Humanitarian Immunization Technical Advisor

PROJECT SUMMARY

This position will support the Gavi-funded Zero Dose Immunisation Programme (ZIP). ZIP aims to establish full immunization programming where government health systems cannot operate safely or coordinate effectively. Around the world, millions of children remain functionally invisible to health systems, missing out on life saving vaccines. ZIP funds non-governmental implementing partners (NGOs) who pioneer new approaches to full immunization for children living in humanitarian and crisis settings or within populations at-risk. ZIP invests in learning how to reach and fully vaccinate children in communities who would otherwise not benefit from Gavi programming. ZIP has made two awards to multi-country consortia, led by World Vision in the Sahel and IRC in the Horn of Africa. CORE Group supports ZIP in the areas of learning, knowledge management, communications, and advocacy.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Humanitarian Immunization Technical Advisor will be responsible for conducting mixed-methods research and analysis to support the Gavi ZIP learning agenda. ZIP invests in learning how to reach and fully vaccinate children in communities who would otherwise not benefit from Gavi programming.

Analysis and research topics are expected to focus on feasibility, effectiveness, and value for money of full immunization of children ages 0 to 5 years in different types of humanitarian contexts. Specific topics may include include the following, all within humanitarian contexts: determinants of immunization needs, population segmentation, effectiveness of immunization service delivery methods, humanitarian access and integration, microplanning, identifying need and targets, global supply chain barriers and solutions, etc. Analyses will be mapped at global, regional, national, subnational, community, and population levels.

The audience for this work will be the Gavi Secretariat, Alliance Partners, global immunization stakeholders, global humanitarian stakeholders, and implementing partners. Examples of expected work outputs include: statistical insights from key performance indicator data, quantitative evaluation of progress toward full immunization over the project lifecycle, support for focused operational research and testing, qualitative interviews, identification of programmatic challenges and best practices, development of recommendations and tools, programmatic comparisons, qualitative synthesis of reports, document and literature reviews, and technical writing (learning briefs, white papers, publication support, etc.).

The geographic focus is expected to primarily be the Sahel and Horn of Africa where ZIP implementing partner programs operate. Current implementation countries are Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, CAR, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

General responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

• Perform qualitative research and analysis on information gathered from multiple sources, including interviews, reports, program documents, literature, and other sources to inform learning agenda.
• Perform complex quantitative analysis on immunization KPIs and progress toward full immunization over project lifecycle to inform feasibility studies and performance analysis.
• Support design and execution of mixed methods focused studies that are operationalized by implementing partners primarily in the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
• Coordinate with vendors to establish and improve KPI PowerBI dashboard and analysis.

Technical Writing and Knowledge Management

• Document analyses as briefs, white papers, tools, resources, technical papers, presentations, publications, or other formats for Gavi, Alliance donors and partners, multilaterals, governments, and other global audiences.
• Synthesize large amounts of qualitative and quantitative information to cull learning insights.
• Lead knowledge management efforts and maintain document repository to support knowledge sharing and application of learning across donor and implementer stakeholders.

Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

• Work closely with CORE Group ZIP team and other CORE Group staff.
• Collaborate and communicate frequently with Gavi ZIP PMU (donor), responding to requests and feedback.
• Communicate with implementing partners to generate knowledge and support the application of tools and learning insights.
• Participate in external meetings and conferences, as requested, to share learning.
• Support communications and advocacy efforts with Alliance members, global immunization stakeholders, and global humanitarian stakeholders.
• Represent CORE Group in meetings, forums, etc. that are of importance to CORE Group members and the broader CORE Group community.

REQUIREMENTS

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or PhD in epidemiology, demography, public health, humanitarian health, or related field required.
• 6+ years of experience performing operational mixed methods research and analysis on immunization or public health programs with multi-country scope.
• Advanced proficiency using statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS, R, STATA) and qualitative analysis tools (e.g., NVivo, ATLAS.ti).
• 5+ years of experience working with donors (e.g. Gavi, Gates, BHA), multilateral organizations (e.g. WHO, UNICEF), and/or universities.
• Ability to take initiative and ownership to plan, design and carry out projects, studies or other work.
• Excellent writing skills with the ability to present complex data and findings in a clear and concise manner.
• Familiarity with global immunization policy and practice and global health systems.
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and SharePoint.

Language Requirements

• Excellent English and French writing skills, with technical and professional proficiency required (CEFR C1 or higher in English and B2 or higher in French).

Desired Characteristics

• Experience working in the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
• Knowledge of the challenges related to vaccination in humanitarian settings.
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills with keen attention to detail and timeliness.
• Excellent communication, diplomacy, engagement, relationship building/management and consensus building skills with internal and external stakeholders and leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate on a diverse team and to identify, analyze, and resolve communication challenges.
• Adaptability to take on new challenges, handle multiple concurrent requests, and adapt to rapidly changing project needs.
• Self-starter who can work independently, manage projects in a fast-paced, complex, and uncertain environment, and remain resilient under pressure.
• Creative thinker with a proven ability to generate innovative ideas.

Location

CORE Group has an office in Washington DC and has a hybrid model of working. However, this position can be remote, from any location in the world, but must be available for United States East Coast (ET) time zone meetings, as well as time zones of the selected countries.

This position will require ~10-25% travel to attend meetings and events.

Benefits

CORE Group offers a competitive benefits package.