Vaccination Advisor 100% (including COVID-19 vaccination)

Context

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent humanitarian organization providing medical aid to victims of man-made or natural disasters, epidemics and endemic diseases. In the MSF Operational Centre of Geneva (OCG), the steering and implementation of field programmes is under the responsibility of the Operations Department, which includes direct medical support to field implementation ensuring the Fundamentals are reached in all projects. The development of technical and/or strategic solutions adapted to complex medical challenges facedin the field, or to fulfill chosen medical ambitions, is under the responsibility of the Medical Department. Collaborative work between the two departments is considered a cornerstone for the organisation to improve the general quality of its projects and the level of care for patients.

COVID-19 pandemic brings to MSF new challenges for general vaccination (in covid-19 context) and covid-19 vaccination for our beneficiaries in the field. It also challenges us to increase covid-19 vaccine uptakes amoung our international and national staff by better understanding root causes of poor uptake (lack of vaccine availability, hesitancy), by informing and promoting covid-19 vaccination among our staff.

The Vaccination Advisor will work in the Women & Children’s Health Unit in the Medical Department.

At MSF, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our staff members. We strive to create workplaces where teams of people with di-verse backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together for the social mission of MSF to create better outcomes for our patients and the communities we work with.

We welcome applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, races, background, religions, beliefs, ability status, and all other diversity characteristics.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference checks.

Mission

The Medical Adviser develops medico-operational solutions requiring specific medical skills and/or in-depth investment, answering to recognized needs set in the medical ambitions: Women’s and Children’s Health – Nutrition, Vaccination, Preventive Strategies, Reproductive Health, Paediatrics, Nursing. In that perspective, he/she is proactively monitoring emerging scientific and medical issues that might shape OCG medical practices and ambitions.

Main tasks

· Responds to complex and technical issues requiring expertise or/and development.

· Supports the Medical Polyvalent Referents with regards to complex technical issues linked to their domain and with strategic and programmatic advice.

· Strengthens the skills and competencies of MSF staff through capacity building in their domain.

· Develops the expertise related to their medical area and integrates external knowledge into MSF practices.

· Supports the implementation of innovation and operational research projects.

Specifically to this position, vaccination area of work in MSF projects includes:

· Routine vaccination activities (National EPI) to be reinforced for MSF beneficiaries including TT coverage for CBAW and vaccinations at birth.

· Preventive vaccinations activities (preventive packages of care; preventive multi-antigens campaigns…).

· Reactive vaccination in response to Epidemics (with the collaboration of the tropical disease advisor).

· Vaccination after accident, bite, exposure, etc.

· Vaccination consultant when staff health doctors have specific technical questions (regarding nation and expat staff).

· Follow-up on development of new vaccines including operational researches in this area (i.e. Ebola, Hepatitis E, HIV, Malaria, Dengue vaccines etc.

· Strong link with other health topics, such as Paediatrics, SRH, HIV/TB, Malaria, Nutrition, Nursing care, Health structure management, Mental Health, Emergency Medicine, Tropical and Neglected Diseases, Anthropology…

· Support the Human Resources for the recruitment and matching of Vaccination positions (mainly vaccination nurses and other vaccination positions).

COVID-19 Vaccination:

· Work closely with the Ops to better assess covid-19 vaccination activities needs

· Support by field visit when needed, the covid-19 vaccination activities

· Update covid-19 vacci documents useful for OCG (external document and internal ones, such as VWG covid-19 vaccination guidances, OCG covid-19 vaccination orientation/guidances, etc), and provide weekly/monthly update to the Ops

· Overview of other OC’s COVID-19 vaccination activities to help challenging OCG’ones

· Work closely with Staff Health Unit to frame the OCG covid-19 vacci policy for international and national staff in order to increase the COVID-19 vaccines uptake of our staff members. Identify root causes of poor uptake (supply/ Lack of availability, hesitancy, etc) and collaborate closely with coordination to improve the uptake.

· Work closely with HP to better identify hesitancy and root causes, and then shape and spread the correct messages on covid-19 vaccination.

· Work closely with the vacci flying position for covid-19 vaccination activities.

Vaccination activities can be implemented at:

· Community level

· Primary, secondary and tertiary health care level

· And could have in certain topics a huge component on reference/link with other potential actors e.g. reference for medical care, HIV/TB, Child abuse, etc.

Your Profile

Education

· MD, Nurse or Epidemiologist with good knowledge and experience in immunization programmes and activities (programming, implementation).

· Public health training (diploma, license, master or PhD)

Experience**

· Field and/or HQ experience with MSF or another medical humanitarian organisation

· At least 2 years work in the vaccination area, at field level.

· Knowledge of recent developments in the field of humanitarian relief, international public health and infectious diseases.

· Experience with field research in resource poor settings is an asset

· Proven affinity with advocacy.

Competencies

· Medical project management.

· Understanding of medical humanitarian work with regards to the medical-technical and the political dimensions.

· Ability to analyze medical and structural issues.

· Excellent writing skills.

Languages

· Fluent French and English, oral and written

· Other languages a bonus

Personal qualities

· Team collaboration.

· Good analytical and synthesis skills.

· Results, innovation and quality oriented.

· Problem solving and service oriented.

· Strong interpersonal skills, team spirit, networking and communication skills.

· Able to travel (willingness to travel in Europe and to conference locations).

Terms of Employment

· Open-ended contract, 100%

· Based in Geneva, with field visits

· Starting date: 01.01.2022

· Gross annual salary: from CHF 98’016.- to CHF 111’732.- (salary commensurate with experience and according to internal salary grid)