Consultant - Norms and standards monitoring and evaluation

Purpose of consultancy

To provide technical guidance to the Product Design and Impact Unit of the Quality of Norms and Standards Department (SCI/QNS) with regard to monitoring and implementation of Norms and Standards Products (NSPs) in order to successfully deliver a set of priority activities related to monitoring and evaluation of NSP uptake and impact monitoring that require completion by the end of the biennium.

Background

The Product Design and Impact (PDI) Unit of the QNS sits within the Science Division (https://www.who.int/our-work/science-division/quality-assurance-norms-and-standards). The overall mission of the Science Division, established in 2019, is to harness the power of science and innovation in a systematic way, by ensuring the excellence, relevance, and efficiency of WHO’s core technical functions, including NSP and research. Within the Science Division, the specific purpose of QNS is to provide support to Technical Departments in close consultation with Regional Offices, by ensuring norms and standards are produced to a consistently high standard, in a timely way, driven by what Member States need, and designed and delivered to have a real impact on the health of people. QNS has a central coordinating role of WHO’s organization-wide effort to assure quality of the Organization’s normative and standard-setting products (NSPs) as well as monitoring their uptake and contributing to organization-wide efforts to evaluate their impact at country level. QNS aims to ensure that guidance and recommendations from NSPs that WHO’s technical programmes develop are indeed delivering health impact at country level. One of the key mechanisms that contribute to achieving these objectives is actively monitoring and reporting on key performance indicators related to NSP access, uptake and influence. Within the QNS, the Product Design & Impact (PDI) Unit is specifically dedicated to:

• Supporting Technical Departments, in consultation with regions, for setting outreach, uptake and impact targets of their NSPs via the impact monitoring plan developed in collaboration with Technical teams
• Monitoring the process efficiency (data collection & analysis using pre-defined KPIs) and propose continuous improvement plans
• Providing support to technical departments, in consultation with regions, to develop NSPs to optimize the clarity and relevance of WHO content
• Designing content & format templates, and ensuring multilingual production through publishing partners
• Supporting technical departments by helping them develop the most fit for purpose digitized products to support the dissemination of their core NSP.

As the PDI Unit is getting established, there is an identified need to develop and implement key activities that have been prioritized to better enable technical units and regions to monitor NSP implementation. This work is of moderate complexity and requires a consultant with specialist skills, experience and technical expertise. Under the guidance of the Unit Head, technical work is required for the coordination and implementation of four priority activities for the current biennium. The consultant is expected to provide technical expertise in implementation science and monitoring, and evaluation.

Deliverables

1. Lead the establishment of guideline monitoring and evaluation working group within the QNS community of Practice

• Coordinate the development of a workplan
• Develop agendas and meeting materials for biweekly meetings
• Manage the organization of the meeting and required communication and follow up
• Track action items and deliverables agreed during meetings in accordance with the agreed project work plan

2. Coordinate the development of the first guideline and NSP impact monitoring report

• Develop a workplan for the project
• Prepare background documents, agendas and meeting materials for the report planning and follow up meetings
• Prepare first draft of the report with input from technical departments and regions
• Follow up with editors to track comments and feedback from reviewers for timely delivery of the report
• Prepare final report

3. Develop a registry of surveillance systems or other progress tracking systems relevant for providing evidence on uptake and outcome of guideline and NSP implementation

• Develop search strategy with input from Technical Departments and Regional Offices.
• Conduct search and finalize final list after input from with technical departments.
• Develop draft list of variables to build into the database
• Develop presentations for dissemination

4. Prepare required documentation on monitoring and evaluation for internal working groups (Quality support panel (QSP), 2022-2023 WHO public health good and Technical product (WPHG/TP) development process, Result Output Scorecard, QNS Living guideline working group) on matters related to NSP implementation and monitoring and evaluation.)

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications

Advanced university degree in public health, epidemiology, implementation science, or any related field relevant to guideline implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

Experience

Essential:

• At least 7 years of experience in program design, performance monitoring, reporting and evaluation methods
• At least 5 years of experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
• Experience in setting-up and/or coordinating Monitoring and Evaluations systems

Desirable:

• Working experience with WHO or other UN agency in public health-related areas, with implementation of guidelines and other NSPs.
• Experience managing complex research infrastructure projects in public health, including prioritization, coordination, and documentation of tasks involving multiple contributors
• Experience managing and liaising with diverse stakeholders
• International working experience in more than one country

Skills/Knowledge

• Demonstrated understanding of M&E best practices, principles, and tools
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite programs, in particular TEAMS and SharePoint
• Capacity to work both independently and as a member of a team

Languages and level required

Expert knowledge of English.

Location

Off site Home-based (any location)

The consultant needs to have adequate working environment and IT equipment for teleworking, familiarity with online meetings platforms (MS Teams, zoom) and access to high speed internet connection, availability during office hours (9:00-17:00) in Geneva, Switzerland and flexibility to participate in occasional meetings held under other time zones.

Travel (If travel is involved, a medical certificate of fitness for work will be required.)

Consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs excluded)

Remuneration: Payband level B (USD 7000 – 9.980)

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

Not applicable

Work schedule (if applicable) / Duration of contract:

Start date: 08/15/2021 End date: 12/15/2021

Additional Information section:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html