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Project Manager, Immunization, Health Systems Strengthening
The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI)
Country Programs - Democratic Republic of Congo
Full-time
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Posted 2 hours ago
Job Description

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion, and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

Position Overview

CHAI DRC is recruiting a Project Manager to lead the planning, coordination, and execution of an immunization strengthening program across nine health zones, in close collaboration with provincial health authorities and the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). The role will oversee microplanning (including GIS), field implementation, cold chain and last-mile logistics, digital monitoring, and capacity building for health staff and community relays (RECOs) to improve vaccination coverage and reduce zero-dose and dropout rates.

The Project Manager will manage performance tracking through real-time dashboards, ensure high-quality reporting to CHAI and donors (including GiveWell), and coordinate partners and stakeholders at provincial and zonal levels. This position requires strong leadership, operational rigor, and deep experience in immunization or community health programs in low-resource settings.

Responsibilities

Project Management, Coordination, Planning and Performance Management

  • Develop, update and monitor the monthly, quarterly and annual operational work plan.
  • Strategic Planning: translate program objectives into monthly and quarterly action plans for the 9 health zones.
  • Oversee the planning of GIS microplans in the 9 SAs (GPS collection, community validation, map production).
  • Monitor the execution of the implementation schedule (preparation, execution, review, consolidation, evaluation) according to the annual chronogram of activities.
  • Organize and facilitate coordination meetings: DPS, provincial EPI, BCZS, partners.
  • High-Level Reporting: Write narrative and technical reports for donors (GiveWell) and institutional partners.
  • Results-based management (RBM): Track performance indicators (KPIs) via real-time dashboards to correct coverage gaps.
  • Collaborate with the External Investigation Partner (OCI) for the methodological quality of the studies.

Field Activity Management

  • GIS micro-planning: Oversee the deployment of digital mapping and ensure that 100% of vaccination sites are geolocated.
  • Cold Chain & Logistics: Ensuring the efficiency of "last mile" logistics and the strict maintenance of vaccine temperatures (+2°C to +8°C).
  • Digital monitoring: Coordinate the use of digital tools by Community Relays (RECO) for the household census.
  • Ensure the planning and holding of monthly advanced vaccination sessions in optimized sites (>5 km from health centers).
  • Monitor the quality of training supervision and field supervision visits.
  • Ensure the proper use of digital tools for RECOs (registration, reminder, synchronization).

Management of human, administrative and budgetary resources

  • Oversee the management of resources allocated to the SZs (bonuses, fuel, logistics, equipment).
  • Monitor budget execution in conjunction with the Finance team by ensuring rigorous management of funds, ensuring the eligibility of expenses and the optimization of operational costs.
  • Ensure compliance with CHAI procedures and landlord requirements.
  • Team Management: Lead and motivate a multidisciplinary team (GIS experts, logisticians, clinical supervisors).
  • Conflict Management: Ensure a productive work environment and resolve operational bottlenecks in the field.

Capacity building

  • Organize provider training: vaccination protocols, cold chain, data quality, DHIS2, injection techniques, AEFI management.
  • Strengthen the capacity of service providers to analyze data (DHIS2, GIS, reports).
  • Supervise the RECOs training process: counting, door-to-door, use of smartphones/tablets, interpersonal communication.
  • Implement the IT and RECO formative supervision protocol.
  • Conduct joint formative supervision with the ZS management teams.

Community Engagement and Social Communication

  • Provide technical support to community barrier analysis activities.
  • Design communication tools based on local evidence (image boxes, radio scripts) for local radio and SMS platforms to combat disinformation.
  • Train RECOs in interpersonal communication, management of refusals, follow-up with those lost to follow-up.
  • Coordinate qualitative surveys (FGD, KII) for the identification of barriers to vaccination.
  • Oversee risk communication activities: local radio, SMS, mobilization of religious and traditional leaders.
  • Ensure that community feedback is integrated into microplans.

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)

  • Coordinate monthly data collection: DHIS2, registries, outreach reports, GIS.
  • Set up and track real-time dashboards for tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), including the dropout rate from the Penta1 to Penta3 program.
  • Organize quarterly review meetings and monthly supervisory visits to health facilities to support staff and ensure data quality (Data Quality Assessments).
  • Oversee the analysis of key metrics: Penta3 coverage, zero-dose rate, Penta1→Penta3 dropout, RECO performance, cold chain quality.
  • Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports for CHAI, DPS, GiveWell, and EPI.

Evidence generation and documentation

  • Document innovations, successes, challenges, and programmatic recommendations.
  • Produce technical notes, briefs, guidelines and standardized protocols.
  • Support the capitalization of lessons learned for possible scaling up.
  • Provide bi-monthly project progress updates and final reports to donors (GiveWell) summarizing impact and lessons learned.

Formative supervision and quality of vaccination

  • Conduct joint formative supervision with the ZS management teams.
  • Design and deliver refresher training to healthcare professionals (IT, supervisors, RECO) on vaccine management, cold chain protocols, and data quality.
  • Implement a mentoring protocol, moving from simple audits to pedagogical support for field staff.
  • Provide ongoing cold chain technical mentoring and ensure strict cold chain compliance, using high-performance containers and monitoring devices.

People Leadership and Stakeholder Management

  • Supervise and develop the capacity of health personnel and community facilitators; Strengthen capacities in microplanning, preparation of vaccination sessions for mobile teams and the cold chain.
  • Collaborate with health authorities (DPS, EPI and ZS), community dynamics facilitators, program manager and CHAI Country Director.
  • Facilitate access and logistics and collaboration with other TFPs operating in the province.
  • Technical Advocacy: Represent the project at provincial technical meetings and with international partners.

Qualifications

  • Graduate degree in public health, epidemiology, social sciences, medicine, immunization, project management or related field.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in health project management (ideally in the field of immunization (EPI) or community programs).
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in immunization programs in particular the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in the DRC, community health, maternal and child health in rural areas (ideally in the DRC) or health systems strengthening.
  • Proven expertise in microplanning and electronic collection tools (ODK, Kobo, DHIS2) and GIS skills.
  • Demonstrated experience in field supervision, multi-sector coordination or team management.
  • Proficiency in project management tools (MS Project, Trello or similar).
  • Proven experience in formative supervision, data analysis and quality management.

Technical Skills

  • In-depth knowledge of community models (RECO, CAC).
  • Strong results-oriented and methodological rigor.
  • Proficiency in GIS and digital health platforms (e.g., DHIS2) would be an asset.
  • Proven experience in mentoring and training staff in low-resource settings.
  • Fluency in French and English is essential; knowledge of the local languages of Kongo Central is an important asset.
  • Excellent communication and advocacy skills.
  • In-depth knowledge of EPI and data quality tools.
  • Understanding vaccine supply chains and cold chain and input management.
  • Ability to work in a rural context and manage multiple activities simultaneously.
  • Strong sense of rigour, ethics and confidentiality.
  • Experience in qualitative analysis (KII, FGD).
  • Strong sense of organization and risk anticipation.

Behavioural and Leadership skills

  • High level of integrity and reliability with strong leadership qualities.
  • Diplomacy: Ability to negotiate with health authorities (DPS, MCZ) and community leaders.
  • Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to work independently in rural areas.

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