Consultancy: Immunization Forecast Strengthening Consultant - Req

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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: Immunization Forecast Strengthening Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: PD/Health Section/Immunization Unit/iSC, Copenhagen, Denmark (Home-Based)

Duration: 9 May 2022 to 31 December 2022 (100 days)

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

The goal of immunizing children everywhere is premised on timely availability of vaccines and supplementary materials and the prevention of expiry, unexpected wastages, and overstock. To achieve this, Immunization planning requires dedicated forecasting which triangulates statutory needs with consumption, wastages and variations in product requirements including during disruptions.

While most countries conduct national forecasts based on aggregated targets and previous consumption, there are wide disparities across sub-national needs and key unreached and underserved populations are not directly planned for. Thus, stakeholders must be supported to ensure that sub-national vaccine and immunization supply needs are dynamic and innovative; that stakeholders monitor/triangulate expiry, manage both stock-outs and overstocks and mitigate excessive wastages; but also target unreached and underserved populations. Strengthening stock management systems will be critical to this.

A recent eight-country UNICEF analysis indicated strategies to strengthen forecast accuracy to include government-led forecasting teams, harmonized quality forecasting processes, standardized forecasting methods that ensure data quality and investment in staff capacity-building.

Scope of Work:

UNICEF is seeking one (1) Immunization Forecast Strengthening Consultant to:

1. Support an iSC2 multi-partner forecasting toolbox and develop guideline, framework, tools etc. to show how forecasts can be used to target unreached and underserved populations including in remote rural, urban, conflict and other settings (and ensure that other materials align).
2. Develop appropriate guideline, case studies, tools, SOPs etc. that support strengthening of sub-national forecasting processes and practices linked to strengthening in-country forecasting practices including the reporting into and use of stock management tools that contribute to Thrive 360.

Work Assignment Overview

Review existing (UNICEF and others) vaccines, immunization supplies and CCE forecasting guidance/guidelines/tools/frameworks and previous assessments, landscape country (periodic) forecasting processes and global/regional/national forecasting goals and targets- identifying gaps Deliverable: Landscape report

Timeline: 5 days – 31 December 2022

2. Analyze country (national and sub-national) practices, challenges and lessons with current vaccines, immunization supplies and CCE forecasting practices and processes- defining needs.

Deliverable: Analysis report of country (national and sub-national) practices, challenges, and lessons

Timeline: 10 days – 31 December 2022

3. Conceptualize a methodology (based on country/regional/HQ feedback) that ensures that vaccines, immunization supplies and CCE forecasting practices and processes target key unreached and underserved populations including in remote rural, urban, conflict and other settings

Deliverable: Outline of methodology and plan for developing guideline, case studies, tools etc.

Timeline: 10 days – 31 December 2022

4. Develop appropriate guideline, case studies, tools, and SOPs to operationalize the methodology for ensuring vaccines, immunization supplies and CCE forecasting practices and processes contribute to programme outcomes and target key unreached and underserved populations including in remote rural, urban, conflict and other settings

Deliverable: Guideline, case studies (up to four (4) countries, tools, KPIs and SOPs developed

Timeline: 25 days – 31 December 2022

5. Contribute to strengthening use of in-country stock management tools for monitoring and reporting stock management practices and aggregation and date use for action from Thrive 360

Deliverable: Framework and support for countries to strengthen stock management practices including reporting into Thrive 360 and date use for action

Timeline: 15 days – 31 December 2022

6. Develop guidelines/best practices for strengthening sub-national vaccines, immunization supplies and CCE forecasting (such as dose sharing, reallocation, and risk mitigation etc.)- include planning/coordination, SOPs, KPIs, innovative mechanisms etc.; to ensure that these contribute to programme outcomes and target key unreached and underserved populations including in remote rural, urban, conflict and other settings.

Deliverable: Sub-national forecasting guideline, best practice case studies (up to four (4) countries, KPIs and SOPs developed

Timeline: 30 days – 31 December 2022

7. Develop actionable implementation plan for HQ and RO to effectively deploy support package in countries, particularly where they will contribute the most impact.

Deliverable: Implementation plan

Timeline: 5 days – 31 December 2022

Qualifications

(1) Education

• A University/Master’s Degree in Engineering, Public Health, Supply Chain, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Business or Public Administration or related field is required.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English is necessary. Knowledge of another UN languages is an asset

2) Work experience and skills

• At least (8) years of experience in international public health programming including at least three (3) years in immunization and immunization supply chains, with experience in low- and middle-income countries.
• Familiarity with in-country supply chain processes and strengthening such as stock and logistics management, inventory policies, allocation, ordering and distribution strategies, temperature monitoring, waste management and other supply chain operations
• Very good knowledge of country’s national and sub-national forecasting processes and practices
• Very good knowledge of country forecasting bottlenecks and diverse methodology to address these
• Very good knowledge of programmatic practices to identify, design, target, measure and document evidence from supply chain/immunization interventions that seek to reach unreached and underserved populations including remote rural, urban slums, conflict settings etc.
• Experience with health systems strengthening including supply chain strengthening
• Experience with engaging multiple stakeholders at countries’ national and sub-national levels, including communicating ideas in a collegiate manner
• Experience in planning, coordination and working with teams in different time zones is a must.

Requirements****:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html
  • 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 is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, 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.