Job Vacancy at CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiative) – Program Manager, Vaccines
Job Description
Country-Sierra Leone
City-Freetown
Type-Full TimeProgram
(Division)Country Programs – Sierra Leone
Overview
The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries while strengthening the capabilities of governments and the private sector in those countries to create and sustain high-quality health systems that can succeed without our assistance. For more information, please visit: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org
The team in Sierra Leone began was engaged in 2015 by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) to support the health sector’s recovery after the devastating Ebola crisis. CHAI began support to the MoHS with a focus in two areas; strengthening the supply chain for drugs and medical supplies and improving human resources for health. In recent years CHAI has expanded its support to the MoHS to also include a focus on sexual and reproductive health, assistive technology, geospatial data use (GRID3), and medical oxygen. After conducting a scoping analysis into the vaccines space in 2018 CHAI launched support to the MoHS Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) in 2019.
Position Overview:
The Vaccines team will begin support in 2019 to EPI in strengthening data systems to improve supply chain and vaccine coverage as well as to support the introduction of the HPV vaccine. This support will aim to address stock-outs, improve data quality and completeness, and restructure performance management to target challenges in information availability and the vaccine supply chain.
CHAI’s engagement to support the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) program in Sierra Leone began in July 2019 to address key challenges related to data, supply chain strengthening, performance management, and the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Sierra Leone, following scoping assessment conducted by CHAI in 2018. Between 2019-2020, and with support from Gavi, CHAI provided technical support to EPI to improve decision making on routine immunization activities (coverage, and vaccine stocks at PHUs/Hospitals) through data systems strengthening activities by focusing on increasing quality, accuracy, and completeness of information from all levels, identification of key performance indicators, review of data tools, data workflow mapping, and constraint identification. This resulted to the setting up of a review and response system in 8 districts. CHAI equally supported COVID-19 vaccination rollout through the COVAX initiative, from the development of the COVID-19 National Vaccine Deployment Plan (NVDP) to the deployment of vaccination teams across the country. Technical support was provided in the areas of logistics and supply chain, monitoring & evaluation, training, leadership, coordination, and finance.
CHAI continues to work in collaboration with the government to confirm key routine performance indicators,
Under its current grant by Gavi, CHAI has been tasked with the development of data quality audit tools. Post completion, the tool will be rolled out on a quarterly basis in the selected facilities across four districts. Based on learning from the data audit exercise, the activity will be further customized and expanded to new districts in the next grant cycle. CHAI equally continues to support EPI on coordination and planning for the rollout of the HPV vaccine in September 2022.
In addition to Gavi-supported HPV activities, CHAI will be supporting a GIS mapping of schools to health facilities under a geospatial data use (GRID3) project supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to help support districts in microplanning and optimizing coverage
Based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the Program Manager will oversee and provide strategic guidance to the country vaccines and GRID3 teams as well as leading the execution of the CHAI vaccines to support to the MoHS.
CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, and work ethic. We seek a highly committed and adaptable individual with a track record of delivering quality results with limited resources. The individual must be able to function independently and flexibly in a swift manner. CHAI hires exceptional individuals who can drive work plans to completion and meet milestones with little daily supervision.
Responsibilities
- Lead program strategy, activities, work plans, M&E, and reporting across HSS and HPV work streams
- Build strong relationships of support to the EPI team both at management and technical level
- Coordinate CHAI’s support to the MoHS Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) to help strengthen systems and achieve programmatic goals
- Prioritize and coordinate support of in-country activities and with global technical team to ensure technical soundness of strategies, and achieve program progress
- Support development of annual work plans and manage effective implementation of planned activities
- Monitor program activities against project goals and commitments, identify operational bottlenecks or weaknesses, and help devise solutions to strengthen programs as necessary
- Ensure quality of products and documents produced by CHAI, including strategic plans, guidelines and standard operating procedures, presentations, project reports and implementation updates, and/or communications with partners (UNICEF, WHO, ICAP, etc)
- Coordinate and build team engagement with EPI counterparts to ensure that the work of the team is in line with goals of the program and that key EPI staff are engaged and supported
- Provide advocacy for improved data management and reporting within coordination forums including but not limited to; recording of vaccine supply movement, recording and reporting of wastages, reporting of vaccine write-offs, harmonisation of data tools and electronic reporting systems (DHIS2), and creation of a response system for feedback to district and facility level.
- Provide direct support to team members with technical analysis, problem solving, planning, relationship management, and prioritisation
- Facilitate productive engagement between country and regional team to harness CHAI knowledge, experience, and skills from other teams within our support
- Perform other tasks as necessary
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in science, public health, or related discipline with at least 5 years relevant work experience or Bachelor’s degree with; 6+ years of work experience
- Experience in public health preferably with solid experience in vaccines delivery work in a developing country setting or related field
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, and ability to build strong professional relationships with a range of stakeholders in a challenging, multi-cultural environment
- Proven program management skills, based on experience in strategic or operational management of multi-stakeholder programs/projects
- Proven track records in the planning and execution of projects; including activity planning and coordination
- Excellent problem solving, analytical, and quantitative skills
- Ability to navigate complex government processes and influence decision-making in a professional and collaborative manner
- Ability to handle ambiguity and work independently and effectively in fast-paced, limited-structure environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously whilst mentoring a team to perform consistently
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare and deliver compelling presentations
- High level of proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel and Word
- Fluency in English required; Fluency in Krio a plus
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