Consultancy: Outbreak Finance Reporting, Polio Eradication Programme, home based, 9 months

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, Health

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), is steadfast in its commitment to securing a polio-free future for the next generation of children, eliminating the threat of polio paralysis. This mission relies on swift and effective responses to poliovirus outbreaks in polio-free countries. Polio eradication remains a paramount organizational priority and is recognized as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Recent years have seen an unexpected surge in polio outbreaks worldwide. With the overarching goal of interrupting transmission in outbreak countries by the end of 2025, UNICEF, as the co-chair of The Outbreak Response & Preparedness Group (ORPG) within the GPEI, plays a pivotal role in overseeing outbreak preparedness and response efforts.

The ORPG operates as a collective responsible for overseeing outbreak preparedness and response efforts. Serving as the primary interface between the GPEI global structure and the regions working to respond to polio outbreaks outside of endemic countries, UNICEF, as the co-chair of the ORPG, holds a central position in coordinating and supporting these response activities. The organization, as a key partner in the GPEI, contributes to country- and region-led initiatives to prepare for potential outbreaks. A core accountability for the ORPG is to provide comprehensive reports on outbreak finance management, covering outbreak budget approvals, allocations, and utilization for both the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

How can you make a difference?

In its dual role as the chair of the ORPG and a key partner in the GPEI, the Polio Eradication Programme of UNICEF is currently seeking to recruit a reporting consultant. This consultant will collaborate with HQ, Regional, and Country Offices to assist in developing and maintaining a monthly outbreak response finance report conducted in close coordination with key GPEI partners, aiming to ensure the timely availability of the report for informed decision-making. The recruited consultant will work remotely under the supervision and guidance of the Programme Officer for Polio Outbreak Response (OBR).

Key tasks and responsibilities include the following:

Scope of Work: Under the supervision of the Programme Officer in OBR, the consultant is responsible for:

1. Finalization of monthly global polio outbreaks response and preparedness finance report format and design: In coordination with UNICEF and WHO teams, review the data inputs for both agencies, objectives of the report, and users to design and finalize a formatted report in relevant format (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, and PowerBI, etc.). The report should include

1. The total OB budget ceiling, allocations, expenditure, encumbrances/commitments, and balances at country, region, and global level disaggregated by country and implementing agency (UNICEF, WHO)
2. A 4–6-month Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) schedule that notes vaccine type and campaign delays/postponements/cancelations.
3. Explanation for delays or underspending in Surge and SIA budgets.
4. Surge human resource positions approved, filled, and vacant.

2. Finalization of monthly global polio outbreaks response and preparedness group finance report timelines, coordination, and work plan: In close coordination with ORPG Finance Team:

1. Set a reporting schedule to collect, collate, analyze, and report to relevant groups.
2. Set up a coordination mechanism to ensure timely collection, analysis, and distribution of the report, maintain a list of contacts and systems providing report data, such as ORPG SIA calendar (Regional Outbreak Response Group (RORG) and Incident Management Support Team (IMST)), SIA and surge approval, allocation, and implementation status (ORPG finance team, Finance Management Group (FMG), and RORG/IMST), GPEI quarterly outbreak financial report (FMG)
3. Participation in biweekly finance team meetings.

3. Finalization of the global Outbreak Response and Preparedness FMG report: In close coordination with the ORPG finance team, FMG, and other relevant groups:

1. Develop and maintain a monthly outbreak response finance and activity report that includes information on the GPEI-approved budget for outbreaks, allocations, and current utilization status per the set timeline.
2. Identify areas of concern or underspend in the report and summarize them in a PowerPoint or agreed format for OPRG leadership.
3. Compile and share the report within the decided timelines with relevant groups.
4. Ensure the report facilitates timely decision-making and presents a consistent narrative on outbreak implementation across all levels in an agreed format.
5. Address summary or data report/analysis requests from the ORPG or FMG.
6. Maintain a repository of the background documents, data, and analysis for the report on ORPG SharePoint

4. Review and Improvement Process: In consultation with ORPG and other relevant groups, after three months of reporting, assess the effectiveness of the reporting. Including solicit feedback from users on the report's usefulness and ways to enhance it, synthesize feedback and make suggestions for improvements, document and update the report template based on the review process.

Outline of the project

Outlined below are the key phases involved:

1. Acquainting oneself with and obtaining access to relevant datasets.
2. Manually completing the report template while exploring opportunities for template optimization.
3. Assessing possibilities for automation and streamlining of processes.
4. Initiating steps toward automation, recognizing the complexity due to data originating from diverse platforms.
5. Facilitating the transition of functions to designated staff post-automation.

Expected Deliverables / Outputs for the consultancy are listed below (kindly reflect each deliverable with your fee in your fee proposal):

Work Assignment Overview Deliverables/Outputs 1Identify, gain access to and familiarity with all the relevant data sources. Review, optimize and populate template to produce draft first report.Draft pilot ORPG Monthly Finance Report2Develop coordination mechanism, timelines, contact lists and workplan for putting together ORPG Monthly Finance ReportWorkplan with workflow diagrammed outlining coordination mechanism3Finalize first pilot ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual process)Final pilot ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual) + Workplan4Explore feasibility of automating data consolidation and streamlining coordinationSecond draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual) + Update on automation and streamlining5Implement initial automation steps for data consolidation and streamlining coordinationThird draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual + auto) + Update on automation and streamlining6Conduct a comprehensive mid-term review of the report design (including feasibility of automation), timelines, coordination mechanism and utilityMid-term Review report7Continue implementing initial automation steps for data consolidation and streamlining coordinationFourth draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual + auto) + Update on automation and streamlining8Implement any recommendations from Mid-term Review report, continue automation for data consolidation and streamlining coordinationFifth draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual + auto) + Update on recommendations implemented9Continue implementing further automation steps for data consolidation Sixth draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (manual + auto) + Update on automation10Continue implementing further automation steps for data consolidationSeventh draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (auto) + Update on automation11Continue implementing further automation steps for data consolidationEighth draft ORPG Monthly Finance Report (auto) + Update on automation12Continue implementing further automation steps for data consolidationFinalized ORPG Monthly Finance Report +final update on automation13Conduct a comprehensive review of the report design, timelines, coordination mechanism and utilityFinal Review report + Handover Notes (3-5 pages) To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• A first university degree in Business Administration, Data Sciences, Project Management and Other relevant fields
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant professional work experience in project management, data science and data visualizing ideally in a public health context
• Proven ability to manage projects in complex partnership environments.
• Experience and/or training in data analysis, data visualization, ideally bridging programmatic and finance spheres.
• Proven ability to work to deadline.
• Proven experience working in a multi-cultural setting.
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in French is considered a vital asset. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, 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.

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.