103- 2021-GAVI-RFQ-Consultancy Opportunity-Vaccine Grant Operations and Information Management Senior Consultant At GAVI Alliance

1. Background and Introduction

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children’s lives and protecting people’s health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunization of nearly 822 million children and the prevention of more than 14 million future deaths.

For more information, please visit the Gavi website: http://www.gavi.org/about/mission

2. Project Objective and Scope of Work

Support grant information processing and country forecasting related activities, including leading efforts to continuously improve vaccine grant related information management systems and tools.

2.1 Key Functions and Deliverables:

The key functions and deliverables for this position are as follows:

• Manage vaccine grant data and lead the team’s contribution to building and operating efficient grant information systems, tools, and processes.
• Advance the effective use of grant information in decision-making, providing access to data and analysis to appropriately influence the allocation of vaccine doses.
• Provide effective grant document processing support to operationalize decisions on Gavi’s vaccine support to countries.
• Contribute to country-level forecasting to improve the robustness of vaccine quantifications in individual immunization programmes.

2.2 The main duties and responsibilities of the Consultant shall be as follows:

i. Strengthen the management and use of grant information.

• Lead the team’s collaboration with Knowledge Management & Technology Solutions (KMTS), Finance & Operations, and Country Programmes in large-scale information system and process improvement efforts.
• Proactively ensure the team’s requirements are integrated into longer-term system and process design considerations and monitor implementations.
• Identify opportunities for continuous process improvements within on-going grant operations, and coordinate across departments to design and implement enhancements.
• Design and implement shorter-term improvements to spreadsheet and database tools used by the team in grant processing and forecasting.
• Engage with external parties, in particular UNICEF Supply Division, to advance system and process improvements that streamline vaccine grant transactions and increase the effectiveness of data sharing.
• Maintain and provide support for tools hosted by the Vaccine Forecasting and Grant Operations (VFGO) team.
• Provide analytical support on financial and programmatic implications during grant approval and renewal processes and evolve the management of data to better address changing decision-making needs.
• Document processes and methods, as well as support the response to audit and similar requests for information.
• Contribute to the calculation of KPIs related to the grant processing work area.

ii. Serve as a focal point for managing grant document processing.

• Work as the lead within the VFGO team for a designated set of countries for grant processing functions including:
• Support the production, management, and quality checks of key grant documents, with a focus on the central vaccine-related programmatic and financial information.
• Collaborate with Senior Country Managers, Programme Managers, Audit & Investigation officers, and Finance department staff to ensure efficient and accurate processing of grant documents.
• Calculate and review estimates of vaccine dose requirements and programme costs.
• Coordinate with external parties, especially UNICEF Supply Division, on vaccine grants.
• Develop solutions for cases where grant needs fall outside standard procedures.
• Create and quality control formal grant approval documents periodically required for the full portfolio of Gavi supported programmes.
• Assist with the development of training and briefing materials and conducting sessions with internal parties on grant processes.
• Represent VFGO in meetings with countries and external partners on topics related to Gavi vaccine grant processes and dose allocations.

iii. Contribute to country-level forecasting support.

• Serve as the lead within VFGO team for vaccine forecasting support to selected priority countries.
• Contribute to efforts for improving the methodology and available data used in estimating vaccine dose requirements.

iv. Support other areas including:

• Lead VFGO’s engagement with Office of COVAX Facility, and COVID-19 forecasting and grant operations.
• Respond to ad-hoc analysis requests and provide support to other requests as required.
• Act as a backup to other team members in their absence.

3. Location: Geneva, Switzerland

4. Qualifications and Experience Required:

4.1 Academic

• University degree in engineering, business administration, economics, or similar.

4.2 Work Experience

• At least 8 years professional experience in forecasting, or supply and demand planning, roles within pharmaceutical (vaccine preferred), global/public/social health, or FMCG sectors.
• Experience functioning as a business owner in the design, implementation, and operation of large-scale information management systems in a similar context involving complex operations and financial data.
• Background in forecasting, or the management of forecasting-related data and systems.
• Experience interacting with accounting information systems and related data is preferable.
• Previous experience of managing and leading teams is required.
• Project management and process improvement planning in an industrial, consulting, or related setting.
• Vaccine or pharmaceutical knowledge is preferable.

4.3 Skills and Competencies

• Skilled at working with programmatic and financial information from multiple sources, including data collection, management, reconciliation, quality control, and analysis.
• Ability to understand, use and improve existing complex spreadsheet tools, as well as skilled in the design and implementation of new spreadsheet and database tools.
• Applied skills with programming (e.g., VBA, R, Python or similar) and database usage (e.g., SQL and MS Access) in a similar setting.
• Ability to operate with significant ambiguity in data and needs, and proactively develop options and recommend solutions.
• Effective oral and written presentation skills, able to communicate across disciplines.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt in rapidly evolving environment and adopt continuous improvement stance.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the Alliance.
• Familiarity with low and lower middle income country context: national immunisation programmes/immunisation service delivery challenges is desirable.

4.3 Language: Advanced English is required, French is desirable.

4.4 Key Stakeholders

• Primarily Finance & Operations, Country Programmes, and Vaccines & Sustainability staff.
• External organisations, particularly partner and procurement agencies (e.g., UNICEF Supply Division).
• Office of the COVAX Facility, both internal and external stakeholders including UNICEF and other partners.

5. Duration of Assignment: Six (6) months (with possibility of extension).

6. Selection Process and expected timelines.

• Interested parties should respond by completing Annex One and returning their application before midnight on the Closing Date.
• Gavi will shortlist and invite for written tests and/or interviews (1-2 weeks)
• Contract negotiation and signature (1-2 weeks)

Gavi is committed to diversity within its workforce and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.