Consultancy: Consultant, Routine Immunization Monitoring - Health Section, PG, NYHQ/Remote - Req

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UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 11 Mar 2022 at 04:55 UTC

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Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope.

Consultancy Title: Routine Immunization Monitoring

Section/Division/Duty Station: PD/Health Section/Immunization Unit

Duration: 1 February 2022 – 16 January 2023.

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. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Background

Global immunization coverage has plateaued over the last decade. Despite 113 million children completing their vaccination with a basic set of vaccines in 2020, 23 million infants were not fully vaccinated, out of which 17 million did not receive any routine vaccine – the zero-dose children. Disruptions of essential health services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures implemented by countries resulted in 3.7 million more children not being fully vaccinated in 2020 compared to 2019, with 95% of these being zero-dose. Most of the under-immunized and zero-dose children are in some of the most underserved and disadvantaged communities, such as remote-rural, urban poor and conflict affected communities as identified by the Equity Reference Group co-chaired by UNICEF and BMGF. Notably, missed and marginalized communities are home to clusters of these underserved children. These children and their communities often face multiple deprivations, including lack of essential services, socio-economic inequities, malnutrition, limited access to clean water, gender related barriers and poverty.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi and other partners have pushed the zero-dose agenda to the center stage of the strategic focus for immunization. Accordingly, the Immunization Agenda - 2030 (IA2030) and Gavi 5.0 (2021-2025), now have a greater focus on addressing inequities, thereby re-focusing on reducing zero-dose children in missed communities, also called zero-dose communities, and leaving no one behind.

There is an urgent need to develop the mechanisms and processes to keep track of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine immunization in countries and progress towards improving coverage and reducing the number of zero-dose children in missed communities. This dictates the need for UNICEF to have a consultant to focus on routine immunization monitoring in the interim, while efforts are made to build the necessary capacity to undertake this task in the longer term.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Senior Adviser Immunization, Health Programmes, the consultant will work with the respective teams in UNICEF Headquarter, Regional offices and, Country Offices and other partners to deliver the following tasks:

  1. Support C&E teams on a daily basis and prepare briefs on Routine immunization disruptions.
  2. Identify routine immunization disruptions using existing country and partner health information, platforms and monitoring systems.
  3. Prepare RI and monitoring and trend, analysis and reporting to track RI disruptions and provide update on a weekly basis.
  4. Provide update as an when required with detail analysis of country specifics, region specific or by antigens.
  5. Provide periodic update on zero-dose children and maintain a interactive dashboard.
  6. Facilitate prompt sharing of information to RO and CO to inform decisions making and action towards improving immunization coverage and equity, and reduction of overall zero-dose children.
  7. Collect data and information on the status of planned new vaccines (HPV, PCV, RV, MCV2) rollout and SIAs (Measles, YF, Polio) implementation from the RO and CO, and collating the information to identify delays or disruptions due to Covid.
  8. Monitor and report country information on the monthly coverage rates for DPT, HPV and other vaccines.
  9. Provide inputs and participate in relevant data meetings and working groups to identify potential platforms and design solutions to improve immunization coverage and equity monitoring.
  10. Perform any other relevant tasks that the immunization coverage and equity team require with respect to data monitoring and reporting.

Out of these tasks, the following deliverables must be accomplished:

  • Inception report within 15 days of contract
  • Weekly updates on RI disruptions
  • Draft publication submitted for review and finalization
  • Inputs collected and finalized
  • Exit report on trends in routine immunization performance and impact of the pandemic on coverage

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

  • Enter Disciplines: Demography, statistics, Health, Finance, Public Health, Social Sciences.

Work experience and skills:

  • At least 5 years of relevant experience working in immunization monitoring, project proposals, report writing etc.
  • Demonstrated quantitative data analysis skills
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Strong Excel and statistical tool skills
  • Fluency in English, French language skills are desired.
  • Authoring published article/journal will be an added value

Requirements:

  • Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) or resume
  • Upload copy of academic credentials.
  • Financial proposal that will include your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above

Please note:

  • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process
  • No travel is required.
  • 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.

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 here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org