Consultant Support To Monitoring And Evaluation Of Global IFRC Immunization Activities

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.

The IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

Job Purpose

The IFRC Immunization Team is seeking a dynamic and experienced monitoring and evaluation (M&E) consultant to continue strengthening the effectiveness and impact of IFRC supported immunization programs globally. Building on the data monitoring infrastructure already established under this consultancy, including a Power BI dashboard that synthesizes country program data into clear, manageable, and comprehensible formats for decision making, the consultant will maintain and expand this system, conduct both routine and in-depth data analyses, develop and compile comprehensive reports, and provide remote M&E support and capacity building to country teams. As IFRC immunization programs increasingly incorporate community-based activities, the consultant will also develop appropriate methods, indicators, and tools to monitor these activities, which are more difficult to capture through routine systems, and will design and conduct evaluations that assess their reach, quality, and contribution to immunization outcomes. Support for country teams remains comprehensive of all their M&E needs, including helping country programs disaggregate immunization data by factors such as age group, antigen, and delivery mechanism, and strengthening how data are visualized, interpreted, and used. This role aims to enhance the IFRC Immunization program’s ability to deliver vaccines and vaccination services, adapt programs based on evidence, and improve immunization outcomes.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Maintain and Expand the Immunization Data Monitoring Infrastructure
• Maintain, update, and expand the comprehensive country M&E data infrastructure already in place, including the Power BI dashboard, key performance indicators (KPIs), and reporting structures for the immunization program, ensuring these remain tailored to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) EPMP reporting requirements and are extended to capture community-based activities.
• Data Collection
• Guide the development of strategies and tools to collect and assess immunization data and support opportunities to evaluate tailored immunization activities such as polio eradication efforts, activities to control/eliminate measles, and reaching un- and under-immunized children to strengthen routine immunization programs.
• Community-Based Activity Monitoring
• Develop indicators and reporting approaches suited to community-based immunization activities, such as community engagement, social mobilization, demand generation, defaulter tracing, and volunteer-led outreach to reach zero-dose and under-immunized children, with specific attention to polio-related activities.
• Adapt monitoring methods to the realities of community settings, where data are less standardized, and put practical steps in place to safeguard data quality and consistency.
• Integrate community-based activity data into the existing dashboard and reporting structures so that community and facility-based data can be reviewed together.
• Quantitative Analysis
• Perform statistical analyses of immunization data, such as changes in vaccination coverage rates, being able to differentiate between children vaccinated vs dose administered, dropout rates, etc. using statistical software such as SPSS, Stata, or R.
• Trend Analysis
• Analyze trends over time and across different geographic areas to identify patterns and anomalies in immunization coverage and health outcomes and to help tailor the program to better target activities and/or address any gaps.
• Evaluation
• Design and lead evaluations of IFRC supported immunization activities, including community-based approaches, using both quantitative and qualitative (mixed) methods appropriate to each activity.
• Develop evaluation frameworks, questions, and plans that assess the reach, quality, and outcomes of activities, and where feasible their contribution to changes in coverage and demand.
• Synthesize evaluation findings and lessons learned into clear, actionable recommendations to inform program adaptation and future planning.
• Data Visualization and Reporting
• Support the IFRC Immunization Team on generation of evidence by analyzing, interpreting, mapping, and applying sound scientific knowledge to identify, correct any data quality issues such as detecting and correcting data errors or discrepancies.
• Prepare and maintain high-quality, timely reports and dashboards, including the established Power BI dashboard, to effectively visualize and clearly communicate program progress, outcomes, and lessons learned to internal and external stakeholders, including from community-based activities.
• Remote Capacity Building
• Provide technical guidance and develop capacity of country program data analysts, data managers, and M&E officers in summarizing, reviewing, analyzing, and presenting country immunization program data.
  
  
  

Job Duties And Responsibilities (continued)

• Develop and deliver remote training sessions for country teams on M&E methodologies, data collection tools, and best practices to strengthen local M&E capacity, as needed.
• Provide technical support to country teams to strengthen data collection, analysis, and use for program and data quality improvement.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Ensure alignment with CDC requirements and accountability.
• Quality Assurance
• Ensure the accuracy, reliability, and validity of all IFRC Immunization M&E data and processes.
• Review routinely collected immunization data to assess progress towards achieving program targets.
• Promote standardized approaches to routine immunization or VPD outbreak response program monitoring, data quality improvement, data analysis, use, and visualization, and assessment of M&E systems.
  
  
  

Management of consultancy

The consultant will be managed by the Senior Officer, Immunization, and Immunization Lead, but will engage with all members of the IFRC Immunization Team, country teams and potentially other relevant members of the Health and Care Department, such as the Data and Digitization focal point.

Time allocation and location

The estimated level of work is up to 100 days over a 12-month period, approximately 7 days per month and one international mission, subject to the timely delivery of deliverables as agreed between the consultant and the Senior Officer, with work conducted remotely.

Education

Required

• Advanced degree in public health, epidemiology, medicine, or related field (MD, MPH, PhD, or equivalent).
  
  
  

Experience

Required

• Minimum of 10 years in global immunization programs, with a strong focus on polio surveillance.
• Strong experience with immunization programs in Eastern Mediterranean region.
• Experience working with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other multilateral organizations and global health partners.
  
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Expertise in:
• Polio surveillance, polio epidemiology and analysis, evaluation of polio data infrastructure
• Immunization program design and implementation
• Surveillance systems and outbreak response
• Strategic leadership and systems thinking
• Proven experience conducting scientific or programmatic research and/or technical support to global public health programs.
• Ability to lead and supervise project staff at country level.
• Experience working with international, national, and local partners.
• Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills with experience working effectively as a team member in diverse, multidisciplinary environments.
• Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities that are subject to change.
• Ability to foster collaboration among diverse external and internal stakeholders and partners to achieve program goals.
• Experience in data analyses and dashboard development using statistical visualization software such as PowerBI, is required.
• Experience designing and conducting program evaluations using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Experience monitoring and evaluating community-based or community health activities is strongly preferred.
• Excellent time and project management skills.
  
  

Languages

Required

• Excellent level of English proficiency in writing, reading and speaking.
  
  
  

Competencies, Values and Comments

Application Instruction

• Please submit your application English only.
• Please include the following documents in your application:
• A cover letter summarizing your experience and suggested approach to the consultancy, and
• Curriculum Vitae.

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