Project and Learning Manager

BACKGROUND

CORE Group fosters collaborative action and learning to improve and expand community-focused public health practices. Established in 1997 in Washington D.C., CORE Group is an independent not-for- profit hybrid, membership organization, and home of the International Community Health Network, which brings together over 15,000 global health practitioners- CORE Group member organizations, scholars, advocates, and donors to support the global health of underserved women, children, adolescents, and communities around the world. Learn more here: www.coregroup.org.

CORE Group also implements projects including Advocacy on Reaching Zero Dose Children, CORE Group Partner Project, SRMNCAH Small Grants Program, Agency For All SBC Research project, and MOMENTUM Immunization project.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Millions of children in fragile parts of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa remain functionally invisible to health systems, missing out on life-saving vaccines as a consequence. In a bid to help governments fix that, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is launching a novel kind of partnership, a kind of immunization super- league called ZIP, or the Zero-dose Immunization Program. The program prioritizes the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions, where government-run vaccination programs typically face challenges in reaching these children. In the Sahel region, World Vision heads up a consortium of organizations including the African Christian Health Association Platform (ACHAP), Food for the Hungry, CORE Group and other local partners increase immunization in blind-spots across Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Mali. In the Horn of Africa, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) leads a network of partners including Acasus, Flowminder, IOM, ThinkPlace and local partners, to reach vulnerable zero-dose populations in Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

Reaching and Adapting Immunization Services to Reach Zero-Dose Children in the Sahel (RAISE 4 Sahel) is a Gavi-funded project (2022-2025) aimed at identifying and reaching zero-dose children living in displaced, fragile, and conflict-affected settings in the seven Sahel countries. In addition, the project aims to address broader community and health system challenges to understand why certain countries still have zero-dose children, and to find ways to ensure the resilience of services in reaching these children and communities in need of other essential services. The project’s main goal is to strengthen immunization efforts for zero-dose and underimmunized children in areas that have not yet been reached by national immunization programs. Special attention will be given to children living in areas beyond the reach of routine immunization, as well as mobile populations and refugees who cross borders.

Within the RAISE 4 Sahel Consortium, CORE Group is responsible for implementing a communication, knowledge sharing, and advocacy strategy that aligns with the ZIP project’s IRMMA framework (Identify, Reach, Measure and Monitor, Advocate). As technical experts, CORE Group supports the project country secretariats in developing tools and informational materials to keep stakeholders informed about the progress in improving immunization coverage among zero-dose and under-immunized children living in fragile contexts in the Sahel. Collaborating with the country secretariats, CORE Group takes the lead in developing the learning agenda and creating evidence-based knowledge products. We share learnings from the project, contributing to the consortium and Gavi’s knowledge, as well as knowledge of stakeholders at both the regional and global level. Finally, CORE Group supports the secretariats in developing and disseminating advocacy messages through awareness campaigns, raising public consciousness about the importance of immunization for zero-dose children in fragile and conflict- affected settings.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Project and Learning Manager will be responsible for leading the overall RAISE 4 Sahel project, including staff management, project oversight, and learning technical guidance. The Project and Learning Manager will be responsible for ensuring that CORE Group’s work on the project is of high quality and completed according to the timeline. The Project and Learning Manager will be a thought leader who guides the staff to produce quality products, offers technical input as necessary, interacts with the donor and Gavi, manages the budget, and oversees report writing. The Project and Learning Manger will lead a team of 3 staff, plus consultants.

RESPONSIBILITIES

General responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

Provide technical support and management for the RAISE 4 Sahel project

• Lead all aspects of the project design and implementation to achieve project results;
• Establish collaborative partnerships with consortium members, technical experts, the donor, and other stakeholders;
• Lead the project team to achieve the project deliverables which include knowledge management, learning, and communications contributions to the project.
• Develop and manage the project workplan ensuring that high quality work is done on scope, on budget and on time.
• With the Communications and Knowledge Manager support communications and advocacy on the project and on reaching zero dose and under-immunized children in challenging environments.
• Ensure the creation, collection and documentation of knowledge about the project through the analysis of the project strategy, implementation, approaches and ongoing experience for lessons learned, and best practices, and use this knowledge for information sharing with the partners, donors and with other stakeholders, more broadly.
• Capture project learnings, document and disseminate.
• Use skills in sharing knowledge to find creative ways to respond to formal and informal learning questions, ensuring uptake of lessons learned.
• Provide guidance to colleagues and partners on learning and knowledge management techniques and uptake.
• Write and oversee reports to donor, and other requests from donor.

Administration and finance responsibilities for the SRMNCAH Project

• Review and become familiar with relevant contract, administration, personnel, and finance documents that are being used for the project;
• Ensure that project implementation abides by the terms of the contract as well as CORE Group’s internal policies and procedures.
• In conjunction with the Finance Director and Sr. Director of Programs, plan, approve, track, manage, and ensure efficient and effective use of project funds that are designed to support project implementation;
• Provide leadership, delegate responsibility, supervise work, and appraise the performance of project team members;
• Develop terms of reference and manage consultants as necessary.

Partnership development & external relations

• Represent CORE Group in meetings, forums, etc. that are of importance to CORE Group members and the broader CORE Group community;
• Participate in and lead external meetings and conferences, as requested, to share the progress and learning of the RAISE 4 Sahel project;
• Maintain external communication with the donor and other stakeholders.

REQUIREMENTS

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in public health, international studies, international development, or similar educational training
• Demonstrated technical experience in use of learning techniques (3-5 years) and expertise working with low-and-middle-income countries, with equitable approaches.
• Over four years experience managing staff and consultants.
• Over four years of experience with project management
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience leading remote teams, delegating effectively, and managing multiple time zones.
• Experience in Microsoft Suite, Office365, video conferencing software, and project management software (Mondays.com).
• Ability to multi-task, solve problems and manage multiple deadlines under pressure.
• Must have the ability to work with flexibility in a team setting.
• Fluency in English required. Fluency in spoken French is highly preferred.

Desired Characteristics:

• Experience working with a non-governmental organizations.
• Knowledge of the Sahel context and the challenges related to vaccination in fragile and conflict- affected areas.
• Creative thinker with a proven ability to generate innovative ideas.
• Track record of successful engagement with external stakeholders and internal leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, and resolve communication challenges.
• Self-starter who can work independently, manage projects in a fast-paced, complex, and uncertain environment, and remain resilient under pressure.

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. Individuals from the Global South are encouraged to apply, as well as women, people living with disabilities, indigenous persons, and members of the LGBTQI+ community.