Director, COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery, Coordination and Integration - COVAX

Job Description

Position title: Director, COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery, Coordination and Integration - COVAX

Location: Geneva

Purpose of the position: Lead the successful delivery of COVAX-Facility funded COVID-19 vaccine doses in GAVI COVAX Advanced Market Commitment (AMC) 91 countries, and efforts towards integration of COVID-19 and routine immunisation

Department: Country Programmes

Team: Country Programmes Management

Reports to: Managing Director, Country Programmes

N° of positions supervised

(if applicable): 6-10

Career step level: 6

Duration: Temporary

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 Organisation, 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.

The COVAX Facility (“COVAX”) provides a global solution to the equitable distribution of vaccines to the 190 participating countries and economies. The COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) is an innovative financing instrument that supports the participation of the 92 low and lower-middle income economies in COVAX. Self-financing participants (SFPs) have entered COVAX either as Optional (having the possibility to opt-out of a particular vaccine) or Committed Purchasers. Guided by the WHO fair allocation framework, COVAX will equitably distribute doses to help protect the most at-risk groups. Gavi is working with Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO to ensure that the infrastructure is in place, and the technical support available, for COVID-19 vaccines to be safely delivered to all those who need them.

THE ROLE

Gavi is committed to securing a global response to COVID-19 that is effective and fair, using its unique expertise to help identify and rapidly accelerate development, production and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines under the principle that no one is safe unless everyone is safe.

The Secretariat hosts the Office of the COVAX Facility (OCF), led by a Managing Director, Office of the COVAX Facility. The Country Programmes (CP) department, led by a Managing Director, Country Programmes is responsible for ensuring the right infrastructure, tools and processes are in place to successfully deliver COVID-19 vaccines funded by the COVAX Facility to COVAX AMC countries. This role is meant to support the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to countries through the COVAX facility, which seeks to secure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Director, COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery, Coordination and Integration will work in close coordination with the COVAX Facility and report to Managing Director, Country Programmes.

KEY FUNCTIONS AND DELIVERABLES

• Lead a team of up to 6-10 COVAX senior managers supporting COVAX processes and communications;
• Lead and coordinate the Operational Coordination team which includes relevant technical and operational team in the Secretariat and operationalises efforts towards COVID-19 vaccine delivery;
• Coordinate and participate across various COVAX-related strategic bodies such as Delivery Leadership Team, COVAX Leadership Team and others to deliver on COVAX objectives;
• Ensure timely, robust coordination and communication with partners to troubleshoot and streamline operational elements related to COVAX;
• Oversee that the Board-approved COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Strengthening (CDS) funding is targeted appropriately for COVID-19 vaccine funding and can be accessed by countries within the principles agreed and laid out by the Board, and course correct where necessary;
• Provide strategic thought leadership and coordination to support countries towards integration of COVID-19 vaccines and routine immunisation, working closely with Directors of Health Systems and Immunisation Strengthening and Country Support. Oversee the implementation and management of the COVID-19 vaccine insurance, a new initiative undertaken by the Secretariat, working closely with the Legal and Finance teams;
• Additionally, responsible for all COVAX related activities on the delivery side, including the planning, budgeting and risk management (including fiduciary);
• Ensure the integrity of CDS reporting, prepare and present communications to internal and external stakeholders including, the senior management team, committees, board, and donors.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leadership of the COVID-19 vaccine delivery function in support of countries, working closely the COVAX Facility;
• Act as a key member of the cross functional COVAX leadership team and Delivery Leadership Team;
• Represent Gavi in key COVAX forums internally and externally with partners including and not limited to UN, WHO, UNICEF, stakeholders, and participants;
• Represent Gavi Secretariat and provide strategic inputs in appropriate COVAX-related Governance groups such as Audit and Finance Committee and cross workstreams of the CEPI/WHO/Gavi organisations;
• Responsible for managing risks related to delivery of the portfolio (including but not limited to): supply shortages communication and updates, product refusal/changes, country readiness, delayed funding, wastage rate, vaccine hesitancy and fiduciary risks; as well as ensuring appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place; in coordination with the relevant technical teams;
• Provide strategic thought leadership and coordination towards ensuring strategic initiatives are developed to support countries restore routine immunisation through integrated planning of COVID-19 vaccine delivery and routine immunisation; working closely with Directors of relevant technical teams;
• Leadership of the Operational Coordination Team (OCT) to ensure robust communication, tools and processes are in place both externally – to allow countries easy access to CDS funds – and internally – to allow Secretariat teams to swiftly approve and disburse funds once a request is received from countries;
• Coordinate, troubleshoot and streamline operational elements related to COVAX through participation in various partner forums such as SWAT, COVAX country readiness and delivery (CRD) workstreams – CRD implementation monitoring review (IMR), CRD Funders Forum amongst others;
• Oversee and manage the implementation and operations of the COVID-19 vaccine insurance in close collaboration with Finance, Legal and Audit and Investigations (including but not limited to): claims management, liaising with insurer/ underwriter and providing guidance to Senior Country Managers and the Insurance Specialist;
• Provide strategic support to ongoing short/medium- and long-term strategy of the COVAX Facility;
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate communication strategies and tools are in place for timely, accurate COVID-19 delivery reporting to internal and external stakeholders, including countries, Alliance partners, governance bodies, donors and senior management;
• Responsible for managing the COVAX-specific senior managers, insurance specialists, consultants and other relevant team members working on processes related to COVID-19 vaccine delivery, coordination and integration with routine immunisation.

