Consultants Demand generation Officer

Purpose of the Position

These TORs are for experts in demand generation, social and behavioral science, health communication, infodemic management and related skillsets who can be deployed to rapidly improve COVID-19 vaccine coverage among prioritized populations. The incumbent will support the COVID-19 Emergency Management Team to implement, coordinate and evaluate strategies toincrease COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake in The Gambia.

Objective of the programme

Vaccine Preventable Diseases Programme The mission of the WHO Regional Office for Africa - Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) Programme is to provide policy and programmatic guidance and build capacity of member states to help them plan and manage their Immunization programmes. It works to strengthen immunization services and primary health care systems to enable Member States reach children, adolescents, and adults with lifesaving vaccines. It further works to strengthen country programmes to control, eliminate and eradicate Vaccine Preventable Diseases. Currently, the VPD programme primarily supports the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the Africa region through providing strategic guidance and technical support to countries. It also coordinates the regional level effort regarding the COVID-19 vaccine deployment planning, rollout and system strengthening.

COVID-19 Vaccination Pillar

The mission of COVID-19 Vaccination Pillar within the AFRO COVID-19 Emergency Management System is to coordinate AFRO support to Member States in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccination. This includes but not limited to: Supporting the development of regulatory pathways for vaccine authorization, safety monitoring and to support countries in their implementation as well as to provide other technical supports as per country needs to contribute to access to COVID-19 vaccines. Providing guidance to Member states on strategies and tools for scaling COVID-19 vaccination and coordinating surge deployments to support COVID-19 vaccination rollout. Ensure partners’ coordination in supporting COVID-19 vaccination at regional and subregional levels. Coordinating the documentation of best practices in rolling out COVID-19 vaccination, knowledge sharing, as well as WHO support to member States in conducting studies of social and operational research related to COVID-19 vaccination. Conducting COVID-19 vaccine post-introduction evaluations. Providing needed support to Members to ensure that effective systems are in place for monitoring COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Deliverables

The incumbent will provide support to the relevant streams within the COVID-19 Emeregncy Management Team to: Create or update evidence-based national demand and communication strategies or plans, informed by local data. Work with relevant stakeholders and partners to support coordination, gathering, integrated analysis, and use of a wide range of data sources to develop behavioral insights and inform and monitor interventions at speed. Data sources include programmatic data, social listening, quantitative surveys or qualitative research, rapid community assessments, etc. Support implementation of evidence-based interventions, including service quality enhancement, health worker capacity-building, communications and info demic management, and community engagement, etc. Develop and test locally sensitive communications content and dissemination strategies to reach diverse communities, to inform, engage, and build resilience against infodemics and misinformation. Grow strong multisectoral partnerships to support high vaccine demand and uptake, including mapping and collaborating with government, private sector organizations, professional associations, civil society, and faith-based organizations. Engage trusted messengers and networks to promote accurate vaccine conversations, including between health workers and clients, and within health systems and communities. Build local capacity within the Ministry of Health and among relevant partners to design, implement and evaluate strategies to increase vaccine uptake, and to contribute to strengthening health systems for routine immunization and emergency preparedness and response. Liaise closely AFRO EMST Pillar on risk communication and community engagement to ensure coherence of strategy, materials, and messages. Ensure that technical materials produced by the country offices integrate risk communication principles and practices. Support the joint RCCE partner activities at sub-regional and country level, and monitoring and evaluation of the joint workplan implementation. Strengthen community led engagement and local capacity and solutions; provide guidance on facilitating community-led responses through the improvement of the quality and consistency of demand generation approaches. Provide on-site technical support in RCCE to country EMS, when necessary, to ensure rapid and effective response.

Key outputs

Updated communication strategy or plans informed by local data. Monthly reports on demand including behavioral and social drivers’ data, main challenges, key actions taken and recommendations. Monthly report on infodemics on COVID-19 vaccination Bank on locally developed sensitive communications content (IEC materials and other resources) Documentation on actions taken based on behavioral and social driver data. Reports on lessons learnt and best practices for demand interventions. Comprehensive weekly reports on key activities in progress related to demand, challenges, and proposed actions.

Qualifications, experience, skill and languages

Educational Qualifications Essential: A first level university degree in public health, communication, behavioral or social sciences, health promotion, journalism, or related field. Desirable: A master’s degree or above in public health, communication, behavioral or social sciences, health promotion or journalism, or related field.

Experience Essential: A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in immunization programs, including vaccine introduction, immunization campaigns, or outbreak/emergency response Desirable: Relevant work experience in outbreaks and/health emergency management collaborating with Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, CDC, health cluster partners, and other implementing agencies or organizations on improving health service delivery.

Recruitment Profile Competencies:

Teamwork. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences.

Communication.

Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Functional Knowledge and Skills

Demonstrated experience in communications, community engagement, behavioral or social science, infodemic management, health promotion, health education, or related fields to promote behavior change and uptake of health services or vaccination. Experience analyzing behavioral and social sciences data (qualitative and quantitative) to support health programming and development of evidence-based demand strategies. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple partners and juggling competing priorities. Strong track record of work experience in international or diverse settings, including with multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams. Use of Language Skills Excellent knowledge of the English language including oral and written communication skills, and the development of reports, oral presentations, and strategic documents

Other Skills (e.g., IT) Computer skills and use of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Outlook software. Other skills and knowledge in other software such as Visio and Project are considered an asset.