Director, Commodity Security

Clinton Health Access Initiative•or CHAI Program Country,

18d

About The Position

The Director will lead CHAI’s commodity security and financing strategy within the Women’s and Newborn Health (WNH) Cluster, anchor this work within the FCDO-funded CHOICES program and the broader portfolio, and build partnerships and external influence on commodity financing, procurement, and distribution in low- and middle-income countries. The role combines technical expertise with strategic and program management, working at global and country levels. It includes direct engagement with governments and procurement bodies to improve how commodities are financed and secured. The Director will guide strategy and execution across workstreams involving reproductive, maternal, and newborn health commodities. They will support country teams on procurement planning, financing, budgeting, forecasting, and supply chain management; respond to changes in the procurement environment; use data and digital approaches to improve commodity visibility and decision-making; and develop program opportunities and evidence. The role also involves global stakeholder engagement, donor relations, resource mobilization, grant management, and collaboration across CHAI programs and country teams. The Director may initially contribute to time-bound technical support assignments: reviewing and updating the UNFPA Supplies Partnership’s risk and performance measurement frameworks, and mapping family planning sector capabilities and coordination models for country-level commodity access. Travel to program countries and global convenings is expected approximately 20–25 percent of the year.

Requirements

Advanced degree in public health, economics, public policy, or a related field.
Ten or more years of progressive global health experience, with increasing responsibility over time.
Experience in commodity security, procurement, health financing, or supply chain.
In-depth understanding of family planning and/or maternal and newborn health commodities at global and country levels, including procurement systems, financing mechanisms, and supply chain dynamics.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategy in complex, ambiguous environments, translating high-level goals into actionable plans and adjusting course as conditions change.
Proven experience engaging with and influencing multilateral organizations, bilateral donors, and global health partners.
Strong analytical skills and technical depth in at least one relevant area: procurement, financing, supply chain, or health economics.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate and build bridges among diverse external stakeholders toward a shared agenda.
Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical and financial issues clearly to government counterparts and philanthropic funders.
Strong work ethic, integrity, humility, and dedication to CHAI’s mission.
Fluency in English.
Willingness to travel approximately 20–25 percent of the year to program countries and global convenings.

Nice To Haves

French language skills.
Experience working with UNFPA, the Gates Foundation, FCDO, Unitaid, or other major maternal and newborn health or family planning donors.
Experience developing or reviewing monitoring and evaluation frameworks or performance measurement systems for global health programs.
Experience in stakeholder convening, multi-organizational coordination, or landscape mapping exercises.
Demonstrated success fundraising from major donor organizations for global health.
Experience working remotely with a geographically dispersed team.
Private-sector experience in low- and middle-income countries relevant to health commodity markets.
Experience living and working in sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve CHAI’s commodity security and financing strategy within WNH in collaboration with the VP, country teams, and WNH colleagues.
Develop an evidence-based theory of change for how improved commodity financing, procurement, and distribution can support sustainable gains in maternal and newborn health and family planning access.
Monitor developments in commodity security and incorporate relevant insights into CHAI programming; review strategy regularly and adjust, expand, or redirect work as evidence and conditions change.
Lead execution of commodity security and financing workstreams, ensuring technical quality, country relevance, and measurable results.
Provide hands-on technical support to country teams on procurement planning, commodity financing, government budget execution, demand forecasting, and supply chain management.
Work with governments and procurement bodies to strengthen domestic financing systems and support implementation and refinement of financing mechanisms.
Help country teams respond to procurement environment changes, including USAID funding reductions, procurement channel options, and financing gaps.
Identify and develop programmatic opportunities and build evidence to support cases to governments and funders.
Use data, analytics, and digital approaches to strengthen commodity visibility and decision-making at country and global levels.
Build and sustain relationships with stakeholders in the commodity security ecosystem.
Represent CHAI in global commodity security and financing forums and help shape the sector’s response to the funding transition.
Provide technical input into partnership structures and multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms, including collaboration models for family planning commodity access.
Engage with FCDO on commodity security strategy within CHOICES.
Engage funders, lead or contribute to proposals, and manage relevant grant components, including reporting, risk management, and disciplined resource use.
Provide leadership and direction for the WNH commodity security and financing workstream.
Collaborate with market-shaping, country, health financing, supply chain, and digital health teams, pursuing integrated approaches where they improve results.
Contribute to WNH team culture, operations, and organizational initiatives, including diversity, equity, and inclusion.