Position title: Sr. Prog. Manager, Immunisation Financing & Sustainability – Temp (2 positions)
Location: Geneva
Purpose of the position: To enhance Gavi Secretariat capacity to engage in priority countries on health and immunisation financing to address, in collaboration with other partners and in alignment with national priorities, health financing bottlenecks and inefficiencies to sustainable and improved immunisation coverage.
Department: Country Programmes
Team: Immunisation Financing & Sustainability
Reports to: Head, Immunisation Financing & Sustainability
N° of positions supervised
(if applicable) : N/A
Career step level: 4
Duration: 12 months
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 implementing 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 immunisation of more than 822 million children and the prevention of more than 14 million future deaths.
BACKGROUND
One of Gavi’s four goals, as outlined in its 2016-2020 Strategy as well as int its upcoming 2021-2025 Strategy, is to improve the sustainability of national immunisation programmes. The Immunisation Financing and Sustainability (IF&S) team provides strategic and thought leadership across the Secretariat on issues related to immunisation financing and sustainability, oversees the implementation of the eligibility, co-financing and transition policies, and provides functional support to country teams to maximise impact. In this regard, domestic financing for immunisation service delivery will be a critical priority and focus area for the IF&S team in the context of GAVI’s new strategy focus on zero-dose. In order to strengthen Gavi’s position and collaboration with other partners, and alignment with national priorities in selected countries, Gavi is looking to recruit a dynamic, results-oriented Senior Programme Manager (SPM) to join its fast-paced Secretariat in Geneva.
In this capacity, the SPM will be directly responsible for supporting Gavi Secretariat engagement in priority countries on health and immunisation financing to address, in collaboration with other global health financiers, health financing bottlenecks and inefficiencies to sustainable and improved immunisation coverage. This will be accomplished through concerted actions on three fronts: (1) at the global level, strengthening coordination on health financing among key global health financiers; (2) integrating and aligning critical Gavi country processes with joint collaboration processes and approaches; and (3) at the country level, improving efficiency and effectiveness of Gavi country support through more strategic programming of Gavi resources, in coordination with other global health financiers.
KEY FUNCTIONS AND DELIVERABLES
The SPM will lead Gavi’s engagement in this collaboration in priorities countries. S/He will provide process and technical leadership on health financing and will have primary responsibility over the day-to-day implementation of agreed-upon activities. In particular, s/he will be responsible for producing/reviewing relevant documents and data, engaging in country and global-level negotiations with government and health financing stakeholders, joining/leading meetings, calls and missions, linking and liaising with Gavi Senior Country Managers and other Gavi functional teams, and ensuring that Gavi technical assistance and HSS are well designed and strategically programmed to support countries tackle health financing barriers to programme performance.
The SPM is expected to contribute to the achievement of the following outcomes:
- Global-level coordination: Improved global-level collaboration and alignment on health financing activities in selected priority countries;
- Integration with Gavi processes: Enhanced consistency and alignment between health financing collaboration and Gavi processes;
- Country-level results: National health financing and programmatic priorities identified and jointly supported to promote more timely, effective and scaled-up financing and improved immunisation outcomes, including the compliance with GAVI’s co-financing and eligibility policies.
More specifically, the SPM will be responsible for achieving the following intended (not exhaustive) list of outputs: - Global-level coordination: in collaboration with other dedicated IFS team members, the SPM will be contributing to the:
• Active Gavi participation, involvement and follow-up on Health Financing collaboration in selected countries, documented through call minutes and trip reports;
• Agreement on priority countries for engagement reached;
• Agreement on roles and responsibilities reached by participating agencies globally and in specific countries;
• Summary document describing Gavi’s role in priority countries;
• Two status reports on current status of collaboration and critical issues for course correction developed for review by BMGF and Gavi governance stakeholders (e.g., PPC, Board). - Integration with Gavi processes:
• Joint Appraisal and health financing missions co-organised in priority countries;
• Briefing on health and immunisation financing developed for distribution to JA stakeholders prior to mission;
• Gavi-funded technical assistance in selected countries in the area of health/immunisation financing aligned to findings and priorities jointly agreed upon by global health financiers and countries. - Country-level results:
• Evidence/data reviewed and, where needed, joint analytics implemented in selected countries for the identification of country-level health financing bottlenecks to the improvement of immunisation outcomes (through, e.g., analyses and/or studies for the development of national health investment case);
• Health Financing Roadmaps agreed and developed in selected countries to address bottlenecks to strengthen domestic resources for the delivery of immunisation services;
• Common capacity building activities on health financing and transition implemented in selected countries;
• Fulfilment of co-financing requirements and country readiness for successful transition from Gavi support;
• Gavi HSS investments aligned to findings as per joint analytics and priorities in selected countries.
