108-2021-GAVI-RFQ-Programme Managers, Country Support 4 Positions At GAVI Alliance

1. Background and Introduction **

Gavi Alliance’s (“**Gavi**”) mission is to save children’s lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to immunisation in poor countries.

Gavi is a unique organisation that aligns public and private resources in a global effort to create greater access to the benefits of immunisation. It does this with precision and in creative, innovative ways to ensure that donor contributions efficiently save lives and help build self-sufficiency in the world’s poorest communities and regions.

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

2. Background of the team and purpose of the role

Programme Managers (PM) play an important role in Gavi’s mission to ensure that children in the world’s poorest countries are vaccinated against deadly diseases such as hepatitis B, diarrhoeal disease, pneumococcal disease, measles, meningitis A, and cervical cancer.

The hands-on work of Gavi’s Programme Managers is fast-paced, demanding and rewarding. Working together with the Senior Country Manager (SCM), governments, and partners, they enable the uptake of life saving vaccines in many countries that previously couldn’t afford them. They work towards the global eradication of polio and the deployment of the cutting-edge cervical cancer-preventing vaccine. They will also contribute to the introduction of a vaccine against COVID-19.

Programme Managers support several countries within their assigned team, and divide their time between Gavi’s Geneva headquarters and field visits. They help to ensure countries deploy Gavi supported vaccines, direct financial support and technical support effectively and transparently. They support the Senior Country Manager to assess and manage risks and they monitor the performance of Gavi-funded programmes. They also participate in the solving of problems that hold back programme implementation.

Reaching zero-dose children is at the heart of Gavi’s new strategy and Programme Managers are expected to champion this goal, alongside the Senior Country Manager. They must use all levers of support available, including advocating for this with senior government officials and partners; identifying potential new partnerships and innovative approaches that will accelerate identifying and reaching missed communities; and ensuring rigorous performance monitoring mechanisms are in place to track progress and course correct when necessary. He/she will also work closely with the Senior Country Manager and in-country partners to ensure an effective delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine.

To this effect, Programme Managers help to support the building and management of relationships with a wide range of senior representatives from governments, United Nations and donor agencies, International NGOs and CSOs. Chief among these are Gavi’s alliance partners, which include the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank. Programme Managers are also supported in their work by Programme Assistants and colleagues from various technical teams within the Gavi Secretariat.

Programme Managers will generally be responsible for up to four countries. In some cases countries could be placed in different regions. As a result, a different set of language skills may be needed. The PMs should be comfortable solving problems and supporting decision-making in technical areas independently.

3. Description of Services:**

• Timely, quality completion of the various steps of the portfolio management process, with high quality of grant management and other documents under PM’s responsibility;

• Robust contribution to strategic discussions with SCM and, where relevant, other country team members, in relation to a country’s portfolio of support;

• Compliance with policies, requirements, agreed timelines, formats and quality standards;

• Proactive identification and addressing of issues, risks and improvement opportunities related to portfolio management and other tasks under PM’s responsibility;

• Timely and quality delivery of specific workstreams/projects, as agreed with SCM and Team leads

• High degree of satisfaction by all members of the team and other pertinent stakeholders regarding quality, timeliness, proactiveness of support services provided to them;

• Productive collaborations with relevant Gavi Secretariat colleagues and country and partner agency counterparts; and

• Timely, high-quality communication of Gavi information (funding decisions, Board policy, etc.) to countries and other development partners.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Responsible Programme Managers. Specific duties include:**

Overall engagement

• Support SCM with overall Alliance engagement with country against a holistic theory of change;

• Draft various types of briefings, correspondence and memos in preparation of internal and external meetings and discussions;

• Act as liaison to coordinate meetings with in-country donors, technical partners, NGOs, CSOs, and other critical stakeholders;

• Represent and actively contribute to internal and external meetings – whether in country, at the regional level or at the Secretariat based on knowledge of country contexts – and bring experience across Gavi policies/processes;

• Act as ‘knowledge managers’ for all information related to the country: ensure proper management of all documents, correspondence, minutes, contracts, budgets, etc. and ensure updated country information for use by internal Secretariat stakeholders;

• Maintain a tracker of key actions and ensure that proper follow-up is undertaken (e.g., GMRs, Audit and others);

• Take quality meeting minutes relevant to one’s countries as necessary and follow up on any agreed actions; and

• Support preparation and execution of Alliance’s high-level engagement, including joint missions, bilateral meetings with Gavi’s Executive Office.

Portfolio Management – Plan & Design

• Taking into account Gavi’s differentiated approach to country engagement:

o Support discussions around private sector partnerships or innovative partnerships in countries;

o Support Full Portfolio Planning process: undertake planning, draft FPP roadmap, manage communications, support preparation of consultation workshops and other meetings, coordinate with FD&R for IRC review; and

• Support SCM to engage with sub-national levels, as appropriate, to plan and design tailored strategies.

