Programme Manager at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) – the African Union (AU)

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a specialized technical institution of the African Union established to support public health initiatives of Member States and strengthen the capacity of their public health institutions to detect, prevent, control and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Manager – Saving Lives and Livelihoods Programme

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (HQ)
Grade: P5 Step 1
Supervisor: Africa CDC Director

Background Information

• The African Union, established as a unique Pan African continental body, is charged with spearheading Africa’s rapid integration and sustainable development by promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion, and cooperation among African citizens as well as developing a new partnership worldwide. Its Headquarters is in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia.
• The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) was officially launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 31, 2017. The Africa CDC is Africa’s first continent-wide public health agency and envisions a safer, healthier, integrated, and stronger Africa, where Member States are capable of effectively responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases and other public health threats.
• The agency mission is to strengthen Africa’s public health institutions’ capabilities to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks and other health burdens through an integrated network of continent-wide preparedness and response, surveillance, laboratory, and research programmes.
• Africa CDC has been at the forefront of the continent’s fight against the pandemic. The health agency has set a goal to vaccinate 70 percent of the continent’s population before the end of 2022.
• To achieve this ambitious and critical goal, the Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation have launched “Saving Lives and Livelihoods,” “partnership for COVID-19 Vaccination in Africa.” The Saving Lives and Livelihoods partnership is a unique initiative due to its scope and scale, the critical topics it focuses on, as well as the way it will be governed. Hence, Africa CDC invites applicants who are citizens of Member States for a fixed term post of the Programme Manager position for the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Programme.

Job Description Summary

• The Programme Manager provides leadership, direction, management, planning, and coordination for the Saving Lives and Livelihoods programme. The Programme Manager will be responsible for setting strategic goals and outcomes for the Africa CDC Mastercard Foundation Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) Programme Management Unit (PMU).
• The Programme Manager will also oversee activities of different workstreams while ensuring the operational and impact key performance indicators (KPIs) are met.

Major Duties and Responsibilities
The Programme Manager shall:

• Provide programme management and delivery support to the Saving Lives and Livelihoods programme including implementing partners and member states.
• Lead the development of policies, approaches, and procedures to accelerate the successful delivery of the vaccination program and monitor their execution.
• Supervise the PMU staff including plan, lead, organize, and control the work performed by staff.
• Monitor programme progress including operational KPIs, performance and impact indicators and provide update to Senior Africa CDC leadership.
• Keep senior Africa CDC leadership informed on progress and issues by presenting progress update during key stakeholder meetings.
• Provide day to day direction to the PMU team.
• Manage the sub-teams in the PMU including:
  • Align on performance goals and KPIs and ensure delivery on agreed goals
  • Allocate tasks and responsibilities between the sub-teams
  • Ensure regular and smooth flow of communication between the sub-teams and within teams.
• Manage and monitor the performance of the employees and provide the necessary guidance and support to ensure the smooth flow of work and the best performance.
• Strengthen and support hiring, on-boarding, professional development & retention, of the Programme Management Unit in particular and Africa CDC in general.
• Ensure activities of the PMU are in line with Africa CDC guideline and methodology.
• Advise the Africa CDC leaderships and key agency officials on all activities that affect agency wide policy, programmes, projects, and initiatives.
• Perform any other duties as requested by the Africa CDC Director.
• Represent Africa CDC in a professional manner, which creates a positive image and enhances the credibility of the organization.

Qualifications and Work Experience Required

• Master’s Degree in Public Health, Business Administration, Public Administration or related field.
• Candidates should have a minimum of 12 years of work experience.
• Preferable candidates will have at least 7 years of Project Management experience of which 4 years are at supervisory role.

Required skills and Competencies:
Functional Skills:

• Demonstrated project planning and management skills for organizing, planning and executing projects from conception through implementation.
• Candidates with experience of managing multi-country and multi-stakeholder projects will have an advantage.
• Excellent leadership skills include the capacity to organize people to achieve a shared goal and inspire the PMU office staff to achieve vaccine rollout programs
• Excellent diplomatic, representational, interpersonal and communication skills, including experience with successfully interacting with stakeholders and decision-makers in technical and other professional settings;
• Experience in the preparation of strategic plans, policy and operational guidance, and technical proposals for advancing initiatives and programmes in either public or private sector domains.
• Excellent technical writing skills, in addition to narrative and financial reporting skills.
• Skills in translating highly technical information into presentations, briefings and report and funding proposals for both technical and lay audiences.
• Clear understanding of African health systems and fair knowledge of operations of the Ministry of health in the member state.
• Deep understanding of the African Union and partners engagements.
• Excellent computer skills, including word-processing capabilities, proficiency with e-mail and internet applications, experience in using office software applications such as MS Excel, Power Point and Word.

Personal Abilities:

• Leadership and management abilities. Pro-active and solutions oriented.
• Analytical and problem solving abilities
• Ability to build strong relationships internally and with external actors.
• High level of autonomy at work, yet with profound team spirit.
• Ability to work under pressure, with minimal supervision, and in a culturally diverse team
• Adaptive, patient, resourceful, resilient and flexible.

Language Requirements:

• Applicants must be proficient in at least one of the African Union working languages (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish).
• Knowledge of two or more of African Union working languages would be an added advantage.

Tenure of Appointment

• The appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of three years, of which the first three months will be considered as a probationary period.
• Thereafter, the contract will be renewed annually subject to satisfactory performance and fund availability.

Gender Mainstreaming

• The Africa CDC is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly
• encouraged to apply.

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of US$ 50,746 (P5 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements
e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 26,208.00 (per annum),
education allowance (100% of tuition and other education related expenses for every eligible
dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10, 000.00 per child per annum), etc. for internationally
recruited staff

Application Closing Date
Application will be reviewed on a rolling basis till 24th June, 2022.