Application Guide
How to Apply for Executive Director
at Neotree
🏢 About Neotree
Neotree is a unique digital health charity focused on a 'baby-first' mission, developing and implementing a digital public good to improve newborn care in low-resource settings. What sets them apart is their proven track record across 18 healthcare facilities in Malawi and Zimbabwe and their ambition to scale globally as an open-source solution. Someone would want to work here to lead an organization with tangible impact, bridging clinical care with digital innovation for vulnerable populations.
About This Role
This Executive Director role involves providing senior operational oversight of Neotree's multi-country healthcare operations while leading the strategic development to scale their digital public good globally. It's impactful because you'll directly shape how this life-saving technology reaches more newborns, manage complex institutional grants, and inspire a distributed team to deliver consistent, high-quality care in challenging environments.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with reviewing operational data from healthcare facilities in Malawi and Zimbabwe, followed by a virtual check-in with the in-country team to address any clinical or technical issues. The afternoon could involve strategic planning for scaling the digital platform, drafting a grant report for an institutional funder, and collaborating with the tech team on product development, all while ensuring alignment with the 'baby-first' mission across time zones.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Neotree Is Looking For
- Holds an advanced degree (MSc, MPH, or MBA) in Global Health, International Development, or Digital Health, with deep theoretical and practical knowledge of these fields.
- Has a proven track record of overseeing health service delivery in low-resource settings, specifically including hands-on partnership experience with Ministries of Health in Africa.
- Demonstrates concrete experience in scaling an organization or digital health intervention from a pilot phase to becoming a national or regional standard of care.
- Possesses robust financial oversight skills, particularly in managing budgets, cash flow, and complex institutional grants within a charitable or global health context.
📝 Tips for Applying to Neotree
Quantify your experience with health interventions in low-resource settings: specify countries, number of facilities managed, and measurable outcomes (e.g., 'oversaw delivery across X clinics in Malawi, improving neonatal outcomes by Y%').
Explicitly detail your scaling experience: describe a specific digital product or health intervention you scaled from pilot to wider adoption, outlining the strategies used and partnerships forged.
Tailor your resume to highlight multi-country, remote team leadership in the global health or tech-for-good sector, emphasizing how you fostered agility and collaboration across distances.
Research and reference Neotree's specific 'baby-first' mission and existing work in Malawi/Zimbabwe in your application materials to show genuine understanding of their operational context.
Prepare examples of managing institutional grants (e.g., from foundations or governments) relevant to digital health or international development, detailing your role in financial oversight and reporting.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Your direct experience overseeing health service delivery in African low-resource settings and building partnerships with Ministries of Health.', 'A specific example of scaling a digital health intervention or organization, highlighting the strategic and operational steps you took.', 'Your philosophy and proven approach to leading and inspiring a multi-disciplinary, remote team across different countries and cultures.', "Your alignment with Neotree's mission as a 'digital public good' and your vision for scaling their impact globally while maintaining operational excellence."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Neotree's specific 'baby-first' clinical protocols and their digital platform's functionality—review any published papers, case studies, or demo videos available on their website or in global health repositories.
- → The healthcare system contexts of Malawi and Zimbabwe, particularly regarding newborn care, digital health adoption, and Ministry of Health priorities and partnerships.
- → The concept of 'digital public goods' in global health and examples of other successful scaled digital health initiatives in low-resource settings.
- → Neotree's existing funders and grant partners (if publicly available) to understand their financial landscape and reporting expectations.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic application that doesn't explicitly reference Neotree's work in Malawi/Zimbabwe or their 'digital public good' model.
- Failing to provide concrete, quantified examples of scaling health interventions or managing multi-country operations in low-resource settings.
- Overlooking the part-time, remote nature of the role by not demonstrating experience with distributed team leadership and asynchronous collaboration.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!