Consultancy: Multisectoral Strategies for Zero-Dose in Urban and Middle-Income Countries Consultant Req

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Multisectoral Strategies for Zero-Dose in Urban and Middle-Income Countries

Section/Division/Duty Station: Health – Immunization , Programme Division – New York HQ

Duration: 15 July 2023 to 31 May 2024 2023 - 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. 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:

Zero-dose children are a marker of multiple deprivation and programmatically measured as those who did not receive the first dose of a DPT-containing vaccine. To effectively address the needs and deprivations faced by these children, interventions that leverage multiple sectors are needed. This will not only improve access and utilization of immunizations services but other services as well. The world if facing rapid urbanization with an estimated 68% of the world population projected to be living in urban settlements by 2050. Rapid urbanization comes with numerous challenges for health and social services. Urban areas include cities with planned neighborhoods that are often well catered for by government services, and informal urban settlements, which are not sanctioned by municipalities and some of which are urban and peri-urban slums with very deplorable living conditions and facing multiple deprivations. As a result of these unique characteristics, immunization services and even broader primary healthcare services need to be fit-for-context to be able to reach all communities in urban settings, especially the most vulnerable. The root cause of low routine immunization coverage and inequities in urban settings encompasses both structural challenges to immunization present in most settings and barriers particular to urban populations. Multisectoral approaches are one type of integration of services where different sectors are leveraged upon for the provision of services which may be in this case education, nutrition, maternal and child health (MCH), water and sanitation (WASH) etc. Although the evidence for or against multisectoral approaches is mixed, through leveraging multisectoral approaches, we could maximize cost efficiency or economies of scale, logistical efficiencies, broaden service accessibility and equity in sustainably reaching zero-dose children with a package of services. Often immunization services which have broader reach are leveraged upon to provide other services. However, leveraging other services may in turn help improve vaccination coverage, as caregivers may be incentivized to access services. Further exploring multisectoral approaches in reaching zero-dose children could be further researched and provides a learning agenda for immunization.

UNICEF proposes to leverage its multisectoral programming to target and reach un- and under-vaccinated communities with vaccines, harnessing UNICEF’s organizational strengths to reach zero-dose children in urban poor settings. Through a win-win strategy, programmes such as Early Childhood Development (ECD); Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Nutrition; Education; Child Protection (CP); and Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health (MNAH) that serve families in urban poor settings will be leveraged for immunization. In turn, identification of zero-dose children will serve as a tracer for disadvantaged communities in need of additional services. Immunization programming and multisectoral programming are therefore mutually benefitted and strengthened. The proposed multisectoral approach will help achieve the goal of reducing the number of unvaccinated zero-dose children, which is at the center of the Immunization Agenda 2030

(IA2030), Gavi middle income country strategy, and UNICEF’s immunization roadmap. The ultimate goal of the proposed initiative is to demonstrate and use multisectoral interventions as an entry point to systematically reach children and communities that were not reached by immunization services. This will help reduce the number of zero-dose children in urban poor settings, while simultaneously helping to identify marginalized communities in need of other health and social services. Several low- and middle-income countries undergoing urbanization will benefit from the operational guidance and tools from this consultancy.

Scope of Work:

1. Operational guidance for multisectoral strategies to reach zero-dose children: UNICEF will work to develop and support the rollout of operational guidance for multisectoral programming to reach zero-dose children with emphasis to middle income countries (MICs).
2. Multisectoral Implementation tools: Develop the associated implementation tools including microplanning and theory of change templates to support the rollout of the multisectoral operational guidance
3. Dissemination: Launch and disseminate the operational guidance and tools to the regional and country office colleagues with a view to rollout, monitoring and learning
4. Country Rollout: Engage and facilitate 3 countries to rollout the multisectoral urban strategies across few targeted zero-dose communities.
5. Lessons learnt and case studies: Facilitate the documentation of lessons learnt and case studies on multisectoral, private sector engagement and equity programming for immunization in urban and peri-urban settings.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Deliverables/ Outputs / Delivery Deadline

• Develop assignment workplan and inception

Inception report and work plan - 31st of July 2023

• Develop the structure for the operational guidance and timelines

Operational guidance structure (skeleton) - 21st August 2023

• Synthesize available evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and conduct consultations with units/regions/countries

Synthesis of available evidence and consultation findings from all regions - 15th September 2023

• Develop a full draft of the multisectoral operational guidance & tools

First draft of operational guidance and tools - 31st October 2023

• Facilitate consultation sessions within and outside UNICEF (global, region and country levels) Consolidated inputs to draft multisectoral guidance received - 21st November 2023
• Document case studies on multisectoral in urban and middle-income countries, and disseminate through a webinar

4 country case studies and 1 webinar conducted - 31st December 2023

• Incorporate all inputs and finalize operational guidance and tools

Final draft Operational guidance and tools - 31st January 2024

• Facilitate 2 webinars to disseminate the operational guidance Global and regional (2) webinars to disseminate tools and guidance - 15th Feb 2024
• Engage and support 3 Middle Income Countries (MICs) in prioritizing to conduct rapid equity analysis

Rapid equity analysis in 3 MICs initiated. - 30th March 2024

• Facilitate the application of the operational guidance in 3 countries

Rollout of operational guidance application in 3 countries initiated - 15th April 2024

• After Action Review of the Operational Guidance development and rollout

After action review report - 31st May 2024

Qualifications

1) Education

• Advanced degree in Medicine, Public Health, Health Policy and Management, Social or Behavioral Science, other related fields.
• Fluency in English and excellent writing skills. Working knowledge of another UN language a plus.

2) Work experience

• Experience working on immunization and nutrition, or MNCH. Integrated or multi antigen campaign experience a plus.
• Solid experience with developing and rolling out guidelines and strategies required.
• Integrated or multisectoral microplanning, and equity analysis experiences a plus.
• A minimum of 7 years immunization and public health experience required.

3) Competencies

• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and to travel when required.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively.

• Strong analytical skills and experience synthesizing information from multiple sources.

  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:
• Cost per deliverable or lumpsum for the whole deliverables as indicated in 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 values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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.