under mike, baobab has done some incredible things with cutting edge technology in malawi. sounds like an exciting opportunity! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mike McKay <mike@vdomck.org> Date: Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 1:50 PM Subject: [viant-alum] Country Director Position in Africa To: Viant Alum <viant-alum@yahoogroups.com> I have been working with an amazing organization in Malawi, Africa for the past 3 years. But my wife and I need a break from Africa, so I need to find someone that can replace me as Country Director for Baobab Health. Imagine a California startup using technology in totally new ways to solve some of the world's biggest problems and based in the heart of Africa. Please pass this on to anybody that you think would be interested. Mike @ baobabhealth.org ---- Baobab Health Trust is seeking a Malawi Country Director to lead its team of 30 employees through an exciting period of organizational development, innovation, and growth in our Lilongwe office. Applicants should send their CV and a cover letter to hr@baobabhealth.org by the 31st of August. Baobab's recent work in Malawi Malawi, Africa has a population of 14 million. One million are HIV positive and there are just 280 doctors in the country. This tremendous disparity between healthcare workers and people in need of treatment contributes to high mortality rates particularly for women and children. Treatment protocols exist that do not require physician expertise. These protocols can ensure a minimum standard of care, but to be effective they must be rigorously followed and carefully monitored. Baobab Health, a Malawi-based non governmental organization, has been addressing this crisis for the past eight years by applying medical informatics principles to resource-poor settings. The core of Baobab's approach is the application of easy-to-use touchscreen clinical workstations at the point of patient care. This system efficiently and accurately guides low-skilled healthcare workers through the diagnosis and treatment of patients according to national protocols. The system also captures timely and accurate data that is used by healthcare workers during patient visits to supplement decision making. The data is aggregated and used at a national level for policy making and analysis. This technology-dependent approach has required both hardware and software innovations, including alternative energy approaches, intuitive touchscreen-based user interfaces for users with no computing experience, and low-cost information appliances that are significantly more robust in harsh environments than traditional computers. To date more than 800,000 patients have been registered and over 18,000 receive HIV care facilitated by a Baobab system. Over the next two years Baobab is planning for a massive scale up of their systems across dozens of sites throughout Malawi. Our Vision To be a world leader in technology innovation for the developing world. Our Mission To provide eHealth solutions to the Ministry of Health and other health care providers that solve the health care crisis in Malawi. We will provide technology leadership and best practices by innovating on our existing solutions in Malawi and incubating new initiatives. Our systems will be intuitive to use, nationally scalable, and low in cost. Our Values Baobab believes strongly in Malawians' abilities to solve their own problems, and is committed to hiring, training and developing local staff. We expect hard work from all of our staff while nurturing an environment of teamwork and fun. Baobab has a demonstrated long term commitment to Malawi, with the founders committed to at least 20 more years of direct service to the country. Details about the Country Director position ------- ----- --- ------- -------- -------- Duties and Responsibilities: 1.Effectively manage all in-country activities including planning, procurement, funding, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. 1.Ensure that there are appropriate systems in place for the effective utilization and management of finance, personnel, supplies, transport, capital assets etc. 2.Mentor all department heads: Software, Operations, Finance & Admin, Support & Deployment 3.Stay informed about personnel and operational issues 2.Communicate and report on all in-country activities: 1.Management team and line-staff: Facilitate and chair weekly management meeting and an all-staff meeting monthly 2.Board of Trustees: Bi-yearly meetings 3.Partner institutions: Regular meetings and email updates 4.Donors: Write reports as required 3.Develop, execute and report on the strategic plan for short-term (<1 year) and medium-term (2-5 years) 4.Ensure that the annual budget and financial plan for the year ahead is completed by 30th November every year. 5.Participate in writing and reviewing proposal applications: 1.Develop proposals in line with the strategic plan 2.Ensure that all project proposals and reports are approved by the Board of Trustees prior to submission to donors 6.Maintain strong relations with current in-country donors. 7.Represent Baobab to local and national authorities, NGOs, and donor agencies: 1.Present at conferences 2.Write and coordinate writing of papers on Baobab activities 8.Assist with the recruitment and selection of qualified staff. Recommend promotions, disciplinary action and termination of staff in consultation with supervisors and HR Qualifications: 1.At least two years of experience in project management (supervising, planning, staff development and training skills), preferably in a developing country 2.Experience in health and technology industries 3.Proven capabilities in leadership and management. Strong negotiation, interpersonal and organization skills 4.Experience with donors (fundraising, networking, reporting) 5.Skills and knowledge in program sustainability and capacity building, public-private partnerships and project monitoring and evaluation (both quantitative and qualitative methods) 6.Degree in Public Health, Medical Informatics, Business Administration, International Development or related field (Master's degree preferred) Language Skills: 1.Excellent English communication skills 2.Ability to read, analyse, and interpret, technical and non-technical English language documents and manuals 3.Ability to write reports and manuals