Title: Senior Associate, Vaccines Program
Program: Vaccines Program
Job Location: Kigali
Start date: January 2021
Type of Assignment: Fixed Term Appointment for 6 months with possibility of extension
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
CHAI Vaccines Program:
Immunization is one of the most successful public health interventions in history. Since 2010, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has worked to save lives and reduce the burden from vaccine preventable diseases by improving access to immunization services in resource-limited settings by strengthening national immunization programs.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV 2) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 and partners have been working together globally and at the country, level to mitigate the spread and the impact of the disease on health systems, economies, and population wellbeing. Although Rwanda has been able to successfully contain the spread of the virus through the implementation of its COVID-19 preparedness and response plan with the support of partners including CHAI, significant risks remain as cases and deaths continue to rise globally. However, vaccines have been identified as the most promising sustainable solution to control the pandemic.
Rwanda has demonstrated its commitment to the introduction of vaccines for COVID-19 by joining the COVAX facility, the vaccines pillar of the ACT Accelerator. The ACT Accelerator is a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. As a key partner of the Rwandan Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) since 2004, CHAI is supporting the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) under the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) the implementing arm on the Ministry of Health, to plan and implement the introduction of approved COVID-19 vaccines to reach prioritized beneficiaries rapidly and effectively.
Position Overview:
CHAI seeks a highly motivated action-oriented individual with sound analytical and interpersonal skills to be employed as a Senior Associate, Vaccines Program. S/he must be able to function independently and flexibly as well as build strong relationships with government officials and partners. Additionally, the successful candidate must be able live up to the CHAI values of humility, urgency, resourcefulness, flexibility, and work ethic. The Senior Associate will drive the CHAI Rwanda vaccines program in support of relevant institutions of government to achieve national COVID-19 vaccine introduction objectives. The initial programmatic areas of support include planning and budgeting; prioritization, targeting & surveillance; training and supervision, and strengthening of monitoring and evaluation systems. The Senior Associate, Vaccines Program will be based in Kigali, Rwanda but with some domestic travels.
Responsibilities:
The responsibilities of the Senior Associate, Vaccines Program will include the following:
- Provide technical support to the EPI team in planning and implementation of CHAI programmatic focus areas in the WHO/UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Readiness Assessment Tool (VIRAT)
- In liaison with relevant RBC teams, conduct detailed analytics, for example, to estimate potential numbers of target populations that will be prioritized for access to vaccines, stratified by target group and geographic location
- Finalize budgeted micro-plans for vaccination including plans for components such as demand generation, risk communications, and safety surveillance
- Develop a training plan to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine introduction that includes key groups of participants, content topic areas, key training partners, and training methods (in-person or virtual).
- Organize and support the roll-out of virtual and/or in person training as outlined in the training plan
- Plan and execute the production and distribution of monitoring tools to eligible vaccination providers and/or the development, testing, and roll-out of any changes to electronic systems
- Organize and provide training for use of monitoring and evaluation tools and processes to traditional and new providers
- Represent CHAI at relevant technical working groups and meetings and provide appropriate technical support to the TWGs as necessary, ensuring that activities are well-coordinated and working group deliverables are met
- Develop a process report and document all lessons learned
- Perform any other duties as assigned by the Country Director.
Qualifications:
- Minimum of four years of relevant work experience.
- Master’s degree in public health/epidemiology, vaccine science, economics, business administration, or related fields.
- Experience working closely with the government in any developing country
- Excellent understanding of immunization and vaccine issues in any developing country.
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including high proficiency in MS Excel.
- Experience planning, organizing, coordinating, and reporting on capacity building activities
- Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build strong professional relationships with a range of stakeholders.
- Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to adapt and manage changing priorities, timelines, and programmatic objectives
- Strong communication skills, including the ability to prepare compelling briefs, presentations, and reports.
- Ability to work independently on complex projects
- Fluency in English
Other useful skills:
- Project management experience
- Experience supporting COVID-19 response preferably in Rwanda
- Fluency in Kinyarwanda and French
Application procedure:
Interested candidates should apply through https://careers-chai.icims.com/jobs/10748/senior-associate%2c-vaccines-program/job
