COVID-19 Immunization Specialist | Monrovia, Liberia | 2023

Country: Liberia

Organization: Chemonics

Closing date: 28 Apr 2023

Chemonics seeks a COVID-19 Immunization Specialist for the USAID Frontier Health Markets (FHM) Engage project in Liberia, to be based in Monrovia, Liberia, with an anticipated start date of May 15, 2023. The objective of this position is to lead FHM Engage activities in Liberia to expand supply, availability, and accessibility of vaccination services in the private sector through a county specific approach, coordinate with other implementing partners (IPs) to stimulate demand for COVID-19 vaccination and Routine Immunization (RI) services, work with local actors for improved stewardship for PSE in immunization services, and coordinate the COVID-19 implementation of the Urban Immunization Strategy (UIS).We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

Background

Remarkably, Liberia achieved the WHO target of 70% COVID-19 vaccination rate by September 2022. This achievement was mainly a result of intensified vaccination campaigns across the country. USAID implementing partners provided technical, financial, and logistical support directly to the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Division at central Ministry of Health (MOH) and targeted counties. The private sector makes up about 40% of healthcare providers in the country and had limited involvement in the efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake and integration. FHM Engage will work in collaboration with other implementing partners, MOH EPI, and County Health Teams to strengthen provision of COVID-19 vaccination to all eligible populations in the six counties through integration of services within the private health sector.

The purpose of FHM Engage in Liberia is expanding access to immunization services in Liberia under two tracks:

1. Supporting private providers in six counties to improve access to COVID-19 vaccination by capitalizing on recent investments by USAID/Liberia working with public (and private) sectors on COVID-19 responses and,
2. Pursuing the health market development approach (MDA) to strengthen the routine immunization market by harnessing private sector capacity to improve supply, demand, and the supporting environment (stewardship, financing, market information, regulations/standards).

FHM Engage will be working with USAID/Liberia, the Ministry of Health, EPI Unit, and County Health Teams, along with the Healthcare Federation of Liberia (HFL) to agree on the goals for involvement of the private sector in the immunization market and align on a standardized process for private sector on-boarding into EPI programming. FHM Engage will focus on how the public sector managers at the county level can be oriented to work with the private sector (e.g. leveraging the county level dissemination workshops planned under the PSE operationalization project) and how the private sector can be encouraged to be more involved in the vaccination market, encourage a culture of adaptive learning across activities, and localize health market support to properly contextualize market challenges and identify workable solutions within the system.

Responsibilities Include:

• Support implementation of a readiness assessment for COVID-19 vaccination and routine immunization by mapping private facilities in six counties, including the availability of necessary equipment and data collection and reporting tools.
• Provide technical assistance to strengthen private sector partnerships in order to improve implementation of Liberia’s Urban Immunization Strategy (UIS).
• Work in coordination with the County Health Teams (CHTs) and other partners in each county such as the Jhpiego, World Health Organization, UNICEF, FHI 360, and Breakthrough Action.
• Support CHTs to ensure private facilities are included in the micro-plan for integration of COVID-19 vaccination into routine immunization (RI) as well as in district and county consolidated micro-plans in the six counties.
• Work with EPI and CHTs to ensure that collaborating partners such as UNICEF and World Bank quantify and procure solar powered refrigerators for private facilities (where missing) and provide relevant vaccine carriers and ice packs.
  • Communicate with the District and County teams to advocate and ensure private facilities are involved in plans for logistics for vaccine distribution.
• Calculate requirements and coordinate with GHSC-PSM Liberia for them to include private facilities in their procurement and distribution of COVID-19 examination gloves, face masks, surgical masks with ear loops.
• Work with County Teams, UNICEF, and GHCS-PSM to ensure private facilities are included in medical waste management specifically quantifying expired vaccines, transportation, and paying for incinerators.
• Ensure facilities have data tools (ledgers, vaccination cards, monitoring charts, and child health passports) by coordinating with UNICEF teams to include private facilities in their training and orientations, especially on the introduction of 5-11 years COVID-19 vaccines, their safety, effectiveness, and side effect profile.
• Propose service delivery strategies for COVID-19 vaccination with different level of integration, with other health services and with other IP interventions.
• Participate in national and county-level planning and coordination meetings and activities with Jhpiego, WHO, implementing partners, and the MOH, to bring private sector issues to public sector attention.
• Map the supply of MOH vaccine to private immunization facilities, tagged with nearby cold chain points, and document their data compilation, and track the private import of vaccine through the Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) and facilitate the private vaccine (commercial) reporting by the private facilities.
• Support partner teams to work in selected counties to create linkages with individual private facilities and introduce the project.
• Collaborate with partners to conduct focus groups and/or in-depth interviews with HWs and facility providers to explore the barrier and drivers they face in recommending and delivering vaccination to the public.
• In coordination with EPI MOH and other implementing partners, facilitate in-service training of employed health professionals to maintain their technical knowledge and skills and develop those skills required to implement processes specific to their position and keep pace with continuing changes in policy and practice.
• Attend regular Technical Working Groups (TWGs) meetings at the national, county level, and where applicable. Also, support Technical Directors in preparing the presentations for implementing partner meetings held quarterly.

Qualifications:

• Experience in assessing vaccine supply chain systems, including cold-chain functions, including mapping and optimizing processes that can or will be supported through digital applications.
• Experience with Effective Vaccine Management (EVM) assessments.
• Experience in supportive supervision and mentoring of vaccinators as well as county and district level supervisors.
• Experience in facilitating training on immunization service delivery.
• Medical degree, master’s degree in public health or related field or equivalent experience, with minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in EPI and health products logistics/supply chain management for immunization programs.
• Ability to guide strategy development, advise a team for immunization project for involving the private sector in routine immunization program.
• Experience working in immunization supply chain management in Liberia.
• Strong communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products, and make presentations to partners and clients.
• Demonstrated flexibility to excel in a multi-cultural environment.
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity

How to apply

Please send an email with your CV and cover letter attached and “COVID-19 Immunization Specialist” in the subject line to Recruitment-Liberia-FHMEngage@chemonics.com by April 28, 2023. No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

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