Program Manager, Food Safety

Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc.

Program Manager overseeing Food and Alcohol Safety project for CHAI in Laos. Leading coordination and implementation with government and international partners while ensuring project compliance.

Posted 4/30/2026full-timeVientiane • 🇱🇦 LaosMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Chai

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead overall project coordination and implementation, ensuring all activities are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget
Develop and maintain detailed workplans and activity budgets; monitor progress and proactively identify and address risks or delays
Serve as the primary point of contact with the Australian Embassy and international technical partners, coordinating visits, activities, and communications
Maintain strong working relationships with Lao government counterparts across the Ministry of Health and relevant departments, supporting government leadership and ownership of project outcomes
Lead the preparation of donor progress reports and financial updates, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with agreed deliverables
Oversee equipment procurement, logistics, and asset management in coordination with CHAI's operations and finance teams
Support planning and delivery of technical activities including laboratory strengthening, inspector training, emergency response planning, and risk communications
Facilitate coordination between international technical experts and Lao government counterparts to ensure activities are contextually appropriate and effectively delivered
Coordinate with CHAI's internal teams on contracts, compliance, and financial management to ensure all agreements and expenditures meet grant requirements
Represent CHAI in relevant technical working groups, inter-agency meetings, and partner coordination forums
Directly supervise the Associate, Food and Alcohol Safety, providing day-to-day guidance, performance feedback, and professional development support
Participate in any other duties as assigned.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree or higher in public health, health sciences, international development, or a related field
At least 3–5 years of professional experience in program coordination or management, preferably in a public health or development context
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously
Excellent interpersonal and coordination skills, with experience engaging across government, technical, and donor counterparts
Experience preparing reports, work plans, or budgets for externally funded programs
Entrepreneurial mindset — able to work independently, take initiative, and propose and implement new approaches
Ability to think strategically, handle ambiguity, and problem-solve in a fast-paced, limited-structure, multicultural environment
Able to work well in a diverse work environment, easily adaptable and respectful in cross-cultural settings
Strong written and verbal communication skills in both Lao and English
High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Benefits

Comp & perks

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer
A highly diverse team across 40 countries
Fairness and mutual respect
Support in professional development
Global sharing of learnings

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Hard Skills & Tools

program coordinationproject managementreport preparationbudget managementrisk managementlaboratory strengtheningemergency response planninginspector trainingfinancial managementasset management

Soft Skills

organizational skillsinterpersonal skillscoordination skillsstrategic thinkingproblem-solvingadaptabilityinitiativecommunication skillscross-cultural respectleadership