Overview
The Team Lead will provide strategic vision and technical advice to strengthen routine immunization and improve coverage and equity in Somalia. The role involves coordinating immunization and polio eradication efforts, strengthening national decision-making processes, and overseeing planning and implementation of vaccine-preventable disease control activities.
Key Responsibilities
- Take lead in the provision of a strategic vision and technical advice to the country to strengthen routine immunization and improve coverage and equity.
- Coordinate immunization and polio eradication donors and partners to support immunization and polio eradication in Somalia, including resource mobilization, timely utilization of funds and timely donor reporting.
- Strengthen national decision-making processes through the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG).
- Guide the development and updating of National Strategic Plan, Comprehensive multi-year plan (cMYP) for immunization, the annual national work plan and the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio.
- Manage and ensure the quality District micro plans for EPI and Polio eradication addressing bottle necks equity, quality and high coverage, leaving no one behind.
- Lead a strategy and action plan for monitoring, evaluation system, and data quality improvements at federal and state levels.
- Oversee planning and implementation of the vaccine preventable disease eradication, elimination and control activities to meet global, regional and national goals.
- Plan and implement single and multi-antigen integrated supplementary immunization activities according to national strategies (e.g. Polio, measles/rubella, MNTetc.).
- Maintain preparedness for early detection and response to outbreaks of polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, and coordinate outbreak response with government and key stakeholders.
- Establish a system to monitor polio eradication and measles elimination indicators.
- Improve and sustain quality of acute flaccid paralysis and environmental surveillance for poliovirus as an essential function to achieve and maintain polio-free status.
- Implement Measles & Rubella case-based laboratory surveillance according to regional and national guidelines.
- Coordinate activities related to introduction of new vaccines, including applications to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, new vaccine introduction plans, and necessary training.
- Support national preparedness for use of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2).
- Coordinate the development and implementation of polio transition plan, including facilitating dialogue with the national and state authorities for integration of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance system into broader systems that include reporting of vaccine preventable diseases (e.g. sentinel sites for priority diseases such as invasive bacterial diseases, Rotavirus disease, Congenital Rubella Syndrome) and in the long run, other communicable diseases (in collaboration with WHE coordinator).
- Collaborate with the WHE country team and other Incident Management Support Teams (IMST) for the investigation and response to outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.
- Supervise and guide other Integrated Public Health staff at federal, state and district levels.
- Develop WHO biannual plan (Program Budget) for polio eradication and vaccine-preventable diseases in coordination with the government authorities and WHO Regional Office PVD Department.
- Contribute to the development, planning, and building capacity of human resources for health services delivery with the aim of increasing the quality of the health workforce through organizing, and/or facilitating training activities.
- Contribute to the development of policies for inclusion of vulnerable groups and people living in hard-to-reach areas (in conflict and fragile settings) in order to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all.
- Guide and lead the development of new knowledge, best practices and lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccine deployment aiming to use this platform for establishing a life-course vaccination programme in the context of the 2030 Immunization Agenda.
Required Experience
At least 10 years of extensive and practical experience in immunization programmes and vaccine preventable disease control or polio eradication at senior management position at national and international levels with focus on policy, planning and strategic actions for improving immunization and surveillance programme performance. Experience in control of communicable diseases in general and surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases. Experience with resource mobilization and policy development. Experience of working in developing countries with low performing immunization programmes. Experience with measles elimination and polio eradication initiative.
Qualifications
University degree in Medicine, or health sciences and Master's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology or other related fields.
