The Senior Program Officer - Country Support will be responsible for intensifying the engagement of the foundation with key partners - WHO, UNICEF, CDC, Rotary International and Gavi - and national polio eradication programs in Pakistan to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission. The emphasis will be on improving the impact of the broad range of foundation assets in these country settings to enhance the quality of supplementary immunization activities, to strengthen acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance and routine immunization, and to build a supportive environment for the application of new tools and strategies to improve the chances of polio eradication.
Responsibilities:
Collaborate with foundation teams in Seattle, international development partners and grantees, and national and provincial governments in Pakistan to ensure the successful implementation of national strategies to eradicate polio.
Support foundation efforts to identify and address immunity gaps that sustain circulation of wild polioviruses in sub-populations (e.g., migrant groups, nomadic population, and hard-to-reach children), particularly in districts with endemic wild poliovirus transmission.
Collaborate with provincial and districts administration, security forces and partners on strategies to improve immunization services to children affected by security and conflict situations.
Develop and execute innovative “Integrated Service Delivery” interventions to access children in areas where the program cannot conduct regular campaigns or conduct EPI outreach.
Participate in provincial and district-level technical reviews of program operations, surveillance reviews and reviews of communication and community engagement efforts to improve family and community participation in immunization activities.
Provide input to provincial and district-level programs and partners on appropriate levels of financial resource requirements for polio eradication.
Requirements:
MPH or other post-secondary degree with relevance to public health and administration, international development, business administration or equivalent combination of education and experience.
A track record in public health program management implementation.
Experience with immunization and/or polio eradication in Pakistan or other developing countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region setting useful but not required.
Experience working with global partners such as GPEI, Gavi, WHO, UNICEF and/or experience in Pakistan/developing country settings, with knowledge of government health systems and political structures.
Proven track record of forging strong partnerships and relationships with Pakistan/developing country policy makers and development partners.
Experience developing and managing projects in a matrix team environment.
Experience working in Pakistan and/or Afghanistan preferred.
Demonstrated proficiency in influencing the effective implementation of public health/immunization programs leading to demonstrable health outcomes, preferably in a developing country.
Proven skills in engaging and interacting with national health/immunization programs in developing countries, including an understanding of program planning and operations, program reviews and program financial resource requirements.
A knack for building momentum and driving action in matrixed environments, helping others to move beyond ‘business as usual’ and generate / implement innovative solutions.
