Program Officer

TITLE: Program Officer - COVID-19 (3 positions)

DEPARTMENT:  Americares Tanzania

REPORTS TO: Program Manager

ASSIGNMENT TYPE:  Full-time

LOCATIONS: Mwanza and Shinyanga Tanzania

LENGTH: Project is funded until June 30th, 2023

ABOUT AMERICARES:

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies, and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world's leading non-profit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

About the Community Partnerships for Respectful Care (CPRC) project:
The Americares Community Partnerships for Respectful Care (CPRC) is a 5-year project (2020-2025) funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the aim to contribute to reducing mortality and morbidity among mothers and their children through improved community-based health care. The USAID CPRC project (USAID UZAZI STAHA in Swahili) provides strategic technical assistance at the national, regional and council levels to improve the quality and uptake of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), family planning (FP), and nutrition services, as well as strengthen respectful maternity care in Tanzania. Americares Tanzania works with Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC) in the implementation of the USAID CPRC project in the Mwanza Region. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Support: Through the U.S. Government’s Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX), USAID and other U.S. government agencies (e.g. CDC) are supporting Tanzania in reaching 70 percent of the eligible population with the COVID-19 vaccination. Through the CPRC project, USAID is supporting interventions to accelerate the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination in Mwanza and Shinyanga regions through social behavior change (SBC) and community outreach. The CPRC project will leverage its RMNCAH activities and relationships with key stakeholders to strengthen vaccination demand, community mobilization, service delivery and COVID-19 data management efforts in line with Tanzania’s Phase II acceleration plan and in close partnership with CDC vaccination service delivery support partners in the two regions. CPRC will use a ‘community scorecard’ approach for identifying barriers around COVID-19 vaccine uptake and creating locally driven solutions for combating vaccine hesitancy and misinformation and strengthening linkages between facility and community health services. Americares/CPRC will engage civil society organizations (CSOs) for grassroots-level mobilization and reach in the roll-out of interventions.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Program Officers will serve as project focal points for the CPRC Global Vax project in the Mwanza and Shinyanga regions. Their responsibilities include project management, coordinating district level engagement with government partners, supporting community engagement activities in the districts, overseeing data management, coordinating and managing civil society organizations(CSOs)/sub grantees implementing project activities within target communities.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project Management:

• Oversee all project management activities in the region and councils where the project is implemented, ensuring implementation is done according to the work plans and allocated budgets, particularly overseeing the subgrantees/civil society organizations implementing the Global Vax project activities in the district councils. Ensure quality, timely attainment of their results against project targets
• Supervise and manage the performance of the MEL Officer and supervise the driver
• Oversee all the regional office administration and logistics matters
  
  

Planning and Implementation:

• Support health facilities, communities, and partners to ensure the project interventions are locally relevant, culturally appropriate, and address the regional /councils prioritized COVID-19 needs.
• Work with R/CHMTs in developing/revising “macro/micro plans” to integrate community-based approaches and support timely quantification/forecasts of needed vaccine-related commodities
• Work with R/CHMTs to design and support surge strategies and innovative approaches implemented by CSOs to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake
• Identify linkage opportunities between communities and health facilities to improve delivery and enhance uptake of COVID-19 vaccines
• In collaboration with Council Health Management Teams (CHMTs), support capacity building of health facilities staff on service delivery for COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Coordinate and, when required, lead trainings, meetings, and workshops.
  
  

District, Facility and Community Engagement:

• Contribute to community sensitization approaches of COVID-19 vaccine activities, in collaboration with R/CHMTs.
• Mobilize and facilitate active participation of health facility staff and their communities in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of community health development initiatives for accelerating COVID-19 vaccination uptake.
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• Facilitate networking relationships and participation with various stakeholders, such as the government, faith-based leaders and organizations and other key partners at local level such as NGOs and CBOs.
• Manages all activities within communities to generate demand for accelerating COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
  
  

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Monitor health facility and community performance on uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.
• Support the MEL Officer to ensure quality data is collected, consolidated, and reported on timely basis.
• Participate in the development of community and health facilities monitoring plan in various catchment communities per the project scope.
• Work with the existing structure to participate in meetings at the facility level to assess progress in implementation.
• Maintain close follow up with Regional Immunization and Vaccination Officer (RIVO) and District Immunization and Vaccination Officer (DIVO) to monitor project activities at community and council levels to ensure they are implemented as planned.
• In collaboration with R/CHMTs and MEL Officer, conduct monthly/quarterly supportive supervision to health facilities and communities on COVID-19 vaccination activities, including monitoring of backlog data.
• Follow-up on the implementation status of action plans developed at community, facility, and council level.
  
  

Reporting:

• Participate in weekly and monthly planning, implementation activities and monitoring/ reporting of progress of targets.
• Work with MEL Officer to support /monitor implementation of CSOs work plans and coordinate reporting activities during the reporting period.
• Perform any other duties and tasks as guided by the supervisor.
  
  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in health systems management, public health, social work, social science, community development, development studies, nursing or equivalent from accredited college/university with at least 5 years of experience. Master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience working for international development organization in health, community-led activities, or social and behavior change.
• Experience in supervising staff preferred.
• Experience with capacity building projects, coordinating workshops and trainings and/or working with health facilities preferred.
• Experience networking and building relationships with stakeholders required.
• Ability to manage tight deadlines and deliver high volumes of work with minimal supervision.
• Highly reliable and dependable individual.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with all levels of staff and donors.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and strong communications skills; ability to develop partnerships across sectors and cultures;
• Strong organizational skills, capacity to think strategically and attention to detail;
• Excellent English-language speaking and writing skills and demonstrated experience meeting USAID and other donors reporting requirements
• Proficiency in Office 365 including Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint and SharePoint;
• Willingness and ability to travel at least two weeks per month;
• Take USAID mandated courses within 30 days of employment;
• Unrestricted authorization to work in Tanzania.
  
  

CORE AMERICARES RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Foster Americares values of collaborative, accountable, responsive, and effective.
• Coach, support and develop staff to increase individual and team effectiveness; and
• Develop and manage implementation of plans to increase team operating performance.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered for this position, the applicant should please the following items in an expression of interest to Americares:
Curriculum vitae or resume that clearly spell out qualifications and experience
Cover letter highlighting interest in the position and relevant skills
Academic credentials
List of 3 references

Deadline for submission: 10th July 2022
Submissions should be sent to: Americares recruitment portal link provided.  
Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

As a global health organization, we are committed to ensuring a safe environment for our staff, partners, and visitors. All Americares staff and visitors who are on-site at any of our locations or will be traveling for work are required to be fully vaccinated (which includes a booster, when eligible) against COVID-19 unless an exemption required by law is applicable.

Americares is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

To request a disability accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us at talentcenter@americares.org