Opportunities for joint investments (i.e., through HSS) identified in coordination with other global health financiers in selected countries.
MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
According to the 3 level of interventions, the SPM will be responsible for:
- At global level:
• Ensuring that Gavi can work more closely with global health financiers to establish a structured, collaborative process, with regular coordination calls and joint missions, to ensure appropriate information sharing and a common strategic dialogue with government stakeholders;
• Working together with partners to develop coordinated responses to country needs, based on clearly delineated roles, responsibilities and mutual accountability, including for specific priority countries;
• Leading this collaborate engagement in at least one country, while playing an active role in two to three priority countries;
• Collaborate with the dedicated IFS team members to develop regular monitoring reports. - At internal level:
• Engaging in the alignment of key internal processes, particularly its Joint Appraisals – which are conducted annually in Gavi-supported countries to review programmatic performance, identify implementation bottlenecks and agree on priorities for technical support – to the in-country health financing collaboration processes and findings;
• Ensuring that dedicated discussions on health and immunisation are held during the Joint Appraisal process to promote closer engagement between immunisation programmes and health financing stakeholders and build consensus around immunisation financing bottlenecks and solutions;
• Ensuring that Gavi-funded technical assistance in the area of health/immunisation financing is consistent with the findings and priorities jointly agreed upon by health financing partners and countries;
• Ensuring that members from country support teams, particularly Senior Country Managers, will also be actively involved, tapping, as needed, expertise from other functional teams across the Gavi Secretariat (such as Health Systems and Immunisation Strengthening or Programme Finance). - At country level (in 3-4 priority countries):
• Working with countries and partners to develop a shared understanding of key health financing bottlenecks and inefficiencies for the improvement of immunisation outcomes, and to agree on common approaches for their resolution;
• Reviewing available evidence to identify key issues to be tackled, and implement joint analytics if needed (through, e.g., analyses and/or studies for the development of national health investment cases, investment cases in the context of GFF support, etc);
• Based on above analyses and review, ensuring the development of country-owned health financing roadmaps – with clear priority actions, roles, responsibilities, timelines and deliverables –, as well as the adaptation and implementation of joint capacity building activities to support the long-term sustainability of these efforts. These roadmaps will serve as the basis not only to strategically programme and tailor Gavi HSS investments in support of this common agenda – aligned with Gavi-funded technical assistance –, but also to explore opportunities for joint investments in coordination with other global health financiers;
• Advise SCMs and partners on co-financing and eligibility and transition policies and requirements and immunisation financing strategies in countries.
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.
QUALIFICATIONS
ACADEMIC
• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in health/development economics, economics, public health, social sciences, international affairs or related fields.
WORK EXPERIENCE
• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience at national and international levels in health and development programmes in a variety of settings is required;
• Experience in health financing and health systems is necessary and desirable in immunisation programmes;
• Experience in bilateral and multilateral environments and in collaboration and coordination with development partners is necessary;
• Experience in working in/with developing countries is necessary;
• Demonstrable work experience of successful management of situations of considerable complexity and/or political sensitivity is ideal;
• Experience of representational duties at international fora and conferences is plus;
• Experience conducting quantitative research and published research is desirable.
SKILLS/COMPETENCIES
• Current knowledge of immunisation and health financing issues, strategies and policies, and/or experience in international development cooperation;
• Familiarity with political and technical governmental decision-making processes for immunisation and health, including budget and planning processes, appropriations and communications;
• Excellent coordination skills, within the organisation and with other partners and national authorities;
• Excellent inter-personal, oral and written communication, presentation, negotiation, and advocacy skills;
• Demonstrated poise, tact, and diplomacy in pressure situations and ability to maintain confidentiality;
• Ability to work successfully in an international and multi-cultural environment;
• Proven ability to quickly and flexibly adapt to complex environments and provide solutions to complex immunisation financing challenges at country level;
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills with economic and social data;
• Proven ability to conceptualise, innovate, plan and execute ideas, as well as to impart knowledge and skills;
• Demonstrated capacity to work effectively in a team setting and under pressure, to deliver high quality, accurate work within target deadlines, manage a variety of work streams simultaneously and maintain focus on priorities;
• Excellent organisation skills and high sense of responsibility, efficiency, reliability and a focus on results;
• Ability to take initiative in the absence of specific instructions, and to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision.
LANGUAGES
• Written and spoken fluency in English;
• Fluency in other languages an asset.
CONTACTS
• Gavi Secretariat;
• Gavi Alliance partners and expanded partners;
• UN, Multilateral & bilateral donor agencies and civil society;
• Gavi supported country governments.
If you wish to apply, please provide a cover letter and resume through our Careers webpage and apply by clicking on “Sr. Prog. Manager, Immunisation Financing & Sustainability – Temp (2 positions)”. Deadline for applications is 31 August 2021.
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