To provide technical assistance on sub-national COVID-19 vaccine Rollout and the overall coordination of the monitoring and evaluation process, advocacy communication and social mobilization activities, AEFI surveillance and monitoring, and the capacity building of zones/woredas and health facility levels regarding COVID-19 vaccination.
attractive
Contract
Regions and Zones , Ethiopia
Ethiopia
ABH Partners Plc is a leading consultancy and human resources sourcing firm in Ethiopia with about 15 years of experience in supporting the implementation of development programs and projects. ABH exists to fuel synergistic societal growth by harnessing local knowledge and international standard. Dedicated to the betterment of societal development, technical assistance, and knowledge management, ABH has gained credibility and industry experience in the development sector in general. ABH partners would like to invite applicants who meet the below requirements to apply for the position of Regional COVID-19 vaccination Technical Assistant.
Required Number: 24
Duty station: Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, Gambella, B.Gumuz, Dire Dawa, Harari, Addis Ababa, Afar, and Sidama
Salary: Attractive
Level: NOC
Duration: 18 months
Reporting to: RHB/ZHD EPI team lead
Expected Start Date: Immediately after concluding the contract agreement
1. Background and Justification
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 was initially reported from Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and currently the disease is a global pandemic affecting all countries, including our country, Ethiopia. The global COVID-19 pandemic has been exerting high negative impacts on the health, social and economic wellbeing of people in our country. World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, WHO’s highest level of urgency. On 11 March, WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 could be characterized as a pandemic? On March 13, the first confirmed COVID-19 case was declared by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. The MoH, in collaboration with partners, has been working on the prevention and response of COVID-19 pandemic to halt its spread and reduce the negative impact of the pandemic. So far Ethiopia received more than 12million doses through COVAX dose sharing, bilateral donations from countries and self-financing through AVAT. The COVID-19 vaccine deployment has been undertaken in a phased approach based on population risk levels, global availability of COVID-19 vaccines, and operational feasibility. As a continued effort, the MoH has successfully launched COVID-19 vaccine at national, regional and city administrations level on 13th of March 2021 by vaccinating health workers and support staffs followed by next target group vaccination based on the prioritization. As at November 2021, close to 3.7m individuals has took their first jab of which 2.7m have been fully vaccinated. However, there is a huge unmet need due to multiple factors yet to be addressed. Demand and supply inconsistency due to global shortage of vaccines, vaccine hesitancy, and lack of resources, current country security situation, and the like are some of the factors affecting the full scale up of the vaccination program. Also, the COVID-19 cases and deaths are increasing which needs collective action to mitigate the pandemic and intensify the control and prevention measures. The Ministry is expecting the next successive vaccine shipments to address the 40% (more than 40 million) of target population so that a lot of continuing activities remained to be performed for the national rollout and continued implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the process.
2. Purpose
To provide technical assistance on the regional COVID-19 vaccine Rollout and the overall coordination of the monitoring and evaluation process, advocacy communication and social mobilization activities, AEFI surveillance and monitoring, and the capacity building of zones/woredas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
3. Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the respective RHB MCH/EPI team lead, the technical assistant will support the sub-national COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the planning & coordination, vaccine supply, and distribution, preparation, training, monitoring, and evaluation of the implementation to access the vaccine for the targeted population group equitably including security compromised areas.
Key responsibilities include, are not limited to, the following
4. Expected Deliverables and Time frame
Deliverables | Deadline |
Submission of monthly progress reports | Monthly |
Submission of meeting minutes from COVID-19 coordination forums (regional ICC (Interagency Coordination Committee), the RITAG (Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group); and COVID-19 regional Technical Working Group (TWGs), etc.) | Bi-weekly |
Regular update on functionality of sub-national (RHB and zonal) COVID-19 Taskforce and TWGs | Monthly |
Submission of trainings, monitoring and supervision reports | Monthly |
Submission of documentation of the detailed process including lesson learned, best practices and human-interest stories (HIS) | Quarterly |
Submission of guidance/protocol for the rapid assessment to identify areas for support and improvement. | Bi-annual |
Support Data collection, analysis, and written report | Bi-annual |
Report key findings from the readiness assessment for introduction and vaccination campaigns. | Monthly |
Share regular progress report of the sub-national (RHB and zonal) performance | Monthly |
Develop and report COVID-vaccination implementation report including AEFI documentation and report. | Quarterly |
Annual report and recommendations. | Annually |
5. Reporting
The consultant will be directly recruited by third party HR firm, and reports to the respective RHB/ZHD EPI team lead.
6. Payment Modality and Schedule
The fees for this contract shall paid on monthly basis based on the submission of monthly reports against the deliverables indicated above.
7. Expected background and Experience
Suitable candidate: Technical and good communication skills, analytical skills to identify critical issues and good writing skills, knowledge and skills in the subject.
Essential: First degree in any health science with specialized training (Masters) in public health or epidemiology.
Other Skills: Computer literacy: Proficient in use of Microsoft Office applications, and statistical software.
Desirable: Previous experience working with government at sub-national level, UNICEF or UN agencies. Familiarity or experience with immunization program will be an asset.
Note:
Competencies required:
Policy both parties should be aware of: