Role :   Jobs Opportunities : Senior Associate, Vaccines - CHAI Cameroon Vaccines Program
Location :   0. National
Company URL :   https://www.clintonfoundation.org/

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: www.clintonhealthaccess.org.

CHAI started supporting Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health in 2007 to scale up pediatric and adult second-line anti-retroviral therapy, through donation of lifesaving ARVs and diagnostics; as well as technical assistance for improving the quality of ART and laboratory systems to support HIV care and treatment.  In recent years, CHAI has expanded its support to the Ministry of Public Health to other areas including malaria diagnosis and helping to introduce more effective new treatment for severe malaria, improving access to family planning, point of care diagnostics, maternal and child health, and technical support for the Ministry of Health’s drive to sustainably fund healthcare. In early 2015, CHAI launched its vaccines program to apply the techniques it has used to successfully improve access to HIV/AIDS and malaria treatment in Cameroon to vaccines, one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. The focus of the program is to support the EPI in new vaccine introductions, improving vaccine delivery systems, strategic planning and execution, and capability development for immunization.

Overview of the CHAI Cameroon Vaccines Work

Vaccination is widely acknowledged as one of the most cost-effective and focused disease interventions. In addition, the unprecedented wave of new vaccines expected over the next decade has the potential to dramatically reduce the global burden of disease. Although Cameroon has made significant progress in the last decade in improving vaccine coverage and introducing new vaccines, many challenges remain, particularly in the area of new vaccine introductions and vaccine delivery systems.

The CHAI Vaccines Program, therefore, aims to increase access to immunization services through five focus areas: Accelerate the introduction and sustain high coverage of new vaccines; transform in-country delivery systems to efficiently deliver both current and future vaccines; achieve affordable yet sustainable vaccine and cold chain equipment prices by shaping vaccine markets and negotiating price reductions for major antigens and cold chain equipment; capability strengthening by assisting the Government of Cameroon to reach its goal of routine immunization coverage for all children; immunization strategic planning and execution by supporting the MOH to develop quality strategic planning for vaccines and its execution.

Position Overview

CHAI is looking for a dynamic, energetic individual with exceptional people skills, highly qualified with experience in vaccines or related field, and experienced in working in challenging environments to support its Cameroon vaccine program. This is a very demanding post, which will prove to be very rewarding for the right candidate.

Responsibilities

• Support the EPI to develop and review costed strategic plans including cMYPs
• Mentor and identify opportunities within the MoH and coordinate with other partners, to embed robust strategic and operational planning at national, regional and district levels
• Support systematic tracking of the implementation of these work plans, and help identify roadblocks and provide problem solve solutions
• Mentor and work with the EPI to put in place appropriate mechanisms to translate strategic immunization plans into concrete, actionable work plans at each relevant level;
• Resolve data issues impacting monitoring and evaluation, and formulate suggestions to improve routine immunization data systems.
• Support the EPI to develop new and improve existing vaccination policies
• Identify, assess and map strengths, weaknesses, influence and interconnectivity of existing management structures at national and sub-national level which have oversight of immunization program to inform other potential interventions
• Identify opportunities for mentoring on-the job skill transfers for Ministry of Public Health officials; leverage CHAI resources to carry out formal training sessions when requested;
• Support MOH to Identify and examine reasons for unvaccinated and undervaccinated populations, including assessing barriers to immunization as well as developing prioritize services to reach the largest number of unvaccinated
• Support efficient planning of vaccination services at district level, including supporting target district to develop microplans as well as monitoring of the implementation
• Support the EPI to build and strengthen district immunization programme management team
• Support the Program Manager to identify and define CHAI's overall strategy within the program area, develop clear operational plans for execution, and continually identify opportunities for CHAI to add value and maximize impact
• Collaborate with government to ensure skills transfer and government ownership, identify the most critical hurdles to scale-up, and develop innovative strategies to address them.
• Liaise closely with technical partners in government to monitor and evaluate interventions against objectives and targets, bringing in technical expertise when needed to ensure rapid implementation
• Develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders in government, international partners, donors and NGOs, and ensure maximum coordination of resources and effort for successful implementation and scale-up
• Support the Program Manager to develop and manage work plans, budgets, schedules and logistics plans for key activities
• Perform other tasks as necessary

Qualifications

• Degree in relevant field, higher degree desirable, at least 4 years work experience with significant vaccines experience
• Demonstrated strong analytical, leadership, and problem solving skills
• Ability to work independently and effectively in high-pressure, fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Proven ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders and drive immediate results
• High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and internet applications
• At least five years of work experience in a field requiring both advanced analytics and exceptional presentation skills. Candidates with experience from a reputable international consulting firm will have an advantage.
• Experience in healthcare sector, preferably a background in vaccines or related field
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills for conveying key points succinctly, persuasively and clearly
• Experience in driving planning and execution of projects including budgeting, activity planning, and monitoring
• Experience structuring and leading evidence based decision making processes
• The ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders and quickly demonstrate credibility
• The ability to work independently in fast-paced and dynamic environments
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, including proficiency at Microsoft PowerPoint
• Strong process management skills, high level of organization and exceptional attention to detail
• Proven track record working in challenging multi-stakeholder environments
• Personal qualities including resourcefulness, entrepreneurialism, flexibility, independence, humility and strong work ethic