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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant
Consultancy Title: Consultant- Big Catch-up strategic planning and programme management
Section/Division/Duty Station: Health Section – PG - NYHQ
Duration: 1 July 2024 – 31 December 2025
Home/ office Based: REMOTE
About UNICEF
If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection, and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments.
BACKGROUND
Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
The COVID-19 pandemic has marked a significant downturn in coverage, representing the most severe decline reported in three decades. Prior to this, there was a ten-year period of stagnation in global progress on immunization coverage. It is imperative that urgent and continuous action is taken to reach the children who have been missed.
As part of the Gavi Alliance, UNICEF has played a pivotal role in championing the Big Catch-Up (BCU) initiative, a worldwide effort launched in April 2023 to facilitate the recovery and enhancement of immunization systems. Reaching children who have missed routine immunizations necessitates aiding countries in recovering from the setbacks experienced since 2020. Additionally, countries require support to reestablish and resume essential services, such as routine immunizations, which have been disrupted by the pandemic. Sustaining the regained coverage of routine immunizations and essential services is crucial to resume progress towards achieving the goals and targets outlined in the IA2030 initiative.
UNICEF and partners are supporting Ministries of Heath tailored, country-specific response to urgently reach children who missed vaccination during 2019-2022 and close the immunity gaps due to the accumulation of a susceptible cohort.
In December 2023, Gavi Board has approved fully financed doses for BCU; all antigens already in a country’s routine programme in the period 2019-22 can be supported and children up to 5 years of age are eligible.
Countries are at a different stage of planning and implementing BCU strategies; and one of critical elements for success is the availability of high-quality strategic plans and reliable management mechanism for its operationalization.
Partners have identified risks to the success of the BCU and proposed mitigation approaches to ensure implementation achieve countries’ catch-up targets. At the other end BCU activities should extend beyond short-term solutions; they offer a chance to integrate catch-up efforts as a continuous element of essential immunization delivery, leveraging a comprehensive system-wide approach.
UNICEF is recruiting a consultant to provide services to selected countries in Big Catch-up strategic planning, programme management including supporting quality assurance of data monitoring and reporting, documentation, and learning.
Six countries will be supported among the following: Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia, Comoros, Kenya, and Burundi. Regional Office (RO) will communicate to countries to secure their engagement and support to the proposed support. The dates indicated below are indicative and may change based on the actual implementation schedules.
The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the ESARO Immunization Coordinator; overall reporting will be to HQ.
AWP reference: This assignment links to Strategic Plan Goal Area 1.2 Immunization services as part of PHC in that its main objective is to support countries in strengthening the immunization performance with focus on planning, implementation, and monitoring of Big Catch-up campaigns in countries.
Scope of Work:
Big Catch-up policies, strategies, and implementation: The consultant will review countries’ Big catch-up policies, strategies, interventions, and monitoring reports and develop an implementation plan to address challenges and bottlenecks identified to ensure eligible children are identified and reached with required vaccines. The aim of the documents review and analysis is to ensure there is clear guidance on how to provide missed doses of vaccinations, how to determine age-based eligibility and correctly record and report on catch-up doses. Adapted approaches for monitoring BCU efforts: The consultant will review existing reporting tools and develop the structure for adaptation to GAVI reporting requirements for the additional doses provided. Development of knowledge management products: The consultant will develop documentation, case studies on strategies for BCU and efforts for continuously implementing catch-up vaccination as part of a whole system approach along the life course.Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:
Report of desk review for 3 countries’ BCU plans prepared. Analyzing approaches, challenges and bottlenecks for planning, identification and reporting on ZD/under immunized children conducted. – By 31st August 2024. Guidance on elements of planning, implementation, and monitoring that need refinement for the 3 assigned countries developed. - By 31st August 2024 Report of desk review for 3 additional countries’ BCU plans, analyzing approaches, challenges and bottlenecks for planning, identification and reporting on ZD/under immunized children. – By 31st October 2024. Guidance on elements of planning, implementation, and monitoring that need refinement for the 3 additional assigned countries/ developed. – By 31st October 2024. 6 Interim reports of BCU implementation in the 6 assigned countries prepared. – By 31st June 2025. Final reports on BCU implementation in assigned the 6 countries. – By 30th November 2025. Data collection tool for 6 countries reviewed and 6 reports on adjustments needed for GAVI reporting developed. – By 31st September 2024. Report on review of data collected (quality and completeness) including measures for improvement for each of the 6 countries developed. - By the due date set in each country’s plan and in any case no later than 30th November 2024. The scheduled report to GAVI reviewed and presented. - By the due date set in each country’s plan and in any case no later than 30th November 2024. Inception report and data collection tool created. – By 28th February 2025 6 Field mission reports with findings of data collection in 6 countries presented. – By 30th August 2025. Final comprehensive report on the assignment developed and presented. – By 15th December 2025.Qualifications
Education:
Advanced university degree in Medicine, Public Health, Health Policy and Management, Social or Behavioral Science, other related fields. Bachelor of Medicine considered in lieu of relevant experience.experience:
At least (8) years of experience in international public health programme management, including at least three (3) years in immunization, with experience in low- and middle-income countries. Proven experience in Immunization programme strategic planning, coordination, and monitoring, Immunization Programme reviews, microplanning, data analysis and report writing. Experience interfacing with national ministries of health and immunization stakeholders. Experience in planning and delivery of technical assistance. Similar experience in UN agency preferred. Conscientious and highly organized, with the ability to take the initiative and work independently under general guidance, meet tight deadlines, and deliver results.Competencies/Knowledge:
Effective presenter including ability to adapt the message and visual aids for multiple audiences to deliver concise, impactful presentations. Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Fluency in spoken and written English is a requirement. Working knowledge of French or Portuguese will be an asset.Requirements:
Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and
Upload copy of academic credentials Financial proposal that will include/ reflect: the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference. travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR. Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable. Indicate your availability. Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF. At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage. Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.U.S. Visa information:
With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
