Grant Operations and Continuous Improvement Manager

Position description

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children’s lives and protecting people’s health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together implementing country and donor governments, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunisation of more than one billion children and the prevention of more than 15 million future deaths.

Within the Vaccine Forecasting and Grant Operations team, in the Finance department, we are looking for a Grant Operations and Continuous Improvement Manager to lead the optimization of processes within grant operations management, facilitating continuous monitoring of disbursements, approvals, and tracking of shipments and disbursements against approvals. In this role, they will serve as the focal point for Purchase Order management and goods receipt, coordinating with UNICEF’s finance team to ensure efficient management of Grant Operations. The Manager will also lead or support selected projects that will drive efficiency and effectiveness across the Finance functions.

THE ROLE

Manage and optimize grant operations processes, focusing on efficiency and effectiveness in disbursement, approvals, and tracking of shipments and funds;

Serve as the focal point for coordination with UNICEF Finance and other internal/external stakeholders to ensure smooth grant operations.

Lead initiatives to enhance data exchange, design integrated tracking tools, and develop dashboards to monitor operational performance and key metrics.

Act as a representative of VFGO, ensuring effective communication and alignment with partners and stakeholders.

This role requires a blend of analytical expertise, process improvement skills, and cross-sector collaboration to support Gavi’s mission of improving vaccine access in lower-income countries.

This role requires a blend of analytical expertise, process improvement skills, and cross-sector collaboration to support Gavi’s mission of improving vaccine access in lower-income countries.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Grant Operations Management:

• Provide effective grant document processing support to operationalize decisions on Gavi’s vaccine support to countries.
• Lead the team’s collaborations with our external service provider for the effective execution of their grant operations’ support. This includes PO management and Goods Receipts among other items.
• Support to VFGO Head and/or Grant Ops Sr Manager for PO approvals providing reconciliation files
• Ensure the appropriate usage and the maintenance of the Approval request tracking tool (tracking budget approvals to Decision letter submission to Countries), including coordination with other teams such as Finance Business Partnering and Programme Support Teams

Ensure Cross-organizational collaboration:

UNICEF - Gavi Data exchange project business analysis

The UNICEF-Gavi Data Exchange (DAX) project aims to automate the sharing of key transactional data (e.g. Purchase Orders and invoice / payments) and streamline recurring tasks between Gavi and UNICEF across business platforms, e.g. SAP. By enhancing data accuracy and operational efficiency, the project reduces risks and paves the way for scalable, future-ready solutions.

• Analyse and document detailed requirements for optimising grant operations, reporting processes, and data exchange workflows.
• Perform data analysis and create dashboards to support decision-making and improve transparency.
• Design and validate system enhancements, integrating automation and advanced analytics.
• Collaborate across teams to align solutions, provide training, and enhance data-driven processes.

Continuous Improvement and Monitoring:

• Facilitate continuous improvement in the approval and monitoring processes for orders, shipments, and disbursements.
• Collaborate with internal and external teams (e.g. UNICEF Supply Division) to improve data exchange, optimize grant processes, and enhance operational effectiveness.
• Design and develop integrated tracking tools that align with corporate-wide initiatives, ensuring a unified view of what has been approved, shipped, disbursed, and the operational process performance across various stages. The tools should address the needs of multiple teams and avoid the creation of siloed indicators.
• Implement comprehensive operational performance dashboards, integrated into existing corporate platforms, that consolidate key metrics such as budget approval times, PO creation and submission, and Decision Letter approval and submission timelines.

Performance Analysis and Collaboration:

• Monitor and analyse data related to vaccine Approval Request to Decision Letter processes and KPI using analytics and visualization tools.
• Lead initiatives to improve the information systems and tools used in vaccine grant operations management.
• Perform in-depth analysis of supplier costs, delivery performance, and freight costs.

Representation and Communication:

• Act as the focal point of the VFGO team in interactions with UNICEF Finance, representing the interests and needs of the team in our collaborations.
• Document and communicate processes, decisions, and outcomes to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment on project progress.

Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

ACADEMIC

• Advanced university degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Health Systems, Management, Strategy, Business Administration or related fields. 

WORK EXPERIENCE

• 5-8 years of experience in operations management, forecasting, demand planning, or financial analysis.
• Experience managing information systems and large datasets, with a focus on continuous process improvement.
• Demonstrable experience in managing partnerships and multi-stakeholder task forces is highly desirable.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to interpret complex data.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and collaborate effectively with internal partners, such as IT, or external partners, such as UNICEF.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

Technical:

• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytic skills, with ability to evaluate and synthesise complex challenges;
• Demonstrated experience in SAP;
• Familiarity with data analysis tools and dashboards (e.g., advanced Excel, SAC, Power BI);
• Excellent organisation and coordination capabilities, including demonstrated ability to prioritise;
• Strong collaboration skills and demonstrated ability to work across multiple, multisectoral teams and organisations in pursuit of a common goal;
• High sense of responsibility, efficiency, reliability and results-focus;
• Compelling oral and written communications;
• Demonstrated ability to engage credibly with senior counterparts across multiple sectors;

LANGUAGES

• Written and spoken fluency in English.

CONTACTS

• All Gavi Secretariat teams, particularly across Finance teams.
• Gavi Alliance partners, including UNICEF and WHO.

Application instructions

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