Africa Partnerships & Engagement Manager/Senior Manager

CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organisations. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. Central to CEPI’s pandemic-beating plan is the ‘100 Days Mission’ – its goal to develop safe, effective and accessible vaccines against new threats in just 100 days.

CEPI’s work has delivered world firsts for vaccines against many of its priority pathogens including the first licensed Chikungunya vaccine, the first ever Lassa fever, Nipah and MERS vaccines to reach Phase II trials and the first Rift Valley fever vaccine candidate to be studied in Phase II in an endemic region. CEPI has also supported programmes to generate much-needed data to expand access to Ebola and Mpox vaccines. CEPI was among the first funders of COVID-19 vaccines, ultimately building one of the world’s largest portfolios, seven of which were licensed. The Coalition also conceptualised and co-founded COVAX, which delivered nearly two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 146 countries, saving an estimated 2.7 million lives in lower-income regions.

Earlier this year, CEPI launched its CEPI 3.0 Strategy (covering 2027-2031) which will systematically reduce the likelihood and impact of epidemics and pandemics by driving the 100 Days Mission towards an operational reality.

CEPI is a not-for-profit association under Norwegian Law and has offices in Oslo (HQ), London, and Washington DC.

In CEPI we strive for diverse thinking, and we want a diverse pool of candidates for all our vacancies. We work for an inclusive working environment where each employee can contribute and grow. Learn more at www.cepi.net

About the role

CEPI is looking for an Africa Partnerships and Engagement Manager/Senior Manager to support the delivery of its Africa regional strategy and engagement with partners on a 12-month full-time contract. The role will focus primarily on enabling internal alignment, driving cross-functional collaboration and ensuring effective implementation of regional priorities across the organisation. The role will be responsible for building relationships, developing and maintaining program workplans, tracking progress, supporting external engagements and managing correspondence to ensure alignment with organisational goals. The role requires a good understanding of the key regional health institutions, the African research preparedness ecosystem, priorities and partners (including research, clinical trials, regulatory and manufacturing).

Responsibilities

• Support the implementation of CEPI’s Africa regional strategy, ensuring alignment across R&D, manufacturing, access and other workstreams
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across internal teams, ensuring coherence between regional priorities and organisational strategy
• Contribute to the development of strategic documents, presentations, and internal communications related to the Africa regional portfolio
• Support engagement with regional partners and stakeholders, including coordination of inputs and follow-through on agreed actions
• Support internal alignment by synthesising inputs, preparing briefings including updates for senior leadership, and facilitating strategy and engagement processes
• Develop, maintain and regularly update programme workplans, tracking progress against key milestones and identifying risks to delivery
• Manage programme-related communications and correspondence, ensuring consistency, timeliness and alignment with organisational priorities, as well as support the planning and delivery of key meetings, workshops and engagements
• Other duties as required

Education, Experience and Competence

• Essential: Bachelor’s degree (Master’s desirable) in a discipline related to public or global health/policy and communications/finance/International Relations, or other relevant discipline.
• Preferable experience: 5 – 10 years in Global Health and Health Security preferred, with experience working in Africa or with African institutions
• Previous experience working with key regional and national partners in the African region or other LMICs desirable, as well as a good knowledge of the broader global health ecosystem
• Essential: Proficient in MS Office and comfortable with applying new IT tools across tasks.
• Coordination of strategic partnerships, project and portfolio management experience, including operationalisation of governance processes, and implementation of policies.
• Excellent track record of results in managing stakeholder relationships and coordinating large teams.
• Proficiency in project management tools and data analysis with excellent written and verbal communication skills, including scientific writing
• High level of sensitivity and diplomacy, with excellent networking, representational, communications and negotiation skills.
• Proactive and can-do attitude takes accountability for delivery.
• Strong written and verbal English language skills. Ability to speak French will be an added advantage.
• Ability to adapt and work within a multicultural, multidisciplinary environment.

Travel and Location Requirements

• This position is based in London, UK or Oslo, Norway.
• Applicant needs to possess a valid work permit (UK/Norway) for the duration of this role.
• CEPI would not be able to support relocation for this fixed term position.
• International travel to other CEPI offices and partners as assigned.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to work together with leading experts on solutions for global challenges
• Experience from the international effort on developing vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and accelerating vaccine development response to outbreaks
• A diverse and inclusive working environment