The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 40 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in ten regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Program Background:

The health sector in Ethiopia currently implements activities in three distinct settings: A refugee health program that is involved in delivery of community based reproductive health services as well as HIV/AIDS prevention activities; and a child survival community-based treatment program and community surveillance for measles, tetanus, and polio and also Emergence Response Mechanism (ERM). The IRC also secured funding from GAVI to reach zero doses’ children and underserved communities.

Job Purpose:

The GAVI senior project Officer will be part of the team in the Tigray region in three Zones (Northwest, Central and South) and works toward ensuring Zero dose Children (ZDC) and missed communities in targeted fragile and conflict settings are served by quality immunization services integrated in Primary Health Care (PHC) platforms. They will support the team in conducting trainings for community level and facility-based health providers to ensure that ZDC are reached with high quality immunization services. They will lead strengthening of surveillance systems by engaging with the communities by working with the HEWs, Human health workers, animal health workers and other community level collaborators such as Community Health Volunteers (CHVs/HDAs) to improve the awareness of the community to identify and report vaccine preventable diseases and priority zoonotic diseases.

Scope/Job purpose:

Under the direct supervision of the GAVI project Manager at the Shire field office, the Senior Health Officer is the responsible and focal person for the overall implementation of health projects in planning, crafting, implementing, monitoring and supervision. Also, the position holder is responsible to own the health team, facilitate and lead technical assessments for the preparation of new project proposals.

Key Roles and Responsibilities: –

Project Implementation

• Support the Health and GAVI team, and community health workers in designing, printing and overall dissemination of culturally appropriate immunization and disease surveillance messages to enhance community participation and engagement.
• Identify training needs, design and conduct training/ workshops on relevant health and immunization topics for WoHO health staff, Health Facility based staff and, and health social workers.
• Be responsible for the technical team on-field assessment, project implementation, proposal writing and post-project monitoring and evaluations.
• Facilitate effective cold chain logistics, including forecasting, quantification and timely requisition and last mile delivery of vaccines for campaigns and routine activities, vaccine stock management, and appropriate maintenance and expansion of cold chain.
• Working with the immunization team to detect, identify, manage and adequately report adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in the event these occur through appropriate reporting channels.
• Coordinate, accurate and relevant health-related content guiding materials to tackle Gender based barriers and inclusion of key groups, PLWHA, and disabled communities.
• Assist the Health Manager in collecting correct and accurate monthly information regarding GAVI implemented activities.
• Represent IRC in monthly coordination meetings at zonal and woredas different actors working on immunization and disease surveillance activities.

Grants Management:

• Responsible for preparation and ensuring adequate implementation of the project as guided by the project documents e.g., the activity work plans, procurement, and spending plan.
• Responsible for supervising the purchase request status related to the planned procurement plan and Status in comparison with the actual implementations.
• Responsible for ensuring that planned project spending is in line with the project budgets and will ensure monthly accurate budget Versus Actual (BVA) reviews and course correction.
• Responsible for revision and updating detailed activity, spending and procurement plans accordingly.
• Ensure budget activity lines are assigned well as per the description in the proposal.
• Follow up with the logistics team to ensure timely delivery of goods/services which are raised in quarter Purchase Requests.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Compile monthly progress reports submitted by health officers and report to project Manager.
• Supervise and evaluate the program activities and make sure that monthly & quarterly indicators met or not.
• Provide technical support to team leaders, and health officers to evaluate the efficiency of the program implementation and recommended changes in goals, objectives, intervention strategies, measurable outputs, and timelines.

Resource Management:

• Actively partake in recruitment, training, and overall technical leadership of the health staff.
• Responsible for drafting and reviewing health Officers’ job descriptions, Key Performance objectives, Feedback, and mentorship of the direct reports.
• Ensure and conduct a timely performance review of health staff.
• Ability to maintain teamwork with coworkers and ability to shoulder workloads in critical times.

Key working relationships:

            Internal

• Reports to GAVI Project Manager
• Directly supervises Health officers and team leaders.
• Closely works with all program and support staff so that to realize optimal and efficient project implementation. 

External

• Ensures strong linkages with regional health bureau, Zonal Bureaus, and other implementing partners.
• Actively participate in health coordination meetings and other relevant meetings with implementing partners.

Job Requirement

Competencies:

• Understanding of Expand program of immunization (EPI) and diseases surveillance /PHEM/ program implementation and policy in Ethiopia.
• Good understanding of community mobilization and capacity-building techniques.
• Excellent in project management skills. Ability to plan, organizes, and supervises implementation of ZDC under hard to reach and hard to vaccinate areas.
• Understanding of issues related to Gender & GBV.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating workshops and training.
• Basic managerial skill.
• Have a good skill on program report writing skills.
• Well, digital literacy computer application (office), Microsoft Office, excel, word.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven track record to work as a team member under difficult conditions.
• Understanding of Expand program of immunization (EPI) and diseases surveillance /PHEM/ program implementation and policy in Ethiopia.
• Good understanding of community mobilization and capacity-building techniques.
• Excellent in project management skills. Ability to plan, organizes, and supervises implementation of ZDC under hard to reach and hard to vaccinate areas.
• Understanding of issues related to Gender & GBV.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating workshops and training.
• Basic managerial skill.
• Have a good skill on program report writing skills.
• Well, digital literacy computer application (office), Microsoft Office, excel, word.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven track record to work as a team member under difficult conditions.

Education/Experience/Language

• Public Health, health Officer, Nursing, and other related fields qualification from a recognized college/University.
• 4 years of proven experience for first-degree holders.
• 2 years of experience for post-graduate/master’s degree in public health