Consultancy on in-country logistics - PSC Supply Hub, O/P Ethiopia - SD - Office based at Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia - Consultancy Period: July 2023-July 2024

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, vaccination

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commit all governments to comprehensive, integrated, and universal transformations by 2030. Countries are required to mobilise efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind. Without adequate and sustained investments in health, the SDGs will not be realised. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that supports Member States in their efforts to strengthen their health systems. Africa CDC was officially launched on 31 January 2017, and is guided by the principles of leadership, credibility, ownership, delegated authority, timely dissemination of information, transparency, accountability, and value addition. The institution works with all African countries to strengthen the capabilities of their public health institutions for disease surveillance, emergency response, prevention, and control, including the capacity to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats. It also serves as a platform for Member States to share and exchange knowledge and lessons from public health interventions.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is partnering with Africa CDC and the Master Card Foundation to implement the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) initiative as part of the African Union’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. UNICEF was initially assigned to support procurement COVID 19 vaccines and ancillaries to Central Medical Warehouse, with the assumption that in-country logistics will be provided by the Routine Immunization system to avoid creating stand-alone parallel logistic systems within Member States. However, UNICEF was recently solicited to support the Covid-19 vaccines and ancillaries in-country logistics (ICL).

Scope of Work: Under a general guidance of Senior Advisor Supply, UNICEF Supply Chain Hub and in consultation with not only relevant colleagues from Regional and Country Offices; but also from Africa CDC, and based in Addis-Ababa, the consultant will be expected to: 1) Monitor the effective implementation of the ICL activities, including procurement, budget utilization and shipment status, derived from the UNICEF’s ICL proposal to Africa CDC 2) Design and implement logistics strategies (warehousing, transport, and distribution) to support Africa CDC in its quest of establishing its own warehouses 3) Provide guidance on which technical and regulatory norms to be adhered to when establishing a warehouse that will store health commodities including vaccines 4) Contribute to the dimensioning and operationalization of the Africa CDC warehouses 5) Provide guidance in the development of processes and systems to ensure efficiency of the logistics operations (e.g., transport requests, receipt, and dispatch of goods) 6) Ensure that standard processes and real time data management principles are applied in all warehouses 7) Identify and monitor the risks associated to the ICL and inform relevant UNICEF Regional Offices (ROs) and Country Offices (COs) colleagues 8) Provide technical support to Africa CDC’s logistics and warehouse staff 9) Identify and map country SLL ICL status by implementation readiness, progress made and pending actions in collaboration with the COs and ROs 10) Provide regular up-dates on stocks and distributions to Africa CDC, UNICEF ROs, and the Supply Chain Hub 11) Any other tasks as identified by the supervisor and/or Africa CDC.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone: Signature of agreement Deliverables/Outputs: Signed contract Timeline: Signing of agreement Budget %: 10

Tasks/Milestone: Provide guidance on which technical and regulatory norms and dimensioning and operationalization of the Africa CDC warehouses Deliverables/Outputs: Guidance note provided to Africa CDC with norms and dimensioning (outfitting equipment of warehouses) Timeline: 2 months after start date Budget %: 5

Tasks/Milestone: Monitor ICL activity implementation in countries Deliverables/Outputs: Quarterly report Timeline: 3 months after start date Budget %: 15

Tasks/Milestone: Design and implement logistics strategies (warehousing, transport, and distribution) to support Africa CDC in its quest of establishing its own warehouses Deliverables/Outputs: Logistics strategy developed Timeline: 4 months after start date Budget %: 5

Tasks/Milestone: Provide guidance in the development of processes and systems to ensure efficiency of the logistics operations (e.g., transport requests, receipt, and dispatch of goods) while ensuring that standard processes and real time data management principles are applied in all warehouses

Deliverables/Outputs: Process and systems guidance materials Timeline: 6 months after start date Budget %: 15

Tasks/Milestone: Monitor ICL activity implementation in countries Deliverables/Outputs: Quarterly report Timeline: 6 months after start date Budget %: 15

Tasks/Milestone: Identify and monitor the risks associated to the ICL and inform relevant RO and CO colleagues Deliverables/Outputs: ICL risks identified, and information shared Timeline: 7 months after start date Budget %: 5

Tasks/Milestone: Build capacity of Africa CDC staff with regards to warehousing Deliverables/Outputs: Training report provided Timeline: 8 months after start date Budget %: 10

Tasks/Milestone: Monitor ICL activity implementation in countries Deliverables/Outputs: Quarterly report Timeline: 9 months after start date Budget %: 15

Tasks/Milestone: Identify and map country SLL ICL status by implementation readiness, progress made and pending actions in collaboration with the COs and Ros and Q4 report Deliverables/Outputs: Quarterly report Timeline: 12 months after start date Budget %: 15

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

• A completed Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree) in one of the multiple areas of supply chain management, human resources management, business management, process improvement, public health, medical sciences, pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, or other related fields is required. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. • A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience in experience in supply chain management including logistics and warehousing • Technical knowledge of procurement and supply chain operations required • Experience in humanitarian assistance and development programmes and a mix of field and headquarters postings are an asset • Developing country work experience is considered an asset. • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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.

EVALUATION PROCESS:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter
2. Financial quote at a daily rate in US Dollars including all taxes
3. Highest Education Degree (scanned copy)
4. UN P11
5. Examples of previous, relevant work
6. At least 3 References from previous direct Supervisors ( email and phone contact if applicable)

Applications must be submitted through the UNICEF electronic application system by 11 June 23:55 CET. Please indicate your availability and daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered.

UNICEF considers best value for money as a criteria for evaluating potential candidates. As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant or individual contractor follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Please note that consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visas and travel insurance.

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 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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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.