Sam Sternin

Independent Consultant

The Hague, South Holland, Netherlands

About

Strategic Advisor & Global Development Lead | Immunization, Urban Poverty & Behavioural Science I help governments, international organizations, and local communities tackle complex development challenges across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and beyond. Over 20 years, I’ve designed programs, built institutional capacity, and translated high-level policy into tangible, on-the-ground impact. I have managed portfolios exceeding $78 million and led technical teams in 15+ countries, delivering results in: Public Health & Immunization: Strengthening EPI programs, expanding vaccination coverage and equity, and supporting COVID-19 response. Urban Development: Designing initiatives and coaching cities on pro-poor service delivery, municipal governance, and climate resilience. Early Childhood Development & Behavioural Science: Integrating evidence-based behavioural approaches into policy and programming. Strategy, Grant Management & Evaluation: Developing strategies and Theories of Change, developing and managing grant portfolios, and leading complex multi-country evaluations. Capacity Building: Facilitating workshops and coaching senior policymakers and teams to strengthen institutional impact. I am a native speaker of English, French, and Vietnamese, fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and conversational in Amharic and Mandarin. Let’s connect to discuss health systems strengthening, sustainable urbanism, immunization, or behavioural design in international development.

Experience

  • City Coach and Policy Advisor at LSE Cities
    Dec 2025 - Present · 8 mos

    • Provide coaching and policy advising technical support to teams and mayors from three cities (Kassel, Enschede, and Maastricht) as part of the Bloomberg-LSE European City Leadership Initiative. • Focus on inclusive participatory urban programming with an emphasis on strengthening residents’ social capital

  • Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Hybrid)
    • Technical Advisor – Immunization & Urban Health
      Jun 2025 - Present · 1 yr 2 mos

      Support the development of an urban immunization strategy as part of the development of the NIS review. Support the development of Holistic Application package under Gavi 6.0

    • Technical Advisor – Immunization & Urban Health
      Sep 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 11 mos

      • Supported Lao EPI Full Portfolio Planning (FPP) proposals in 2024 and 2026. • Facilitated development of urban immunization strategies to improve coverage and equity.

  • Strategic Advisor – Early Childhood Development & Behavioural Science at Van Leer Foundation
    Nov 2017 - Present · 8 yrs 9 mos

    • Developed and executed strategies integrating behavioural science into Early Childhood Development programming across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. • Delivered technical assistance and training for grantees, partners, and investees, enhancing capacity for evidence-informed programming. • Created executive education courses for Early Years executives and policymakers on behavioural sciences. • Produced advocacy materials to improve ECD inclusion in humanitarian contexts.

  • IOD PARC (Contract · 10 mos)
    • Team Leader
      Jul 2025 - Feb 2026 · 8 mos

      • Led the development and delivery of a Learning Review of Gavi's support for Demand Promotion and Community Engagement in the 2020-2025 period, including 5 country case studies • Led the Togo case study

    • Senior Evaluator
      May 2025 - Sep 2025 · 5 mos

      Supported the design, delivery, and documentation of a strategic and organizational review of Acasus, a technical assistance and delivery firm focussed on enhancing government delivery effectiveness in health and education in challenging environments worldwide.

  • Strategy Consultant at Gates Foundation
    Aug 2025 - Oct 2025 · 3 mos

    Provided technical and strategic guidance on the development of a new technical assistance (TA) framework for Gavi 6.0.