Operations Manager (m-mama, Malawi)

This role was posted on October 2, 2025. Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis.

The Role

At Last Mile Health, we go as far as it takes for our patients. Do you have demonstrated experience managing operations for large-scale health programs, including overseeing logistics, procurement, compliance, and cross-team coordination to deliver impact at scale? If yes, you may be the right fit for our Operations Manager in Malawi on the m-mama project.

The m-mama program is an innovative and cost-effective at-scale Emergency Transportation System for pregnant women and newborns funded by Vodafone Foundation. Vodafone Foundation launched m-mama in 2013 in Tanzania in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, and in Lesotho in 2021 in collaboration with the Government of Lesotho. This program addresses the high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality in rural areas by reducing delays in access to care using safe and timely emergency transportation for pregnant women and newborns experiencing an emergency. The central component of m-mama is an emergency transport system enabled by innovative digital solutions to address complications as quickly and effectively as possible. 

In 2025, Vodafone Foundation expanded m-mama to Malawi. In Malawi, Last Mile Health (LMH) will support the Ministry of Health (Ministry of Health) and Vodafone Foundation to implement and scale the m-mama system across all 29 health districts, particularly for pregnant, postnatal women, and newborns in rural communities. The Clinical Specialist is responsible for the clinical effectiveness of the m-mama Malawi program. The Clinical Specialist will be advising the program team and Ministry of Health on all relevant m-mama Malawi’s clinical components and will conduct Clinical Assessment/mapping in 29 health districts for a national scale-up.

Reporting to the Senior Program Manager- M-mama, the Operations Manager plays a critical role in support of LMH M-Mama Program at Last Mile Health (LMH). The role works closely with project teams, program teams, global business services teams and partners to deliver on program objectives.  Key operations workstreams include procurement and logistics, compliance, people operations, and technical assistance in various districts across the country.  

The Operations Manager plays a critical role in enabling smooth, efficient, and compliant operations for the m-mama program in Malawi. Working closely with government counterparts, implementing partners, LMH global operations, and district health management teams, the role ensures timely procurement, logistics support, vendor engagement, fleet and IT systems management, and safe establishment of district offices. The position is responsible for coordinating all operational elements of m-mama’s rollout—including procurement, logistics for training and dispatch operations, ICT support, district office setup, community driver management, and ensuring compliance with LMH, donor, and government policies.

This position is project-funded, located in Malawi, and is open to Malawian nationals. This position will be hired on a 2-year fixed-term contract. 

What You'll Do

Procurement and Vendor Management

• Establish and maintain a vetted vendor database for goods and services across all districts.
• Negotiate contracts to ensure value-for-money and compliance with LMH, donor, and Government of Malawi procurement policies.
• Monitor vendor performance against service level agreements and escalate issues where needed.

Logistics and Field Office Set Up

• Lead site identification, leasing, and setup of 29 district offices in coordination with District Health Teams and Government of Malawi focal persons.
• Oversee facility management (cleaning, utilities, maintenance) and ensure timely renewal of leases and registrations.
• Coordinate logistics for training, workshops, and district-level engagements (venues, materials, transport, ICT setup).
• Maintain asset registry and oversee distribution of IT and communications equipment to dispatch centers and district offices.

Fleet, Transport & ICT Support

• Oversee project fleet management, including driver recruitment, training, and supervision in collaboration with district transport officers.
• Manage fuel usage, vehicle maintenance schedules, and regulatory compliance (insurance, licensing)
• Support ICT system setup, configuration, and maintenance in coordination with LMH ICT teams and Ministry of Health ICT officers.
• Ensure dispatch centers are adequately equipped with tablets, telecom lines, data bundles, and functioning backup systems.

Safety, Security & Compliance

• Serve as the Safety & Security focal point for all district operations, conducting regular risk assessments and mitigation planning.
• Build community acceptance strategies in collaboration with local leaders to ensure safe operations.
• Ensure compliance with national laws, donor regulations, and LMH SOPs, including procurement, HR, and fleet.
• Liaise with government regulators (e.g., Road Traffic Directorate, Police, MACRA) on operational compliance and safety.
• Work with regulators and internal stakeholders to ensure all licenses and registrations needed to run operations in country are secured and/or up to date

Operational Support to Program Activities

• Provide operational support to clinical assessments, dispatch center setup, and community driver recruitment and contracting.
• Coordinate with district focal persons to ensure readiness before, during, and after go-live (drivers, ICT, facilities).
• Support ongoing monitoring and quality improvement of operational systems (fleet, payments, ICT, logistics).

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s Degree in Operations, Logistics, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Proven professional experience in business operations, procurement, logistics and fleet management
• Demonstrated experience in supporting the setup and running of district-level operations
• Willingness to travel with the ability to adapt to different settings, engage with district-level stakeholders, and support operations across varied environments
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail, deadlines, and quality of delivery
• Ability to build relationships and effectively manage internal and external stakeholders, including communities, key vendors, regulators, project partners, and community stakeholders
• An understanding of community engagement in project implementation and is able to effectively use the acceptance strategy in ensuring the safety and security of staff and building Goodwill in the communities we operate in 

You'll Impress Us If

• You are skilled in stakeholder engagement and facilitation, with the ability to manage complex multi-stakeholder meetings.
• You are a consensus builder, working across multiple stakeholders to advance programmatic decision making 

Compensation Information

At Last Mile Health, we strive to reward our employees equitably and transparently. This means that we pay our employees based on a clear and consistent methodology and without regard to their identity or personal relationships. We have made this model fully transparent so that everyone has access to all information related to compensation. We hope this helps you better understand Last Mile Health’s values and commitments to our employees. We look forward to answering any questions you may have during the hiring process.

Before applying to this role, please take a moment to learn more about our approach to compensation and how compensation works in each of the countries where we operate. Please find the link to our compensation model and benefits overview below:

OVERVIEW OF LAST MILE HEALTH’S COMPENSATION MODEL

Compensation for this position:

The Band for this position: MWI 3

For Malawi, the range is $23,582 - $39,303 USD per annum, depending on experience doing an equivalent role. Please note that this compensation is subject to statutory taxes.

About Last Mile Health

Last Mile Health partners with governments to design, scale, strengthen, and sustain high-quality community health systems, which empower teams of community and frontline health workers to bring life-saving primary healthcare to the world’s most remote communities. LMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at LMH. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.