The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Background:

The IRC is seeking a project director for an anticipated immunization project, focused on enhancing vaccine coverage and reaching Zero Dose Children in Niger and Chad with cost-effective interventions. The project specifically focuses on combining demand and supply side interventions to improve vaccine coverage and decrease child mortality in fragile and crisis affected settings, including vaccine outreach, integrated delivery, demand generation and demand-side incentives.

Please note: This position is contingent upon successful award of funding.

Job Overview:

The Project Lead, Immunization Program will be a key team member within the Health Unit’s growing Primary Health Care Global Practice Area. The Project Lead will serve as the overall manager of the donor-funded immunization project, responsible for technical, strategic, and operational leadership across Niger and Chad. The Project Lead will oversee a small team and manage all aspects of the project, ensuring high-quality technical approaches, cost-effective implementation, cross-country learning, robust monitoring, and strong partnership with the donor and sector stakeholders.

Reporting to the Regional Health Lead, West & Central Africa, the Project Lead will supervise the MEAL Advisor and the Finance Officer. The Project Lead will collaborate closely with the country program DDPs, Health and Immunization Coordinators and teams, Global Practice Lead for Primary Health Care, Immunization Lead, , regional Health Technical Advisors, and external technical support partners.

The Project Lead’s primary responsibilities include: ensuring timely and high-quality implementation of project activities; facilitating cross-country learning and adaptation; managing donor and partner relationships; overseeing project MEAL and financial accountability (in partnership with the MEAL Advisor and Finance Officer); and ensuring integration with IRC’s broader Health portfolio and Strategy, as well as the West & Central Africa strategy.

Major Responsibilities:

Project Leadership & Management

Provide management and strategic leadership for all aspects of the immunization project across Niger and Chad

Ensure country teams have the tools, guidance, and support needed to effectively implement project activities and ensure donor compliance

Oversee planning, inception phase design, and progress tracking, backstopping and troubleshooting with country teams on field implementation as required

Provide oversight of project financial management in partnership with the Finance Officer, ensuring consistency across countries

Support country teams to produce high-quality and timely financial and narrative reporting to meet donor requirements

Ensure alignment of country-level implementation with global project objectives, technical standards, and donor expectations

Ensure coordination and alignment with other strategic project at the country and regional levels

Continuously identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could affect project implementation, working with country teams to take corrective action

Cultivate a strong, high-performing team, continuously support their growth and performance, in line with the IRCs people management and leadership standards.

Technical Quality & Learning

Provide strategic guidance on immunization best practices with a focus on enhancing cost-effectiveness of interventions

Ensure consistency of technical standards across country programs, working with Immunization experts at the global and country level and supporting adaptation to local contexts

Oversee partnerships with any external technical assistance providers and ensure effective coordination between technical partners and country teams

Collaborate with global implementation partners to integrate global best practices into country-level implementation

Oversee the development of a robust learning agenda that positions the project for success and scale-up by driving impact, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability

Support the integration of innovative approaches, including potential use of geospatial technology for targeting and route optimization

MEAL & Evidence Generation

Oversee the MEAL Advisor to ensure rigorous monitoring of all aspects of the pilot, including coverage surveys and routine monitoring systems, and collaborating closely with country and regional MEAL teams

Ensure that evidence generated by country programs feeds into cross-country learning and sector-wide dissemination

Work with the MEAL Advisor to support exchange across the organization, through multi-country learning sessions, peer exchanges, and cross-sectoral collaboration (e.g., with other multi-country projects funded by the same donor).

Support the MEAL Advisor, Best Use of Resources (BUR) team and country MEAL and Finance staff in cost-effectiveness analyses and adaptive management

Strategic Communications & Project Accountability

Provide strategic communications and representation at high level internal and external forums

Represent IRC in quarterly donor meetings, learning forums, and sectoral technical platforms

Respond to and coordinate requests from donor, regional and global leadership ensuring consistency and transparency across the project

Contribute to the Health Units learning efforts on innovative approaches to increase immunization coverage in humanitarian settings

Key Working Relationships:

Position is managed by the Regional Health Lead, West & Central Africa, with a Management in Partnership (MiP) with the Primary Health Care Global Practice Lead (PHC GPL)

Direct Reports: MEAL Advisor, Finance Officer

Key Internal Relationships:

Country program teams implementing the immunization project

Senior Management Team of the hosting country, especially regarding security

Health Technical Advisors (PHC and nutrition) in the West and Central Africa region

Global Health Unit MEAL Team and Best Use of Resources (BUR) team

CRRD Technical Excellence colleagues

Key External Relationships:

Donor technical and grant management teams

Third-party technical support providers

Third-party vendors, including monitoring firms

Other immunization program implementers

Ministry of Health counterparts at national and sub-national levels

Partner organizations implementing complementary health interventions

Desired Experience and Skills:

Education and Experience:

Advanced degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Global Health, or related field

Minimum 10 years of progressively senior experience in health programming, with substantial experience in immunization programs

Excellent project management skills, including budget management, quality and timely reporting, timeline adherence, risk mitigation, and resource optimization

Proven leadership in managing multi-country, donor-funded health projects

Demonstrated experience with demand-side health interventions and community engagement programs; additional experience with conditional cash transfer and/or nutrition programs strongly preferred

Experience working in fragile and conflict-affected settings required

Skills and Competencies:

Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with a track record of adaptive management

Technical expertise in immunization program design and implementation, including both supply and…