Senior Malaria Advisor

Who We Are

ZemiTek, LLC is a Woman-Owned, SBA-certified 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) based in the Washington, DC metro area. We have a strong record delivering innovative and high-quality solutions. Since 2007, ZemiTek has provided technical assistance, project management, information technology (IT), knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, training and learning development, and institutional support services.

Position Description

Global Solutions Ventures (GSV) – a joint-venture partnership between ZemiTek, LLC and Dexis Consulting Group – is implementing the Long-term Exceptional Technical Assistance Project (LEAP Global), a mechanism originally used by USAID to battle against infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, and pandemic influenza. As of July 1, 2025, LEAP Global transitioned to the U.S. Department of State (DOS). This initiative aims to address the complex human resource challenges faced by national infectious disease programs in the USA-supported countries.

The intervention of this project is to hire and embed technical expert advisors and subject matter experts within government entities. By directly embedding the technical expertise within the national programs, LEAP provides long-term, sustainable lifesaving support to empower host governments to lead and manage key aspects of their infectious disease portfolios and improve coordination between the U.S. Government and the host country.

The Senior Malaria Advisor will support the National Malaria Program in carrying out life-saving activities in full alignment with the new Presidential Executive Order (EO) directives. The primary focus of the Advisor will be technical leadership to ensure the successful strategic planning and implementation of cost-effective, lifesaving service delivery for malaria prevention and treatment.

The Senior Malaria Advisor will provide expert malaria technical guidance to the National Malaria Program (NMP) and the Ministry of Health in the design and management of in-country programs/projects/activities and in the development of host-country policies, reflecting best practices in malaria prevention and control. The jobholder will identify programmatic bottlenecks and facilitate solutions through coordinated technical expertise in support of the cooperating country's development objectives. The Senior Malaria Advisor will be based at the NMP within the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). The Advisor will work closely and receive day-to-day supervision and guidance from the National Malaria Program Manager, and Department of State POC at post who will serve as the onsite supervisor and provide collaborative oversight. The Advisor will report to the U.S. Department of State on a weekly and monthly basis, as described below.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Working closely with NMP, lead the development of new national malaria elimination strategy , national malaria operational plan and work plans.
• Provide expert technical guidance to inform malaria elimination strategy and advance planning and implementation of malaria control interventions. This will include using results from a desk review of the National Malaria Elimination Strategy 2016–2026 and other sources.
• Coordinate the design, planning and implementation of malaria prevention and control activities consistent with the US government's strategy and with the NMP. This will include but is not limited to vector control, case management at facility and community level, chemoprevention, support for malaria vaccine implementation, malaria in pregnancy, procurement and delivery of life-saving commodities, and associated monitoring and surveillance to ensure accountability and track progress.
• Together with the host country partners, provide technical and managerial expertise to MoPH health districts and local communities to strengthen institutional capacity.
• Keep abreast of current developments and successful interventions via regular engagement with malaria experts (domestic and international) and NMP officials, ensuring proven strategies and interventions are integrated in national malaria programming.

Management of Program/Activity Implementation

• Ensure that U.S. government resources are maximized towards achievement of sustained results in malaria in line with U.S. government laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.
• Provide technical support to the Department of State implementing partners and managerial support as needed during the planning, design and implementation phases to ensure the quality of interventions and programmatic targets are met
• Recommend changes in strategic and/or implementation approaches, using analysis of program performance.
• Work with NMP to strengthen the malaria surveillance system and strategic information management to support elimination and prevention of re-establishment (POR), including sustainability mechanisms.If needed, work with partners (in country and global, as relevant) to ensure that programmatic commodities are purchased in a timely and cost-effective manner; and that absorptive capacity exists in implementation sites to receive, manage and distribute these items effectively. Participate in forecasting and quantification meetings to inform malaria commodity quantifications that will guide donor procurements. Troubleshoot bottlenecks in the ordering and delivery process.
• Provide expert advice and practical experience in helping the MoPH, the NMP and other partners to monitor inputs, outputs and outcomes, and report on the program's overall impact. This may include but not limited to providing technical support to strengthen the implementation of GFATM malaria grants.
• If needed, work with the NMP and other partners to develop and maintain a monitoring and evaluation plan to be implemented through existing MoPH systems and existing USG supported mechanisms.
• Support NMP to carry out monitoring and evaluation visits to implementation sites to ascertain all quantitative and qualitative data is collected properly, and programmatic quality and value for money are maintained.

Coordination of Malaria Partners

• Ensure effective communication and coordination between the NMP, MoPH and other partners related to malaria prevention, control, and elimination; Global Fund partners including other departments in the host country; donor agencies; and other stakeholders working on malaria control and elimination in the host country, as appropriate.
• Ensure malaria activities are integrated into overall U.S. Department of State-supported health activities and coordinate these activities with the NMP and MoPH to avoid duplication of effort and programming gaps.
• Coordinate with other partners and support efforts to address malaria control and elimination delivery gaps and help build technical and managerial capacity within the NMP at the national, district and lower levels.
• Participate in and contribute to malaria related service delivery meetings hosted by the NMP and others.
• Promote evidence-based innovations and enhance cross-border collaboration to accelerate malaria elimination in Thailand.

Communications:

• Regular conference calls with NMP, partners, U.S. Embassy to review progress, discuss activities and address emerging issues.
• The Senior Malaria Advisor should provide information and avail him/herself for calls/meetings with the U.S. Embassy as requested.
• The Advisor will provide weekly updates by phone to the U.S. Embassy/U.S. Department of State.

REPORTING:

The Senior Advisor will provide a detailed monthly report to the U.S. Department of State, submitted by the 5th day of the following month. Additionally, the Advisor will submit a weekly progress report to the U.S. Department of State to include a short paragraph about main successes for that week. The format for reporting may be adjusted with concurrence from the GOR.

Travel:

The job will require travel within the country.

Qualifications

• University degree in a relevant field and postgraduate degree in public health or epidemiology preferred.
• Minimum of seven years of program management experience in planning, coordination, and evaluation of public health programs, with emphasis on malaria.
• Familiarity with malaria programs in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), particularly Thailand.