Senior Program Officer, Polio Outbreaks (DRC & Francophone Africa Focus)

Role Overview

This position sits within the Polio Outbreak team and is tasked with deepening the foundation’s collaboration with global health partners such as WHO, UNICEF, CDC, Rotary International, and Gavi to stop the spread of variant poliovirus. The primary geographic focus is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Senior Program Officer will work to improve the quality of immunization campaigns, strengthen acute flaccid paralysis surveillance, and reinforce routine vaccination systems. Day-to-day work involves driving partner accountability, leading data-driven analysis of outbreak trends, and crafting strategies that can be applied in challenging, low-access settings to move closer to eradication.

Key Responsibilities

• Steer the foundation’s polio strategy and investment portfolio for DRC and other assigned francophone countries, ensuring alignment with broader outbreak response goals and measurable impact.
• Design and implement integrated plans that connect emergency outbreak response with routine immunization and long-term health system strengthening.
• Act as the foundation’s main in-country representative for polio, coordinating a complex network of government bodies, implementing partners, and grantees.
• Use epidemiological and programmatic data to spot emerging risks and gaps, then guide rapid, evidence-based adjustments to field activities.
• Hold partners and government counterparts to clear performance standards, proactively addressing delays or shortfalls and confirming corrective actions are taken.
• Oversee a portfolio of grants and contracts, managing performance, strategic fit, and delivery from inception to close-out.
• Shape operational approaches for humanitarian and high-risk environments, focusing on reaching zero-dose children and navigating access constraints.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior national and provincial leaders to foster local ownership, resolve bottlenecks, and sustain political commitment.
• Travel frequently to the field to assess campaign execution, troubleshoot operational hurdles, and verify quality improvements on the ground.
• Represent the foundation at national, regional, and global meetings, translating field realities into clear briefings for leadership and contributing to a collaborative internal culture.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Advanced degree in public health, epidemiology, vaccinology, medicine, or a related health field.
• Substantial professional experience in polio eradication, outbreak response, vaccine delivery, or health emergency programs in low- and middle-income countries, with a strong background in program management and emergency operations.
• Proven ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including elected officials, civil servants, public health experts, analysts, and local community implementers.
• Experience in strategic planning and turning strategies into operational reality, particularly in immunization or polio-focused initiatives.
• Familiarity with polio funding mechanisms, planning cycles, target-setting, and evaluation processes in DRC is strongly preferred.
• Strong partnership-building skills, with the ability to manage differing interests, resolve conflict, and build consensus across organizations.
• Full written and spoken fluency in both English and French; working knowledge of Portuguese or Arabic is an additional asset.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally up to 75% of the time, including to field locations with limited infrastructure.