State Immunization/Team Lead

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to save, protect, and transform lives in need, CRS operates in more than 100 countries worldwide. The organization focuses on various sectors including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS is committed to serving the poor and vulnerable without regard to race, religion, or nationality, and welcomes individuals from all faiths and secular traditions who share its values. The organization emphasizes safeguarding and protecting the dignity and rights of all individuals, particularly children and vulnerable adults, from any form of harm, abuse, or exploitation. CRS has a collaborative, mission-driven work culture that prioritizes improving lives globally and is dedicated to the professional development of its staff.

Job Overview:
The State Immunization/Team Lead (STL) will play a crucial role in leading the CDC-funded global childhood immunization project aimed at reaching zero- and under-immunized children in Northern Nigeria, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The STL will be responsible for providing leadership and coordination for routine immunization (RI), Polio and non-Polio Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIAs), disease surveillance, and demand creation activities. This position requires a focus on reducing the number of zero-dose children and implementing the Identify, Enumerate, and Vaccinate (IEV) strategy across designated local government areas (LGAs) and health facilities. The STL will engage in planning, capacity building, supportive supervision, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement to enhance immunization coverage and health performance. The role also involves ensuring that project objectives are met, fostering effective partnerships, and participating in all related events and activities, while regularly reviewing and sharing program-related reports.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The STL will have a wide range of responsibilities including: acting as the primary liaison between CRS and various health entities such as the State Ministry of Health, coordinating the planning and implementation of RI and SIAs, facilitating partnerships with government agencies and community organizations, overseeing the integration of RI with other health interventions, leading the implementation of vaccination strategies, conducting supportive supervision visits to monitor program activities, providing mentoring and technical guidance to health workers, strengthening disease surveillance systems, engaging with community leaders to increase awareness and demand for immunization services, and supporting monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress. The STL will also be responsible for organizing training sessions for health workers and ensuring the effective use of digital tools for tracking and reporting.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess excellent leadership, mentoring, and team-building skills, along with proficiency in Excel and experience with Word and PowerPoint. Knowledge of financial reporting software is advantageous, as is proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools such as DHIS2 and GIS mapping. Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners are essential. The ideal candidate should be proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented, with strong communication and interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to manage multiple priorities. Familiarity with local languages and cultural contexts is considered an advantage.

Educational Background:
A Bachelor’s degree in Medicine, Public Health, Health Sciences, or a related field is required, with a master’s degree preferred. This educational background is essential for understanding the complexities of public health and immunization programs.

Experience:
Candidates should have at least 5–7 years of experience in immunization, disease surveillance, or public health program management. Demonstrated expertise in routine immunization, supplemental immunization activities, supportive supervision, and disease surveillance systems is crucial. Experience in implementing zero-dose reduction strategies and IEV approaches, as well as familiarity with government health systems and working with development partners, is also required.

Languages:
High proficiency in written and spoken English is mandatory. Knowledge of local languages, particularly Hausa, is considered an advantage and may enhance communication with community members and stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is based in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria, and requires the candidate to be willing and able to travel up to 40% of the time. The role includes supervisory responsibilities and involves working closely with various internal and external stakeholders. CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan for U.S.-based staff. For candidates employed outside the U.S., benefits packages are based on the country of employment. The successful candidate is expected to adhere to CRS's safeguarding policies and procedures and to complete mandatory safeguarding e-learning courses upon hire and annually thereafter.