Deputy Director & Technical Lead of CORE Group Partners Project Ethiopia Secretariat

Position Title: Deputy Director & Technical Lead of CORE Group Partners Project Ethiopia Secretariat

Hiring Organization: World Vision US, to be paid from the US

Type of employment: Fulltime consulting contractor

Duration of contract: January 15, 2024 – September 29, 2024 (with possibility of extension)

Reports to: Ethiopia Secretariat Director (SD)

Background

The CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP), a USAID-funded polio eradication project, conducts community-based activities designed to strengthen supplemental polio immunization, routine polio immunization, and surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis, COVID-19, and priority zoonotic diseases in ten countries: Ethiopia, India, South Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Angola, DRC, and Niger. The project operates through the CORE Group Secretariat model, which coordinates a group of international NGOs in each focal country. Activities are implemented by individual US-based PVOs and local partners and overseen at the country-level by national secretariats. The project operates through more than 20,000 community volunteers who act as community mobilizers and promote childhood immunization, provide health education, and are active members of the community-based surveillance system. CGPP has pioneered several key polio eradication strategies including community-based disease surveillance, independent campaign monitoring, cross border collaboration, and the inclusion of civil society in polio eradication.

Purpose of consultancy

The Deputy Director of the CGPP Ethiopia Secretariat will be based in Addis Ababa and will support and strengthen the Secretariat and PVO/NGO partner operations. The consultant will a) ensure the quality and completeness of the CGPP’s program implementation and field operations; (b) ensure that CGPP field activities support program objectives and are consistent with global and national polio eradication strategies; (c) provide input/feedback into required modifications for capacity building, behavioral change communication (BCC) materials to the Secretariat Director and technical staff. She/he will be responsible for the management and supervision of CGPP field operations and communications and will oversee the development and implementation of project budgets and workplans. She/he will also support CGPP Ethiopia Secretariat’s relationship with the CGPP partners, assist the Secretariat Director in providing rapid response through expansion of NGO network, deployment of rapid response teams, and other key activities during cVDPV and wild polio outbreaks. She/he will oversee and track the implementation of interventions to address Priority Zoonotic Diseases (PZD) and other Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) at the national and subnational level. She/he will also monitor and track CBO budgets and ensure they align with approved work plans in addition to guiding the implementation of COVID-19 activities. The consultant is expected to ensure the gender aspects of CGPP are carefully planned, implemented, and monitored.

SPECIFIC TASKS

• Guide the development of the project’s technical priorities and strategic plan, ensuring that they contribute to quality, robust AFP (acute flaccid paralysis) and PZD surveillance, effective supplemental polio immunization activities, and appropriate utilization of routine immunization services.
• Monitor partners’ adherence to the approved budgets and workplans and work with the Secretariat Director to make any necessary program adjustments to ensure workplans are completed within the allotted budget and timelines.
• Monitor the field operations performed by the Secretariat, iNGOs, CBOs, PVO partner staff and make necessary program adjustments to ensure effective implementation and alignment with CGPP’s goal and objectives and the national polio eradication effort.
• Provide capacity building, supervision, and mentoring to the Secretariat staff and CGPP partners’ staff. Ensure field staff at all levels receive appropriate training.
• Review and approve all capacity building workplans and training curricula developed by the secretariat technical staff.
• Monitor trainings on AFP surveillance, routine immunization, social mobilization, communication, data collection, and reporting tools and techniques.
• Monitor progress toward CGPP polio eradication goals and strategies and propose necessary adjustments to ensure they contribute to the national and global eradication of polio and to the quality and sustainability of APF surveillance and routine immunization services.
• Maintain close formal and informal networking and communications with national and international polio partners and stakeholders.
• Represent the interests of the CGPP and its partners in meetings with USAID and other donors and stakeholders, and report on those meetings to CGPP headquarters staff in absence of the Secretariat Director.
• Produce the Ethiopia CGPP quarterly, semi-annual, annual reports, and other reports and ensure the timely completion of data updates. Support the submission of at least two articles per year for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
• Provide technical leadership for the Global Health Security and COVID-19 activities including coordination of planning, implementation, and monitoring of activities.
• Mentor and support the Global Health Security (GHS) Project Manager in the analysis of public health, animal health, wildlife, and environmental services to identify vertical and horizontal linkages useful to support community-based zoonotic disease field surveillance, strengthening of One Health coordination mechanisms, and work collaboratively to maximize efficiencies and cooperation.
• Support project monitoring, data quality assurance, evaluation, and surveillance activities and guide the interpretation of the analyzed data.
• Develop the annual secretariat budget and work plan. Monitor the implementation of the workplan to ensure activities are on course and track the secretariat expenditure pattern by reviewing monthly and quarterly financial reports. Make recommendations for corrective action if required.
• Monitor field operations of all CGPP partners to ensure that their activities are supported by capacity building efforts of the Secretariat and CORE PVO partner staff.
• Participate in the hiring of Secretariat staff when necessary.
• Encourage and support Secretariat and partner staff to conduct operational research in relation to polio, routine immunization, GHSA, and surveillance issues, and to publish and present the findings of this work in reputable journals and in international conferences and forums.
• Represent the Secretariat Director in technical or programmatic meetings as appropriate.
• Meet monthly with CBO partners, in collaboration with the Finance Officer, to monitor and provide support for liquidation reporting processes.
• Serve as a liaison between the CGPP Secretariat and critical stakeholders at the sub-national level.
• Participate and assist the Secretariat Director in the semi-annual staff performance evaluation process.
• Serve as a resource person for USAID’s Mission in Ethiopia for technical/programmatic matters on polio, GHS, and COVID-19.
• Support partners to follow appropriate steps to address gender aspects at all levels.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Very good relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels (household, community, national, etc.) internally and externally.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented.
• Very good communication and presentation skills, especially presenting briefs to donors and representing an organization at conferences and other forums.
• Experience in collecting and analyzing data to assist in making informed decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Recognized technical experience and qualifications in Immunization specifically, Global Heath security and Primary Health Care Systems strengthening in general.
• Demonstrated experience of successful management, including management of functions of complex, multi-activity projects.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Experience in addressing gender in health programs.

Required Languages – English language

Desired – Local languages as applicable is an added advantage.

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 30% to 50% of the time.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervises some of the secretariat staff as assigned.

Working Relationships

Internal: Secretariat Director, Secretariat staff

External: USAID, WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International, CDC, Ministry of Health, Partner Leads, Host organization Leadership

Qualifications

• Medical Doctor, or Health Officer or Nurse with advanced public health or infectious disease training at a Master’s or PhD level.
• Minimum of 10 years’ working experience with the last 4 years preferably in a management position, supervising senior staff in an international or multicultural environment.
• Relevant management and technical experience.
• Experience managing donor funds, especially USAID.
• Experience in providing immunization services at a health facility setting in Ethiopia.
• Experience in participating at national immunization and GHSA coordination forums.
• Experience in publishing papers in scientific journals.
• Knowledge and experience in budget management.
• Experience in polio eradication and Global Health Security work in Ethiopia.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to use data to inform program activities.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.