Senior Technical Officer (Immunization) - Preparedness for Vaccine Preventable Disease (AfCDC) at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Technical Officer (Immunization) - Preparedness for Vaccine Preventable Disease (AfCDC)

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Northern RCC)
Report to: Principal Program Officer- Country Engagement and Coordination  
Directorate/Department/Organ: Africa CDC
Division: Regional coordinating Centers/ Primary Health Care
Number of Direct Reports: 
Number of Indirect Reports: 
Job Grade: P3
Number of Positions: 1
Contract Type: Fixed Term

Main Functions

• To contribute to strengthening immunization programs in African Union Member States, addressing the zero-dose agenda, building public trust in vaccines, and supporting the strengthening of primary healthcare systems for immunization service delivery across the life course.

Specific Responsibilities
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
Specifically, the Senior Technical Officer shall perform the following major duties and responsibilities:

• Provide strategic guidance on vaccine preventable disease prevention and control 
• Mapping out epidemic prone vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) across the continent 
• Develop targeted emergency preparedness measures for VPDs 
• Provide strategic guidance on strengthening surveillance VPDs at continental, regional, and national level 
• Provide strategic guidance on routine data monitoring of immunization coverage, analyse immunization/coverage data at all levels to improve ability to use data for operational decision-making. 
• Coordinate Africa CDC-GAVI JAP supported mission and field visits relative to immunization and prevention and control of VPDs.
• Support to strengthen the active surveillance, reporting, and investigation of AEFI for COVID-19 vaccines

Public Trust and Advocacy:

• Contribute to the development and implementation of communication strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, promoting public trust in vaccines in Member States.
• Collaborate with national and regional partners on communication campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of immunization.
• Support the development and implementation of community engagement strategies to build trust in immunization services.

Strengthening Primary Healthcare Systems:

• Analyse and assess the capacity of primary healthcare systems within the region to deliver immunization services effectively.
• Collaborate with national counterparts on strategies to strengthen primary healthcare infrastructure, logistics, and workforce capacity for immunization service delivery.
• Identify and promote best practices for integrating immunization services into primary healthcare systems.

Data Management and Reporting:

• Provide technical assistance to African Union Member States for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of immunization data.
• Collaborate with the Africa CDC headquarters on the development and maintenance of regional immunization data management systems.
• Prepare reports on immunization program performance and primary healthcare system capacity for internal and external stakeholders.

Collaboration and Partnerships:

• Work closely with Ministry of Health, stakeholder in Member States.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with national and regional partners working on immunization and primary healthcare.
• Participate in technical meetings and workshops related to immunization and primary healthcare.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience
Education Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in public health, Immunology, Epidemiology, or a related field with a minimum of 7 years of experience in public health immunization programs.
• Applicants with Bachelor’s degree would be considered provided they have 10 years of relevant work experience in public health immunization programs.
• Strong technical expertise in immunization program development, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Experience working on the integration of immunization services into primary healthcare systems
• Excellent communication, advocacy, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

Required Skills
Required skills and Competencies:
Functional Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrable skills to conceptualize, plan, develop, implement, and evaluate resource management support requirements. 
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills and a proven ability to deliver under tight deadlines and works well under pressure. 
• Excellent skills and abilities applied to translating technical information into presentations, briefings and report for both technical and lay audiences 
• Knowledge of oral communication techniques and skill in presentation delivery, programme consultation and credible verbal response to inquiries. 
• Knowledge of interpersonal relationship practices and skills to meet and deal with persons of diverse backgrounds. 
• Demonstrable proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, Power Point, data visualization and statistical packages as well as data analysis skills are mandatory. 

Personal Abilities:

• Ability to work under pressure, stay on track and meet deadlines 
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities 
• Proven ability to produce precise and intelligible reports and office briefs in line with the requirements of the Africa CDC. 
• Able to operate in a multicultural environment 
• High level of autonomy at work, yet with profound team-spirit 
• Adaptive, patient, resourceful, resilient and flexible 
• Pro-active and solutions oriented 
• Knowledge of results-based management 

Tenure of Appointment:

• The Appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of one (1) year, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables. 

Gender Mainstreaming:

• Africa CDC is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Remuneration
The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$ 96,921.34  (P3 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 78,461.08 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

Application Closing Date
8th February, 2025, 11h59 p.m. EAT.