide sound strategy and management of all NEST360 clinical activities to successfully implement and achieve program deliverables. They will regularly oversee NEST360 Malawi performance along clinical lines, including but not limited to regular review of programmatic indicators and advising on strategies to meet program targets. S/he will serve as a resource to the NEST360 Malawi programs team on all clinical matters. S/he will report to the NEST360 Malawi country lead, while also representing the NEST360 Malawi externally as deemed appropriate by its leadership.

Ideal Candidate Statement

The ideal candidate is a senior medical professional with extensive experience in pediatric or neonatal health and programs, and extensive knowledge of maternal and newborn health care services in Malawi and Malawi's healthcare system. They would have a record of demonstrated effective team leadership to influence change and advocate for best practices in newborn care, working jointly with national and local health actors to strengthen the quality and responsiveness of child health services, particularly newborn health services. They are able to identify challenges in clinical practice and propose practical solutions, including the ability to process, analyze, and interpret clinical and programmatic data and contribute to quality improvement initiatives. They have experience in a mid- to senior management role, with superior interpersonal, mentorship, and communication skills. They are highly organized, with a demonstrated ability to multi-task, delegate appropriately, make prudent decisions using creative problem-solving and sound judgment, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. They also have experience successfully working in a multi-cultural environment and are willing and able to occasionally travel internationally, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa.

This is a full-time position (M-F 8am-5pm) based in Lilongwe, Malawi, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate time zone differences for important meetings with teams across sub-Saharan Africa, in the US, and the UK.

Hiring Range: $63,100-$80,400/year, contingent upon qualifications and experience

This position is funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in medicine, medical sciences, or related discipline
  
  
  • Experience may not be substituted for the education requirement
  
  
• Two (2) years or more of experience:
  
  
  • Clinical experience in pediatrics or neonatal health care and programs in sub-Saharan Africa, preferably Malawi
  • Education may not be substituted for the experience requirement
  
  
• Superior verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent collaborative, judgement, leadership, negotiation, problem solving, and critical thinking skills with attention to details and willingness to take initiative
• High proficiency and comprehensive knowledge of project management including the proven ability to predict and evaluate potential risks and to create solutions before they arise
• Ability to work in a team environment, actively participates, motivates and follows-though, as needed
• Excellent organizational skills to plan and schedule
• High comfort level making independent decisions

Preferences

• Three (3) years or more of experience as a Senior Medical Officer working in pediatrics or neonatal health care and programs in Malawi
• Additional clinical education qualifications in pediatrics are an added advantage
• Extensive knowledge of maternal and newborn health care services in Malawi and of Malawi's healthcare system
• Experience working jointly with national and local health actors to strengthen the quality and responsiveness of child health services, particularly newborn health services
• Ability to identify challenges in clinical practice and propose practical solutions
• Ability to process, analyse, and interpret clinical and programmatic data and contribute to quality improvement initiatives
• Experience in leading teams, influencing change, and advocating for best practices in newborn care.
• Experience leading quality improvement (QI) and mentorship training
• Proven experience in a mid- to senior management role
• Ability to work with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent networking skills
• Proficient in MS Office and data analysis software
• Demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally
• Fluency in English
• Demonstrates Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment and Transformation

Essential Functions

• Manages the daily activities, including project development, data collection and data analysis
• Responsible for budget management and financial forecasting, including oversight of both
• Procures materials and supplies, as needed
• Assists with the dissemination of research findings and maintain systems for tracking project-related presentations, publications, and other outputs
• Creates, oversees, (and supervises others in) maintaining and communicating with research respondents across multiple projects
• Serves as an initial point person for research respondent correspondence and communication
• Oversees and contributes to the day-to-day activities of the project and research office functions
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Other Functions

• Work in tandem with in-country partners to ensure successful execution of NEST360 activities in Malawi, notably health facility assessments, process tracking of key health systems strengthening activities such as clinical and biomedical engineering training, and working closely with the NEST360 Malawi country lead and programs director to manage teams including setting goals and assessing performance.
• Oversee and execute the strategic direction for NEST360 Malawi clinical implementation and sustainability
• Regularly review program clinical data by facility to assess progress and bottlenecks and work with the program team to respond to challenges identified
• Lead review of clinical indicators in NEST-IT and supports in troubleshooting the implementation
• Participate and advise the QI lead on designing evidence-based change packages to meet coverage targets
• Liaise with leadership at facility, zonal, district, and national level as needed to address identified programmatic/ clinical challenges.
• Determine clinical training and mentorship needs within NEST360 implementing facilities and work with the clinical training manager to coordinate
• Support the program team to define effective training and mentorship approaches and packages, and link to integration within MOH
• Provide technical support and coordination with the relevant departments at the Ministries of Health (MOH) and Education (MOE) in the development of pre-service training curriculum, teaching/training aids for newborn care
• Support facilities and mentorship teams according to the country's mentorship plan.
• Serves as Rice360's primary in-country contact for all NEST360 clinical matters relating to its activities in Malawi
  
  
  • Establishes and fosters excellent working collaborations and facilitates regular communication with key clinical implementation stakeholders and project partners in Malawi, notably the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and the MOH
  
  
• Work closely with MOH, professional associations, and other national stakeholders in the Malawi newborn steering committee
• Contribute to the development of protocols and policies related to newborn care to ensure compliance with clinical guidelines and safety standards within MOH
• Builds and maintains relationships with external stakeholders in Malawi, including academic collaborators, hospitals and healthcare providers, private industry partners, and nongovernmental and governmental officials and agencies, together with the NEST360 Malawi programs director and country lead
• Maintains regular communication with the Rice360 headquarters regarding NEST360 in Malawi, in particular the Rice360 NEST project manager and other Rice360 leadership, as well as other key NEST360 partners as appropriate.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

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Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and the full inclusion of all qualified persons in the workplace. This commitment includes providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. For applicants with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University's Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or adarice@rice.edu for support.

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