Country Director, Zambia
Evidence Action, Zambia
Job Description
About Evidence Action
Evidence Action is a global non-profit organization with an approach distinctive in international development - we exclusively scale interventions that are backed by strong evidence and can be delivered with exceptional cost-effectiveness. Our programs have grown since our founding in 2013 to reach over 280 million people annually. We deliver high impact for every dollar spent, as recognized by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and Charity Navigator.
We do development differently. We take a data-driven approach to identifying, scaling, and continuously improving programs which deliver immense impact, ensuring these solutions measurably improve the lives of millions. Our Deworm the World Initiative has helped governments in Africa and Asia deliver over 1.4 billion childhood deworming treatments, improving health, education, and incomes. Dispensers for Safe Water provides sustained safe water access to over 4 million people in rural Africa, preventing childhood illness and deaths.
We drive innovation. Our Accelerator builds the next generation of exceptional programs, taking an approach most similar to a venture capital model. We are ruthless in exiting programs which do not meet our criteria; those that advance deliver outsized impact for millions of people.
We are global. Across eight countries in Africa and Asia, our 400+ people are united by a tremendous passion for our mission and impact. We are strong because of our diversity of experience, geography, and background - with over 90% of our people in the countries where our impact is focused.
We have big ambitions. Our goal is to double our impact by 2024, to fulfill our vision of a world where hundreds of millions of people in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved. We believe in bold and urgent action - because poverty doesn’t wait, and neither should we.
We need great people. Our success to date is due to the collective work of our amazing staff. To achieve our ambitious goals, we are looking for people who share our passion for evidence, cost-effectiveness, and scale. We seek individuals who take an entrepreneurial approach, enjoy tackling hard problems, and have a bias to action and results. If our vision and approach excite you as much as it does us, we invite you to join us.
Program and Position Background
One of Evidence Action’s newest initiatives is the Maternal Syphilis Screening and Treatment Program in which we partner with Ministries of Health to increase syphilis screening and treatment among pregnant women in an effort to prevent mother-to-child transmission of syphilis. Without effective and timely treatment, syphilis infections in pregnancy carry a significant risk of stillbirth, neonatal death, and cognitive and physical disability. Across the globe, syphilis infection in pregnancy leads to over 200,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths - more than is attributed to mother-to-child transmission of HIV - and over 100,000 instances of disability in newborns. Our aim is to close syphilis screening gaps via introduction of HIV/syphilis dual testing and to close treatment gaps by implementing strategies to address context-specific treatment barriers for women who test positive for syphilis. We launched our maternal syphilis program in Liberia in 2020 and are now expanding the program to Zambia.
In Zambia, maternal syphilis has long plagued pregnant women and their unborn children. Our ambitious program aims to support the government to scale the HIV/syphilis dual test nationwide across all ANC facilities and simultaneously close gaps in syphilis treatment, thereby enabling pregnant women to finally get the care they need. Beyond maternal syphilis, Zambia faces a broad array of health challenges, and the Country Director will work with the government and partners to identify additional mission-aligned opportunities.
The Zambia Country Director will be key in the design, strategy, and implementation of the Maternal Syphilis Screening and Treatment program in Zambia. In addition to being responsible for leading the start-up phase of the Maternal Syphilis program in Zambia, the Country Director will also support the development of new programs in Zambia. This is a unique opportunity for someone who is dynamic, self-motivated, and able to effectively drive large-scale change in a fast-paced, data-driven, and challenging environment.
Candidates must have prior experience working in developing countries and preference will be given to citizens or permanent residents of Zambia.
Duties and Responsibilities
Leading the Maternal Syphilis program start-up phase in Zambia
- Continued leadership of the start-up phase activities, including everything from developing and implementing operational systems (e.g. ensuring proper financia