Program Officer - Immunization

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In India, CHAI works in partnership with its India registered affiliate William J Clinton Foundation (WJCF) under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) at the Central and States' levels on an array of high priority initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes. Currently, WJCF supports government partners across projects to expand access to quality care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, tuberculosis, COVID-19, common cancers, sexual and reproductive health, immunization, and essential medicines.

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Programme Overview

India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of the largest public immunization programmes in the world. It caters to 27 million infants and 30 million pregnant women. The programme provides access to vaccines against 11 Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) at the national level and against one VPD at the sub-national level.

Under the strong leadership of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and state governments, the immunization ecosystem has demonstrated a proactive commitment to achieving universal immunization coverage in the country in recent years. This includes health system strengthening efforts towards the introduction of new vaccines, rolling out of data systems, digitization of vaccine cold chain and inventory management, and health worker capacity building. MoHFW plans to scale up a digitized beneficiary management system (UWIN) for Routine Immunization, introduce new vaccines in the UIP, and reduce Zero-dose children.

Project Background

WJCF’s immunization program supports the MoHFW’s UIP at the national level and in the focus states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The programme also supports national and state governments on broader operational aspects such as planning, capacity building and systems improvements for immunization service delivery.

In Bihar, Bihar Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, the programme provides catalytic support for achieving and sustaining 90% FIC. The programme focuses on setting up effective program management & review mechanisms, identifying pressing challenges as well as best practices in RI, enhancing impact of well performing interventions, developing & deploying effective solutions to pressing challenges and undertaking multi-year planning for long term immunization systems strengthening. In Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the programme provides support to strengthen urban immunization systems and improve urban coverage in select cities in collaboration with the MoHFW and the state governments. Guided by the MoHFW’s City Embrace Model, the programme focuses on solving for systemic and hyperlocal challenges by conceptualizing and implementing contextual solutions.

Position Summary

The Program Officer, Immunization will be responsible to support the execution of project strategy and operational plan at the state and sub-state level under the guidance of the program leadership and support the state RI Cell in the RI Strengthening objectives. In addition, the PO will play a pivotal role in organizing the conjoint support on the City Embrace Model initiative across four cities in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Based out of Bhopal, the PO will report to the Associate, Immunization and will closely support the program management, development of project deliverables, conduct planning and data analysis, and the publication and dissemination initiatives. The role entails a combination of planning, tracking the project’s progress, stakeholder engagement, and other management practices to ensure that the project objectives are met with high quality and on a timely basis.

We seek a highly motivated individual with strong analytical, quantitative, and planning skills and an exemplary record of leadership and management. The successful candidate will have excellent communications skills, be able to function independently with flexibility in a dynamic and often uncertain situation, be self-motivated, can thrive in challenging environments, and have a strong commitment to excellence. The successful candidate will also to be adept at coordinating the operations of cross-functional and multi-location teams and have a strong commitment to excellence. We place great value on relevant personal qualities resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, and work ethic.

• Support the development of project plans, define project milestones and timelines to ensure efficient progress and deliverables for the Urban Immunization Strengthening project.
• Support the Associate, Immunization in implementing strategies for effective program execution and delivery and collaborate closely with team members to facilitate seamless coordination and workflow efficiency.
• Facilitate the qualitative and quantitative data collection along with templates and planning aids that can support in program management and progress tracking.
• Provide analytical and programmatic support, including dashboards and customized reports, to the team and to the state RI Cell on RI strengthening with special emphasis on urban immunization.
• Conduct thorough desk reviews and utilize analytical tools and methodologies to interpret data, identify trends, and derive actionable insights to improve immunization program implementation.
• Prepare comprehensive reports, impactful presentations, and documentation, effectively communicating project progress and recommendations to stakeholders and donor.
• Generate concise and accurate minutes of meetings, maintaining a record of discussions, decisions, and action items.
• Support the Associate, Immunization in comprehensively executing planned immunization support interventions, stepping in to handle delegated tasks efficiently.
• Travel on short notice to various parts of the state, and often to national destinations as well.
• Undertake any other duties as requested by the programme leadership to support the overall objectives.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in management, economics, operations research, economics, public health, or allied areas.
• Work experience of at least 6 years of experience in a result-driven environment, in the public and/or private sector, with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership.
• Exceptional diplomacy and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to build strong professional relationships with a range of stakeholders in a challenging, multicultural environment.
• Demonstrated analytical abilities and an aptitude for problem-solving.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to create persuasive presentations, written reports, and budgets.
• Ability to thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments, independently managing multiple tasks with precision.
• High emotional intelligence, patience, and thoughtfulness even in high-pressure, stressful situations.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, including the ability to work independently, self-motivate, and propose and implement new initiatives.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Fluency in English and Hindi.
  
  
  

Preferred

• Prior experience of working in immunization related projects or public health interventions across diverse contexts, especially governance, systems strengthening, financing and /or management of operations at sub-national level, or similar fast-paced, output-oriented environments.
• Proficiency in statistical software for robust data analysis.
• Strong experience engaging with government officials and multilateral organizations.