IMMUNIZATION ACCELERATOR LEAD

Location: Ethiopia or Nigeria

Contract Duration:    2 years (with potential extension)

Hours Per Week:  35

We are looking for a Project Lead to play a pivotal role in the strategic planning, execution, and monitoring of a new innovative programme, the Immunization Accelerator, that seeks to fund and support locally led innovations that address long standing barriers to child immunization in Nigeria and Ethiopia.  

The role needs to be based in either Ethiopia or Nigeria.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: 

Save the Children believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce, and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think. 

Background

The Immunization Accelerator is part of an ambitious five-year partnership which includes programmes in Ethiopia and Nigeria focusing on access to quality immunization services, and a research agenda generating robust and credible evidence about the effectiveness of interventions, as well as value for money and replicability. We will partner with academic institutions, including those from Ethiopia and Nigeria.  

The accelerator is part of a wider 5-year partnership between Save the Children and GSK in Nigeria and Ethiopia which will include research partnering with academic institutions, generating robust and credible evidence about the effectiveness of interventions, as well as their value for money and replicability and, programmes in Ethiopia and Nigeria building on our previous immunization track-record, including those implemented in the Somali region of Ethiopia in partnership with GSK.

 Your Role

As the Immunization Accelerator Project Manager, you will play a pivotal role in the planning, execution, and monitoring of innovative projects aimed at overcoming barriers to child immunization. As part of a, working in synergy with teams across the Save the Children movement, you will collaborate with colleagues across the Save the Children movement as well as local organizations and institutions, to ensure that promising innovations receive the support they need to develop their evidence bases.

Your Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the end-to-end support of immunization innovations, from selection via an open call, through piloting to evaluation. You will be able to help innovators work through the next steps they need to take in order to build their evidence bases and take their innovations to the next level.
• Regular in-person support and monitoring of selected innovation projects/partners, including site visits that will require frequent travel in both Nigeria and Ethiopia.
• Initiate and lead discussions with local enterprise, health and innovation stakeholders, including donors, investors, and communities, to ensure the incubator is well networked, has a healthy pipeline and can offer the best support for our innovators.
• You will collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including local partners, Save the Children and GSK to deliver the programme.
• Communicate regularly with the Accelerator Project Team and Accelerator Investment Committees, providing progress reports from the innovators.
• Ensure relevant quality assurance processes are completed so that programmes are running effectively and on time. Support award team to ensure that awards management and other relevant information systems are up-to-date, and that global and internal processes are followed.
• Support grant and contract management, from grant set-up to quality assurance during implementation, lead reporting on the Accelerator and work with other SCUK departments to support reporting of the immunization programme. Ensure awards in the portfolio are compliant with donor requirements and SC quality standards.
• Implement an agile evaluation and learning approach, regularly collecting and analyzing relevant data to adapt. Facilitate review and reflection meetings to optimize the design of the incubator and support provided. And ensure evaluation of the incubator and innovations takes place in a robust and useful.

Proven experience in project management, specifically in the field of enterprise support or health innovation, health management or health research.

• Must have previous experience of working with a range of in-country organizations of different types and sizes, for example, Community Based Organizations, Non-Government Organizations, universities, private sector health initiatives.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to bring together cross-functional teams and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience of the innovation process, preferably with experience in global health initiatives or social enterprise.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex concepts to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to complexity and uncertainty, with an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to manage project budgets and reporting.
• Previous experience working in a global and multicultural context is highly desirable.
• Fluent in English language essential

Please Note: This role is required to be based in either Nigeria or Ethiopia.  You will need to be a national or have the right to work in the country you are based.