Program Manager, Type 1 Diabetes - Markets

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 in conjunction 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. For this role especially, we strongly encourage individuals from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and those with lived experience of type 1 diabetes to apply.

Overview of CHAI’s work in Type 1 Diabetes and other Non-Communicable Diseases

Across the globe, more than 9.4 million people are living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) (Breakthrough T1D, 2024). This burden is growing – by 2040, there are expected to be almost 17.5 million people living with T1D, among whom 4.2 million will be children and adolescents under 25 (Breakthrough T1D, 2024). In LMICs, poor access to T1D care means many people die before they are diagnosed and receive treatment. For those receiving treatment, there are significant gaps in access to equitable standards of care. Lifelong costs associated with managing T1D are also prohibitive and, in many cases, even catastrophic for people with T1D and their families.

The resulting disparities in health outcomes for people living with T1D around the world are enormous, with life expectancy at just 24 years in low-income countries and 37 years in lower-middle-income countries (Breakthrough T1D, 2024). In contrast, in high-income countries (HICs), the life expectancy of people living with T1D is comparable to that of those without. Hence, while care for T1D is complex and a daily challenge for people living with T1D, especially children and adolescents, the high life expectancy in high-income countries is a testament that we have the tools available to enable people living with T1D to live long and high-quality lives.

Over the last year, CHAI has been supporting the establishment of a T1D Alliance across several major organizations that are investing in projects to improve access to T1D care, with the aim of coordinating their investments behind a shared strategy of government- and community-defined priorities, to improve impact, sustainability and value-for-money of their investments. Whilst the initial phase of this initiative focused on developing a common strategy with input from a wide range of country- and global-level stakeholders, the Alliance is now moving towards operationalization of this vision.

As of October, an interim Secretariat will be operational, with CHAI likely to be contracted to fulfill this interim Secretariat role for the Alliance during a Start-up Phase (October 2025-December 2026). The interim Secretariat will guide overall strategy implementation across 3 areas of work:

The interim Secretariat (CHAI T1D team) will consist of four core full-time team members, a (Sr) Director, a Senior Manager/Associate Director, a Program Manager, T1D - Country Support and a Program Manager, T1D - Markets, which will work collaboratively with other CHAI teams.

For this high-profile strategy project, we are looking for a highly motivated Program Manager, T1D - Markets to lead the second area of work “(2) Support healthy markets across countries”. This position will report to the Senior Program Manager/Associate Director T1D.

Position Overview

The Program Manager, T1D – Markets will play a central role in developing a cross-country access strategy and mechanism aimed at addressing priority market and procurement barriers that hinder sustainable access to T1D commodities, and as such, improving affordability and availability of insulin and blood glucose monitoring (BGM) tools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The program manager will lead the design of the initiative and assess its feasibility with countries and stakeholders.

Success in this role will require the ability to think holistically, with the aim of transforming access to essential commodities for PLWD by addressing different access levers across key market players (suppliers, buyers, PLWD and others) in a comprehensive way. It will also require the ability to ground decisions in real-world constraints and the public health needs of PLWT1D. The ideal candidate needs to be a strategic builder and systems thinker, being able to move from diagnosis to design, from concept to capital allocation, whilst being capable of aligning diverse stakeholder interests. They are a self-starter with strong analytical capabilities, sound judgment, and the diplomatic skill to navigate ambiguity while keeping momentum. The program manager will also adhere to the core CHAI values of resourcefulness, entrepreneurialism, flexibility, independence, humility, and work ethic.

Location and Travel: This position can be based in the U.S. subject to appropriate work authorization, or a CHAI program country, subject to approval by the T1D Senior Director and country team leadership. The role will require an ability to travel internationally, up to 40%.

Responsibilities

The Program Manager’s core responsibility will be to develop and operationalize a cross-country, catalytic, and impact-driven market access initiative aimed at enhancing access through government-led procurement and improving market predictability for insulin and/or BGM in select countries. Responsibilities are expected to include:

• Synthesize cross-country procurement and market bottlenecks across key access stakeholders (suppliers, (government) buyers, distributors, PLWD and others as relevant) and translate findings into proposed design for practical, investment-ready access solutions.
• Lead or oversee core analyses such as demand forecasting, financial modeling of subsidy needs, and cost-benefit assessments.
• Develop investment cases and policy briefs that help funders, governments, and suppliers make informed decisions on participation.
• Test components of the initiative in a subset of countries in scope for the Alliance to obtain country-level inputs on feasibility and refine the approach for scale.
• Engage Ministries of Health and Finance, procurement agencies, and regional bodies to align on feasibility of proposed approach.
• Build trust-based relationships with manufacturers (both originators and biosimilars), seeking insights on key barriers to LMIC market entry and participation.
• Coordinate closely with community groups, implementing partners, and donors to ensure the mechanism supports patient-centered access priorities.
• Ensure tight coordination between the access initiative and other Alliance deliverables, including programmatic in-country investments, governance, funding and operating model design, and broader coordination, convening and advocacy activities.
• Define KPIs and a focused performance tracking framework to assess access gains, supplier response, sustainability of country uptake.
• Anticipate risks and adjust tactics rapidly, whether by engaging additional partners, modifying technical requirements, or adjusting (financial) terms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (in economics, public health, business, international development, or a related field), and strong academic performance.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience, including at least part of that time in roles directly related to market shaping, product access, procurement strategy, or blended/impact finance.
• Demonstrated experience working on initiatives that required both strategic design and operational execution, preferably in global health or adjacent fields.
• Strong analytical skills, including expertise in demand forecasting, pricing analysis, and investment case development.
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint for analysis and executive-level presentation.
• Skilled at engaging and aligning diverse actors, including governments, suppliers, donors, and financing partners, with a track record of building trusted relationships.
• Knowledge of market shaping levers, procurement systems, and public-private access models in LMIC contexts.
• Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder projects across planning and execution phases.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to drive work forward independently in fast-paced, remote settings.
• Excellent political and interpersonal judgment, with experience navigating sensitive conversations in global or government-facing roles.
• Comfort working across time zones and cultures; willingness to travel up to 40% internationally.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required.
• Strong alignment with CHAI’s values and commitment to equity, inclusion, and sustainable health access.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MPH, MBA, MPA, MSc) in public health, business, economics, or related fields.
• Prior experience designing or managing a market access mechanism, investment vehicle, or pooled procurement fund.
• Hands-on experience with impact investing, catalytic financing, or structured funding initiatives (e.g., volume guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, credit facilities).
• Experience working with or within impact investing funds, DFIs, or global health financing institutions
• Familiarity with insulin, glucose monitoring, or broader NCD product markets, including key suppliers and country access challenges.
• Strong preference for candidates with direct work experience in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

#jobreference3 #region1 #region2 #region3 #region4