Technical Officer, Immunization

Technical Officer, Immunization

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the technical guidance of the Director, Comprehensive Immunization (CIM), and the direct supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative (PWR), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

• Provide technical support for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national and subnational immunization strategies, including routine immunization, catch-up vaccination, coverage recovery and life-course vaccination approaches.

• Strengthen vaccine-preventable disease surveillance systems and support preparedness and response activities in coordination with national health authorities.

• Improve immunization data quality, coverage analysis and use of information systems to identify gaps, monitor performance and support evidence-based decision-making.

• Support the development and use of monitoring tools, dashboards, reports and country profiles to track immunization indicators and RIAP2030 targets.

• Contribute to vaccine safety activities, cold chain and logistics management, vaccine supply monitoring, and the introduction of new vaccines.

• Promote communication and community engagement strategies, while coordinating with health authorities, technical partners and stakeholders to advance immunization priorities and improve equitable access to vaccination.

EDUCATION

Essential: A university degree in medicine, nursing, public health, epidemiology, health sciences or other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized institution.

Desirable: A postgraduate or master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, vaccinology, health systems, health management or a related field from a recognized institution would be an asset.

EXPERIENCE

Essential: Three years of national professional experience in public health programs related to immunization, vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, epidemiology, primary health care or health program implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Desirable: More than five years of experience supporting national or subnational immunization programs, including work with international organizations, technical cooperation projects, vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, data systems, cold chain, vaccine safety or introduction of new vaccines.

LANGUAGES

Fluency in Spanish and a working knowledge of English.

IT SKILLS

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), management information systems and digital tools for data analysis and visualization. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint and Word is essential. Basic knowledge of statistical or data analysis tools such as R, Python or Power BI, and familiarity with collaborative platforms such as GitHub, would be an asset for supporting immunization monitoring, reporting and information system strengthening.

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

For a complete list of competencies and skills, please refer to the post description.

The skills required are:

• Strong knowledge of immunization programs, including routine immunization, life-course vaccination, catch-up strategies, monitoring and evaluation.

• Knowledge of vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response, and regional immunization goals.

• Expertise in immunization data analysis, coverage monitoring, data quality improvement and information systems for decision-making.

• Ability to develop and use dashboards, reports, country profiles and data visualization products to support program performance monitoring.

• Understanding of vaccine safety, safe vaccination practices, adverse events following immunization and risk communication.

• Knowledge of cold chain management, vaccine logistics, forecasting, stock monitoring and supply management processes.

• Ability to support the introduction of new vaccines through evidence review, operational planning, training and monitoring.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and evidence synthesis skills.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to prepare technical reports, presentations and policy-oriented documents.

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with health authorities, technical partners and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

• Ability to collaborate effectively in teams, adapt to change, manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality results.

DURATION OF CONTRACT

This is an initial 11-month assignment, with possibility of extensions, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.