Portfolio Management – Review, Approve, Disburse

• Based on Gavi’s differentiated approach to country engagement, support coordination of quality assurance, compliance and pre-screening across teams before the review of the Independent Review Committee (IRC); following review, facilitate any required follow-up;

• Support finalisation of grant-making post IRC review: multi-year approval; budget and workplan; Grant Management Requirements; draft grant agreements; and track and monitor disbursements; and

• Work with Programme Assistant to ensure all SAP-related tasks are completed in an efficient manner.

Portfolio Management – Implement & Monitor

• Taking into account Gavi’s differentiated approach to country engagement:

o Support SCM to monitor and pro-actively mitigate programmatic and fiduciary risks; including through the tracking and follow-up of audit findings, grant management requirements, evaluations findings, etc.;

o Support the coordination of regular performance reviews of Technical Assistance, in alignment with other streams of support;

o Support the preparation of Joint Appraisals, monitoring missions, meetings and other joint engagements;

• Support day-to-day problem solving to ensure that programme implementation is effective, impactful, and in line with Theory of Change, across all streams of support, with pro-active coordination of reprogramming against needs;

• Keep track of required reporting and coordinate with the country to ensure they submit high quality reports on time (e.g vaccines stock reporting, financial and programmatic progress reporting, follow up on vaccine introductions and campaigns, etc.); and

• Act as liaison between the PCA team and the Country to support the regular programme audit.

Corporate tasks

• Contribute to cross-secretariat initiatives and working groups; and

• Support SCM with country updates for high-level Alliance bodies such as the IRC and HLRP.

*Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs.

4. Location: Gavi Alliance HQ, Geneva, Switzerland or remote (subject to discussion)**

5. Qualifications and work experience required:

Academic

• University degree in public health, health economics, development or social sciences, business administration (with experience in international development) or related field, or other relevant qualification

Work Experience

• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience working in public health or international development;

• Experience in immunisation programmes or health systems a strong asset;

• Experience working in/with developing countries on technical issues a strong asset;

• Some grant-, project- and/or programme-management experience required, including in situations of considerable complexity, challenging environments and political sensitivity; and

• Experience in bilateral and multilateral aid environments an asset.

Skills/competencies

• Strategic and proactive problem solver

o Ability to develop strategic, transformational approaches in line with Gavi strategy

o Critical thinking, problem-solving and creative mindset

o Proactive identification, reporting and resolution/mitigation of issues and risks

o Systems-thinking, with macro-understanding of global and country context and interdependencies

o Political acumen and ability to drive change and improvements in challenging, inter-cultural and complex environments

o Excellent interpersonal negotiation skills, including ability to problem solve and manage conflict

• Decisive and flexible

o Flexible mindset & ability to adapt quickly, focusing on value creation

o Applies a timely and pragmatic approach with critical lens to make judgments & effective decisions

o Champion evidence-based and data-driven decision making

• Outwardly engaging and effective influencing

o Effective consultations with & influencing counterparts at all levels

o Builds and maintains effective working relationships to influence and drive for impact

o Ability to identify, engage and leverage existing and new partnerships

• Innovative

o Proactively explores opportunities to introduce new ideas & enhance solutions

o Creates a path forward, takes informed risks and pushes ambitious and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking

• Portfolio manager

o Supports the various steps of the Gavi grant management process, incl. due diligence, steering, course-correct, etc.

o Coordinates, works effectively with others, structures work to meet deadlines, including effective prioritisation

o Know-how in project financial management

o Ability to analyse and synthesise qualitative and/or quantitative information

o Ability to manage budgets and monitor grants related to vaccine introductions, supplementary immunisation activities and HSS grants

• Effective communicator

o Able to communicate ideas & draft strategic papers / policies in a logical and cohesive way

o Delivers clear, concise and coherent messages – in both written and oral formats – adapted to intended audience

• Digital skills and record/knowledge management

o Uses productivity software to create work objects

o Know-how in record keeping (e.g. proper handling of records and systems to preserve institutional memory, including correspondence logs, office filing and reference systems, etc.)

o Knowledge sharing (e.g. best practices/lessons) with colleagues

• Knowledgeable about context

o Ability to work with wide range of stakeholders across the spectrum of government, donors, technical partners, civil society, other expanded partners etc.

o In depth knowledge of Gavi’s mandate, model, governance and ecosystem

• Strong interpersonal skills

o Models positive team behaviours that foster teamwork and trust, both internally and externally

o Conflict management and resolution

o Multi-cultural sensitivity

o People management and leadership skills

• Ability to work successfully in an international, multi-cultural, multi-partner environment, with significant travel,

Note: short-listed candidates may be asked to complete a timed test to demonstrate their data management, analysis and communication skills.

Languages:**

• Written and spoken fluency in English essential;

• Written and spoken fluency in French, Portuguese Russian is a requirement depending on the countries to be covered.

6. Duration of Assignment: 12 months (with possibility of extension).**

7. 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)

We are committed to fostering a just, equitable and diverse culture free from racism and discrimination in which all staff, partners and stakeholders feel empowered, safe and heard.