The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. OSI places a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of marginalized people and communities.

Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Each Soros foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities.

The Open Society Institute’s Public Health Program (PHP) aims to build societies committed to inclusion, human rights, and justice, in which health-related laws, policies, and practices are evidence-based and reflect these values. PHP works to advance the health and human rights of marginalized people by building the capacity of civil society leaders and organizations, and by advocating for greater accountability and transparency in health policy and practice. PHP engages in five core strategies to advance its mission and goals: grantmaking, capacity building, advocacy, strategic convening, and mobilizing and leveraging funding. For further information on the Public Health Program, visit our website: http://www.soros.org/health

The Open Society Institute (OSI) seeks a full-time Program Officer in its New York office to work jointly with the Public Health Program’s International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD) and Access to Essential Medicines Initiative (AEMI).  

Founded in 1995, the PHP’s International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD) works to advance the health and human rights of people who use drugs. Through grantmaking, capacity building, and advocacy, IHRD seeks to reduce HIV and other drug-related harms and to end policies and practices that marginalize and discriminate against drug users.  IHRD’s work is based on the understanding that people unwilling or unable to abstain from illicit drug use can make positive changes to protect their health and that of their families and communities.  For more information on IHRD and its work, please see www.soros.org/harm-reduction.

The overall goal of PHP’s Access to Essential Medicines Initiative (AEMI) is to promote increased access to essential medicines in developing countries and countries in post-socialist transition, and especially for marginalized populations for whom this access is likely to be elusive.  AEMI pursues this goal by developing civil society capacity for advocacy and leadership on access to medicines at national, regional, and international level, with a specific focus on global South/Eastern European advocates. AEMI concentrates its efforts on three fronts: monitoring and advocating for transparency and accountability in all field related to  pharmaceuticals, promoting needs-driven innovation and access, and ensuring the availability of existing medicines.  For more information on AEMI and its work,  please see http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/access.

Position Description
The Program Officer will undertake joint work with the International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD) and the Access to Essential Medicines Initiative (AEMI), reporting to the IHRD and AEMI directors in New York, and working in close collaboration with IHRD, AEMI, staff of the OSI Public Health Program, and national foundation staff members.  

Joint IHRD/AEMI activities will focus on the following issue areas:

•    Improving Access to Hepatitis C Treatment– Hepatitis C is a chronic, silent but life-threatening blood-borne disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) which is widespread among injecting drug users (IDUs), with particularly high prevalence rates in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  WHO estimates that 3% of the world’s population is infected with HCV, even if most cases remain undiagnosed. It is estimated that 4-5 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) are co-infected with HCV. However the level of knowledge about Hepatitis C remains low, both within the risk groups and the medical community, and very few people have access to diagnosis and treatment, in particular among marginalized groups such as IDUs. While diagnosis is complex and often unavailable, the prohibitive cost of treatment together with the lack of awareness about the disease and its management are considered the main barriers to improving access to treatment.  Program responsibilities include work to remove barriers to testing and treatment of HCV, support for HCV treatment advocacy by civil society organizations, and efforts to increase the availability of and funding for Hepatitis C treatment, including via generic competition (identification of alternative sources; use of TRIPS flexibilities; legal strategies etc.).
•    Reversal of fatal opiate overdoses through access to naloxone - In many countries, overdose is the leading preventable cause of death among injecting drug users, in some cases exceeding deaths from AIDS-related illnesses.  Naloxone hydrochloride is an antidote to opiate overdose that poses no potential for abuse, and is relatively inexpensive, yet rarely available.  In most countries in which IHRD and AEMI work, there is little knowledge of the life-saving potential of naloxone, and limited access to and supply of the medication. Program responsibilities include work to support pilot projects that are distributing naloxone at the community level, documentation of the impact of naloxone distribution, and advocacy to ensure naloxone availability at national and international levels.  Work will include analysis of existing research, support for community access initiatives, and exploration of possibilities for development of a cheap and effective formulation (e.g., intranasal delivery).
•    Other IHRD/AEMI initiatives as appropriate

The geographic focus of this work will be Eastern Europe, East and Southeast Asia, and East and Southern Africa, though engagement with treatment advocates and manufacturers in Brazil, China, and India is also envisioned.

Primary responsibilities include:

•    Grantmaking:  The program officer will develop and oversee a portfolio of grants in the above issue areas.  This will include soliciting and evaluating proposals, preparing documentation, corresponding with and making site visits to grantees, overseeing program monitoring and evaluation, coordinating technical assistance to grantees, including training and external consultants as needed, and managing budgets for this work.
•    Policy and Advocacy:  In close collaboration with other IHRD and AEMI staff, the program officer will work with grantees, partners and other donors in the public health community at the national, regional and international levels to raise awareness of and address barriers to access to affordable Hepatitis C treatment and naloxone. The program officer will, as appropriate, organize and convene meetings and seminars at the national, regional and/or international level that advance IHRD/AEMI’s efforts in these areas.   
•    General IHRD/AEMI Program Administration:  The program officer will contribute to the development of IHRD and AEMI program strategies and work and budget plans on an annual basis; prepare background papers, literature reviews and research briefs as needed; help organize and participate actively in meetings, events and conferences related to AEMI, IHRD and overall OSI Public Health Program strategic objectives.

Qualifications
•    Relevant work experience in issues related to harm reduction, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and/or access to essential medicines for vulnerable groups.
•    Demonstrated advocacy skills in a relevant field, and experience working in an NGO environment.
•    Experience working in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in a relevant field strongly preferred
•    Excellent oral and written English, including the necessary writing skills to develop content and communication materials.
•    Proficiency in oral and written Russian desirable, and other relevant languages for the geographical region of interest is a plus
•    Excellent analytical and organizational skills.
•    Ability to work as a team member and independently, with high level of self-motivation.
•    Ability to listen and communicate clearly and effectively with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
•    Ability to effectively manage several projects simultaneously in a fast-paced working environment.
•    Willingness to travel internationally on a frequent basis.


Compensation:  Commensurate with experience, excellent benefits package.

To Apply:
Please email resume and cover letter with salary requirements to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Include job code in subject line: PO/IHRD/AEMI
Application Deadline: September 10, 2010

OR

Open Society Institute
Human Resources – Code PO/IHRD/AEMI
400 West 59th Street
New York, New York 10019

FAX: 212.548.4675

No phone calls, please. The Open Society Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


Job posted on 31st July 2010
Please mention Human Rights Jobs when applying to this position