Technical Assistant (Mai-Ndombe, DRC)

ABOUT VILLAGEREACH 

VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone. We are driven by a vision of a world where each person has the health care needed to thrive. VillageReach’s goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care for 350 million people by 2030. We work with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products, information and services to the most under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization, VillageReach has offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and the United States.   

SUMMARY 

VillageReach is seeking a NGCA+ Technical Assistant to support the NGCA+ Specialist in the implementation of VillageReach immunization activities in selected Provinces where the NGCA+ is implemented. The incumbent will work closely with the Provincial team, and the technical groups involved in the implementation of activities. You will work seamlessly with local partners to provide quality technical assistance in immunization supply chain; data collection and analysis; supply chain leadership.   

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Key Responsibilities 

1. Immunization Supply Chain Management 

• Assist in planning missions for the distribution of vaccines and other Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) inputs. 

• Monitor and follow up on the implementation of inventory control systems in NGCA+ provinces. 

• Support monthly vaccine orders and ensure accurate transmission of inventory data from health district storage sites. 

• Supervise distribution activities, ensuring that logistics data collection and analysis are used for decision-making and improving supply chain performance. 

• Oversee the execution of monthly inventories at health district storage sites and ensure data encoding into Excel. 

2. Data Collection & Analysis 

• Collect essential logistics data from direct vaccine distributions at health district and provincial levels. 

• Develop dashboards for tracking and analysing vaccine distribution data, using this data to inform stakeholders and identify performance gaps. 

• Share feedback and analysis from dashboards with supply chain stakeholders and recommend corrective measures where necessary. 

• Ensure timely submission of high-quality deliverables related to NGCA+. 

• Monitor and ensure the completeness of vaccination coverage and health facility logistics data. 

3. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Build and strengthen relationships with DPS, EPI Antennas, CDR, Health Districts, and other local partners. 

• Support the coordination and facilitation of preparatory meetings for data analysis and validation of direct distribution activities. 

• Attend district-level monitoring meetings and provincial vaccination activity reviews, presenting findings to stakeholders. 

• Share success stories with the communication team for dissemination. 

4. Capacity Building 

• Provide formative supervision at health district levels to strengthen supply chain management capacity. 

• Offer technical support to healthcare providers to improve immunization service delivery and supply chain management. 

• Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance capacity building and performance in supply chain activities. 

5. Monitoring & Evaluation 

• Support the implementation of the Mashako Plan, monitoring key indicators and submitting improvement strategies to address identified challenges. 

• Monitor implementation progress of the Mashako Plan and track the status of under-vaccinated children and zero-dose recovery efforts. 

• Provide oversight for the analysis of key indicators to identify underperformance and support solutions for continuous improvement. 

6. Reporting & Documentation 

• Ensure effective reporting of activities, including the documentation of success stories for sharing. 

• Present results to the Bandundu Antenna PEV, DPS, and other stakeholders, and use performance indicators to develop continuous improvement strategies. 

• Perform additional tasks as needed to support immunization and supply chain initiatives. 

• Support resource mobilization efforts as needed. 

COMPETENCIES: 

VillageReach has ten (10) Organizational Competencies that describe how we work together and get things done that are grouped into three strategic areas of Achieving Great Results, Setting Direction and, Bringing Others With you. For a full description, please download our Organizational Competency document. 

Achieving Great Results: 

1. Risk Taking and Innovation 

• Key Behaviors: Comfort with ambiguity, curiosity, adaptability, unconstrained and undeterred creativity, resourcefulness. 

2. Business Judgement 

• Key Behaviors: Getting to root causes, understanding environment, navigating complexity and ambiguity, entrepreneurial energy.  

3. Building Strong Teams 

• Key Behaviors: Trust in Subject Matter Experts (SME’s); radical candor to resolve conflict, hold each other accountable as colleagues, focused on results, commitment to mission. 

Setting Direction: 

4. Compelling Communication 

• Key Behaviors: Clear and evidence-based communication, audience adaptability, curious listener.   

5. Resilient Self Leadership 

• Key Behaviors: Self-aware, plan how one shows up, emotionally intelligent, use one’s own agency and takes accountability. 

6. Stewardship and Personal Alignment 

• Key Behaviors: Take ownership, display ethical conduct, effective at resource management, alignment of personal objectives with organizational goals and mission, focus on continuous improvement and sustainability. 

Bringing Others with You: 

7. Influencing Leadership 

• Key Behaviors: Cultivate trust, influences to make change, navigate the matrix structure. 

8. Radical Partnership 

• Key Behaviors: Share information and credit, address conflict, increase impact through collaboration, political and contextual awareness. 

9. Cultivates a Growth Mindset 

• Key Behaviors: Seek out diverse input, demonstrate flexibility in thinking and curiosity, embrace challenges, demonstrate persistence, seek learning opportunities. 

10. Cultural Intelligence and Inclusion 

• Key Behaviors: Continuous learning and ally-ship across cultural lines, challenge prejudice and bias, modeled in one’s own behavior. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Supervisory Responsibilities:  

This position supervises one employee. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws.  Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; monitoring performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; and addressing complaints and resolving problems. 

Education & Experience:  

Required: 

• Must have a degree in public health, supply chain, health products or other relevant fields. 

• Must have 2 years of experience in the field of health supply chain management or vaccines or other products with experience working with international NGOs. 
• Monitoring and Evaluation experience is required

Other Qualifications: 

• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups. 

• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.  

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment. 

• Mastery of the local language is a plus.  

• Previous experience in implementing NGCA is a plus 

Environment and Physical Demands: 

VillageReach employees typically work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Due to the time zone differences across our USA, Kenya and Country Offices and location of other global staff, we have established core collaboration hours between 6am Pacific Time and 18:00 South Africa Time (GMT+1) Monday through Thursday. All staff, regardless of location are expected to be available between these hours. During Daylight Savings Time, this allows for 12 hours per week (3 hours/day) of collaboration time and during Standard Time, 8 hours (2 hours/day). We do not hold cross-office meetings on Friday. 

Role is computer based and requires sitting and/or standing at a desk, using a mouse, keyboard, and laptop and viewing screens. 

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION: 

VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most under-reached and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce. 

APPLICATION INFORMATION:  

This is an immediate hire and therefore resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until filled. To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/.  In your cover letter, please address (1)Why you are interested in this position, (2)What is one reason you think you’d be a good fit for this position and, (3)what is one strength you would bring to this position? 

Hiring Process: 

The hiring process will include the following steps: 

1. Review submitted applications 
2. Conduct 20-30 minute screening interviews for shortlisted candidates 
3. Conduct skills and value-based interviews for 3-5 candidates. 
4. Request that top candidates submit a practical assessment (designed to take no more than two hours to complete). Sometimes the assignment will occur before the interview. 
5. Conduct final interview if necessary  
6. Request references  
7. Make offer   
8. Conduct background check 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, but candidates who proceed to step 2 will be notified if they are not chosen for step 3. 

Safeguarding: 

VillageReach is committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults, and beneficiaries with whom it engages. We expect everyone working with us to share this commitment through our code of conduct. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which may include criminal records. VillageReach participates in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, in line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

VillageReach has an established compensation structure that is based on the relevant market and internally transparent. The range for this position is $28,500 to $33,900 per annum. We hire people into the established range based on one’s experience and education and considering internal equity. We do not inquire about salary history. Please refer to our compensation overview on our website for more information and for more information on employee benefits.