Individual Consultant - Immunization Technical Writer at John Snow Inc - JSI

Background

• Immunization services are an essential part of the primary health care system and a key contributor to people’s fundamental right to health. 
• Vaccines are among the greatest advances in global health and development. For over two centuries, vaccines have safely reduced the scourge of diseases like polio, measles, and smallpox, helping children grow up healthy and happy.  Some populations - often the poorest, the most marginalized, and the most vulnerable - have little or no access to immunization services[ Immunization-agenda-2030]. 
• In 2021, 25 million children were un- or under-vaccinated and more than 60 percent live in just ten countries including Nigeria, and 18 million did not receive any vaccines (zero-dose children), an increase of 5 million from 2019 [WHO/UNICEF national immunization coverage estimates, 2021 revision.].
• MOMENTUM (Moving Integrated, Quality Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Family Planning and Reproductive Health) Round 3B,  hereafter referred to as MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity (M-RITE), is a global U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) cooperative agreement, which aims to sustainably strengthen routine immunization (RI) programs to overcome the entrenched obstacles contributing to stagnating and declining immunization rates in maternal, newborn, and child health, voluntary family planning, and reproductive health (MNCH/FP/RH) partner countries; and address the barriers to reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children with life-saving vaccines and other health services.
• M-RITE is a consortium of global leaders in immunization systems approaches, integrated management and service delivery, health system strengthening (HSS), financing, data and learning, social and behavior change (SBC), strategic partnerships, gender, and human-centered design (HCD).
• Led by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), along with PATH, Results for Development (R4D), Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP), CORE Group, and The Manoff Group, the consortium has extensive experience in shaping global strategies and collaborating with local partners to improve immunization outcomes and build on past learning and accomplishments.
• The project’s mandate is to strengthen the capacity of USAID partner countries to overcome entrenched obstacles to equitable immunization coverage.
• Additionally, M-RITE contributes to ongoing global efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on immunization services and supports countries to prepare for and introduce COVID-19 vaccines.
• The project’s combination of expertise and perspectives is critical to addressing the complex problems that have contributed to the stagnation and decline of vaccination coverage in many countries, exacerbated by health service disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These disruptions have increased the risk of countries experiencing outbreaks of measles, polio, and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).
• Entrenched obstacles that impede the equitable vaccination of all children and older eligible populations, such as adolescents and pregnant women, are complicated, interrelated, and context-specific. Working at multiple levels in USAID partner countries around the world, M‐RITE builds country capacity to identify and overcome barriers to reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children and older populations along the life course with life-saving vaccines and other integrated health services.
• Tailoring strategies to specific country and local contexts, M-RITE facilitates innovation, identifies critical intervention pathways, fosters adaptive leadership, and integrates SBC and gender transformative approaches at all levels.
• In Nigeria, the project provides support to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) at the national and state level for COVID-19 vaccination rollout and the design of the RI start-up program in five states of Nigeria: Bayelsa, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, and Lagos. M-RITE provides technical assistance (TA) focused on capacity-building, gender-sensitive microplanning, and service delivery to support the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines and help the NPHCDA to adapt its strategies as the pandemic and vaccine supply and service delivery strategies evolve.
• M-RITE conducted initial analyses and several partner discussions during a two-month start-up period, utilizing existing data on RI system performance as well as drivers of demand in the focus states and has engaged stakeholders at national, state, Local Government Area (LGA), and health facility levels to identify the root causes of persistent challenges to equitable immunization coverage in the five focus states. Through this investment, USAID aims to increase its impact on achieving high equitable coverage with RI services.

Purpose

• The consultants will work closely with the Country Director and the Technical Team (TT) to develop and write various detailed and technical documents and materials, for both print and virtual materials and media.

Main responsibilities

• Conceptualize, write and edit content for the following:
  • Technical background documents
  • Technical guides
  • Literature reviews
  • Secondary research reports
  • Case studies
  • Manuscripts for peer reviewed journals.
• Develop, write and edit various reports, documents and materials based on secondary research, interviews and data provided by the Technical Team and external collaborators, and review or analyse relevant documents and data to support the writing, editing and finalization of reports, documents and materials
• Ensure reports, documents and materials are of a high quality and delivered in a timely manner. All final documents shall be in English.

Required qualifications, experience and skills

• Master’s Degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Social Sciences or a related field
• Significant experience designing, implementing, evaluating or conducting research on malaria control or elimination programmes
• Excellent writing skills, with demonstrable ability to write technical content clearly, concisely, drawing from a variety of data sources under tight timelines
• Proven scientific writing experience, including peer-reviewed publications must be rated in peer reviewed journals and UN systems
• Quantitative data analysis skills
• Advanced computer skills with strong Office 365skills
• Written and verbal fluency in English
• Analytical rigor and attention to detail
• Ability to work and collaborate remotely.

Conditions

• Place of work:  Desk-based
• Travel: None
• Fees: Professional fees (Based on agreed millstones / deliverables).
• Milestones: Three (3) full technical report per week reviewed and approved by activity manager
• Insurance: Professional indemnity insurance is a pre-requisite
• Equipment: Should have own computing and broadband facilities for remote collaborations.

Remuneration
JSI offers competitive salary and benefits.