Senior Program Officer - Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access - West Africa

This is a remote position and can be located anywhere in the West Africa Region

PATH’s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA) brings together our expertise across every stage of the long and complex process of vaccine research, development, and delivery to make lifesaving vaccines widely available to children and communities across the world. CVIA’s current portfolio encompasses more than two dozen vaccines either in development or already in use to protect against 15 different diseases. Our focus is on vaccines to address the leading diseases that claim children’s lives worldwide: pneumonia, diarrheal disease, and malaria; as well as other global health priorities, such as polio and meningitis. We work in partnership with national health ministries, pharmaceutical manufacturers, donors, international financing and regulatory organizations, and many others.  

This senior staff position in West Africa (Any location) will work within Policy, Access, and Introduction (PAI) functional area of CVIA and be managed by the Director of TyVAC project or their designee. In addition, this person will have a “dotted line” of reporting to the Senegal Country Director or designee to ensure effective integration into PATH’s regional presence in West Africa.  In general, this person will focus on new vaccine introduction, system strengthening for routine immunization, development of vaccine introduction strategies, and post-introduction activities especially those that ensure equity and coverage in new vaccine introduction.  

Responsibilities:  

New vaccine introduction or switching

• Facilitate country decision making processes on new vaccine introduction and switch decisions through the gathering and dissemination of relevant data, evidence, learnings, and policies, and other information in collaboration with national coordinating mechanisms such as NITAGs and TWGs, and global stakeholders such as WHO.

• Coordinate, plan, and provide key stakeholders with technical support, training, and guidance for new vaccine introduction, specifically Typhoid conjugate vaccine but could support others such as, HPV and malaria. Support MOH in evaluating introduction activities and progress. 

• Assist as requested by MOH or other stakeholders for completing funding applications to Gavi and/or other donors. 

• Develop curricula and provide training and education of health care workers, community-based organizations, and other partners to support vaccine service delivery. 

Routine immunization system strengthening 

• At regional, national and subnational levels, contribute to strengthening regional, national and county-level capacity for planning, developing, and implementing programs to increase vaccine coverage, and to assure equitable distribution of vaccines.  

• Work with PATH colleagues, MOH, and other partners to integrate where possible routine immunization into primary health care services. 

• Support the demonstration, evaluation, and scale-up of innovations such as digital health tools and platforms, cold chain technologies, etc. 

Communications and stakeholder relations 

• Represent and serve as a primary technical liaison with MOH National Vaccines and Immunization Program (NVIP) staff, relevant global stakeholders (e.g., WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, African and US CDCs), other international organizations and professional, research and academic institutions in West African countries.  

• Collect and disseminate scientific and public health information on vaccines, through presentations to congresses, scientific sessions, groups of medical professionals, and various advisory groups.