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

QUALIFICATIONS

ACADEMIC

• Advanced university degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Health Economics or related fields.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 15 years of professional experience managing programmes at national/ international levels in health and other development sectors; Vaccines and Immunisation experience is a must;
• Minimum 5 years of experience with managing health emergencies or emergency response such as outbreaks at a multi-country level;
• Minimum 5 years of experience of managing and leading collaborative, engaged and service delivery teams in low- and middle-income countries;
• Deep understanding of the challenges, risks associated with of in-country supply chain process and procedures for vaccines and immunisation

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Experienced manager with a successful track record of working at a senior and strategic level with relevant stakeholders;
• Experience of working in highly complex and demanding environments, understanding of programmatic and fiduciary risks associated with grants;
• Experience of working in crisis situations;
• Experience in immunisation programmes and/or health systems;
• Demonstrated experience of working in and delivering through multi-partner environments and experience of delivering results through a matrix-style management structure;
• Demonstrated capacity to successfully manage situations of considerable complexity and/or political sensitivity;
• Demonstrated experience of representational duties at international level and conferences;
• Experience in roles requiring extensive networking, relationship and alliance building.

LANGUAGES

• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Knowledge of French desirable.

CONTACTS

• All Gavi Secretariat teams;
• Gavi Governance bodies; Gavi Alliance partners, including UNICEF, WHO, implementing country representatives, donors, civil society, vaccine manufacturers, product development partnerships, academic researchers;
• COVAX Facility teams, financial advisors; and partners including CEPI/WHO/UNICEF.

If you wish to apply, please provide a cover letter and resume through our Careers webpage and apply by clicking on “Director, COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery, Coordination and Integration - COVAX”. Deadline for applications is 03 February 2022.

Become part of our community and join us on Facebook and Twitter for updates about our mission to save children’s lives! You can also follow our hashtag #vaccineswork.

Gavi brings together the public and private sectors to save lives and protect people’s health by increasing equitable and sustainable use of vaccines against 18 infectious diseases. You will be joining an organisation at the centre of the international COVID-19 response, at the most critical time in global health in a lifetime. You will work in a culturally diverse environment with over 70 nationalities. You will collaborate with partners such as WHO, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank – and from business, civil society and government.

And you will work in the first global health organisation to receive equal gender salary certification. Your unique experience, skills and talents can help us achieve our vision of leaving no one behind without the life-saving power of vaccines.

In support of Gavi’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, we hire globally and welcome applications regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, national origin, family status, sex, gender identity or expression, physical characteristics, race, religion, spirituality or sexual orientation.

About the Organization

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 immunisation of nearly 822 million children and the prevention of more than 14 million future deaths.

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