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Programme Coordinator at Lifebox

  • Full Time
  • Malawi
  • Applications have closed
  • Salary: 00

Lifebox

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Programme Coordinator

Location: Malawi with regular national travel

Contract: Temporary, for 9 months

Reporting to: Head of Program East & Southern Africa

Key relationships: Program team colleagues; clinical team; fellow, external stakeholders and partners.

Background

  1. Lifebox Overview

Lifebox is a nonprofit organisation based in the UK, USA and in Ethiopia with the mission to improve surgical and anaesthesia safety in low-resource settings. Lifebox was founded in 2011 and has programs in over 100 countries to date. Lifebox works across three core pillars of Safer Surgery – improving anaesthesia safety, reducing surgical infection rates, and strengthening surgical teamwork. By working alongside local partners, we provide the training and tools needed to save lives through safer surgery. With the assistance of funding from different donors including GE foundation, UBS and Gates and individual funders, Lifebox has been able to substantially expand projects and activities. Lifebox has a number of programs/ projects being implemented in different countries: Global Safe Surgery and Anesthesia Fellows Program; Lifebox McCaskey Safe Surgery Fellowship Program; Lifebox Pulse Oximetry; Clean Cut Program; Lifebox Light and Non-technical skills training for safer surgery.

  1. Clean Cut Program

Surgical site infections represent a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization (WHO) Safe Surgery Checklist has been shown to substantially reduce perioperative complications and mortality in many settings, including LMICs. Many of the items on the WHO Checklist are related to reducing risk of infection; Lifebox aims to improve adherence to these measures to reduce postoperative infectious complications in LMICs.

Lifebox’s Clean Cut program launched in 2015, is a six-months intensive quality improvement program based on the WHO-checklist. The program aims to reduce infectious complications from surgery by improving adherence to evidence-based perioperative standards. The standards present in the WHO Safe Surgery Checklist include appropriate administration of antibiotics, proper gauze counting, and confirmation of instrument and gown/drape sterility; other components of Clean-Cut address appropriate hand and skin decontamination, use of sterile gloves, gowns and drapes, and routine use of the checklist to promote communication in the operating theatre.

The program works sequentially by 1) engaging a multidisciplinary team, 2) mapping out current processes at each hospital, and 3) identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement, and generating locally derived solutions at the hospital level. Throughout this iterative process, data are collected on intraoperative adherence to the standards, as well as subsequent patient outcomes.

Results from the Clean-Cut pilot program in Ethiopia, published in the British Journal of Surgery, show a significant improvement in compliance with perioperative processes and a 35% reduction in the relative risk of SSI. Currently a trial to assess Clean Cut’s impact on post-caesarean section infection rates is underway in selected hospitals in Ethiopia.

Lifebox has partnered with Johnson & Johnson Global Surgery Initiative & as part of the Johnson & Johnson Global Surgery Initiative, Lifebox in collaboration with J&J is planning to adapt and launch the Clean-Cut program for long bone fracture in Malawi at two facilities Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre, over a period of 9 months.

3. The overall objectives of Clean Cut for Long bone fracture program are:

  • Through the implementation of Clean Cut for Long bone fracture, Improve compliance with six key perioperative processes and reduce long bone fracture surgical site infection rates at these target hospitals;

  • Develop, test, and demonstrate the effectiveness of Clean Cut for long bone fracture, to support potential implementation to additional operating rooms in these facilities and other facilities in the future;

  • Improve quality improvement (QI) strategies, effective operating room teamwork and communication, as well as Infection Prevention Control (IPC) compliance at target facilities.

4. Roles and Responsibilities of the Clean Cut for Long bone fracture Program Coordinator;

Lifebox is seeking a Program Coordinator to support the implementation of Clean Cut for Long Bone Fracture (CCfLBF) at the selected facilities in Malawi. The detail role and responsibilities are mentioned below;

  • To coordinate and manage the implementation of Lifebox CCfLBF program at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.
  • Closely follow up the project implementation, write timely reports and communicate any challenges and gaps which need to be addressed.
  • Coordinate identification and selection of in-country staff as required.
  • Coordinate the programme launch and on-boarding process.
  • Plan, organise and document all project related meetings, workshops and training.
  • Check in regularly the implementers of the CCfLBF to ensure that activities and deliverables are on-track and troubleshoot as required with close supervision.
  • Track and maintain the implementation timeline and overview of progress at each CCfLBF site.
  • Ensure project activities comply with the policies and regulations of the funding organization.
  • Manage allocated budget and expenditure with the PM
  • Communicate with hospitals that are selected to pilot the CCfLBF project and support liaison between Lifebox and the hospital team.

  • Ensure close collaboration and coordination with respective stakeholders to guarantee smooth implementation of activities.

  • Provide overall support for the implementation of programmatic work.

  • Develop and build partnership and network in the respective project area

5. PERSON SPECIFICATION: ESSENTIAL

  • Graduate in project management or with 3 years of project management or coordination experience.

  • Proven track record of completing tasks on time and on budget.

  • Ability to work independently, prioritising issues & recognizing when they need to be escalated.

  • Experience in a role requiring collaboration within an organization and with external partners, as well as a demonstrated ability to work efficiently and diplomatically as part of a team effort.

  • Demonstrated ability to organize time and multiple priorities effectively and thoroughly.

  • Excellent general administrative skills.

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, with ability to draft high-quality reports.

  • Proven ability to manage the development and implementation of project activities.

  • Demonstrated experience and/or knowledge of working with different stakeholders & partners.

6. Duration of fellowship: The program coordinator will last for nine months (February 1, 2023 to October 30, 2023)

Method Of Application

Applications should be sent through – opportunities@lifebox.org