Organization: John Snow, Inc.

Country: Zimbabwe

City: Harare, Zimbabwe

Office: John Snow, Inc. Harare, Zimbabwe

Closing date: Tuesday, 23 February 2021

Immunization Technical Consultant

Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

Position Category: Local hire, paid in country

Posting Date: 02/16/2021

Deadline Date: 02/23/2021

Starting Date: 03/01/2021

Description

To prepare countries for the delivery and use of COVID-19 vaccines, technical assistance and cold chain needs must be met in an urgent and efficient manner. As part of the COVAX Facility, Zimbabwe is a beneficiary of Gavi funding to provide technical assistance in preparing for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccination in 2021.

The Immunization Technical Consultant (ITC) will be based in Harare, Zimbabwe and provide technical assistance at the national level to the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and other units of the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC)/Zimbabwe government departments in the preparation and planning for COVID-19 vaccine introduction. In particular, the consultant will support the EPI and partners to identify potential COVID-19 vaccine delivery strategies leveraging both existing vaccination platforms and non-vaccination delivery approaches to best reach identified target groups.

With technical oversight from JSI's Senior Immunization Technical Officer, the ITC will serve as the technical focal point for JSI's Gavi COVAX TA activities and liaise with the EPI, other key technical partners (e.g. WHO, UNICEF, USAID, and others), and JSI headquarters to implement the work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Immunization Technical Consultant is expected to:

With oversight from Senior Program Manager, be responsible for the technical organization and daily management of JSI's Gavi COVAX TA activity in Zimbabwe, in accordance with the work plan to to ensure effective implementation;

Maintain regular and close communication with EPI, UNICEF, WHO, and other relevant stakeholders at all levels; including participation in technical working group meetings at the national level

In collaboration with the MOHCC and partners, lead activities to identify potential COVID-19 vaccine delivery strategies that leverage both existing vaccination platforms and non-vaccination delivery approaches to best reach identified target groups. This includes: Development of methodology for identifying the target populations (data collection, desk reviews, etc.); Identification of other stakeholders to collaborate with; Locations where targeted people can be found; Strategies to reach them with the vaccine; Approaches for monitoring vaccine uptake;

Submit documentation and briefs on activity implementation for internal and external use and prepare presentations on activity implementation, as required, and with oversight from the Senior ITO and JSI/HQ team;

Collaborate with the JSI headquarters team in the preparation and implementation of work plan for the Gavi contract, and prepare monthly activity summaries and interim technical reports for the EPI and Gavi;

Maintain close contact (e.g. email, telephone, Skype, etc.) with the JSI headquarters team and JSI in-country office, to ensure the smooth implementation of the activity, work plans, budgets and expenditures;

Report to the JSI Senior Immunization Technical Officer in Harare;

Tags child health cold chain covid data collection immunization

Perform other activities, as appropriate and requested.

QUALIFICATIONS

MPH or medical/nursing clinical degree and more than 10 years of experience in the field of public health, with specialization in immunization;

Experience with managing immunization programs and child health programs;

Knowledge of the Zimbabwe's MOHCC structure at all levels;

Experience in working in a multi-agency/organizational environment and strong communication and coordination skills;

Specific experience in supporting health and/or immunization programs and in developing and implementing successful strategies to deliver vaccinations is desirable;

Ability to work comfortably in the MS Office package, specifically MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;

Excellent oral and written communication, presentation, and organizational skills (both analytical and problem solving);

Fluency in English is required and knowledge of Shona and Ndebele languages is an added advantage.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates should submit their resumes and cover letters online by 02/23/2021.