Digital Health Strategy Consultant, P-3, Monrovia, Liberia, Health/Programme, remotely/onsite

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 123,320 USD and 161,478 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 is a priority!

Background:

Digital technologies and improved data capacity are important catalysts for accelerating achievement of the 2030 SDG3 targets. Actionable and relevant data are the foundation to monitor progress toward SDG 2030, while harmonized digital systems optimize the health system to deliver in a coordinated manner, quality, coverage, and equity of health services. Digital systems can catalyze a necessary transformation in the health system - addressing ongoing data gaps and persistent health system challenges; facilitating a more resilient, person-centered, and responsive health system.

Digital innovations at community and primary health facility level can be useful for strengthening the linkages with, and use of, formal health services, while also supporting the institutionalization and strengthening of the community health system as a whole. The term "digital health”, which includes both mHealth and eHealth, describes the general use of information and communication technologies (digital, mobile and wireless) to support the achievement of health objectives. Some successful examples include stock management tracking, electronic decision support tools for health workers, health worker communication and performance feedback, targeted messages and service delivery to clients, citizen-based reporting for increased accountability, and data storage, aggregation, and visualization do drive action/response.

While most countries now have some level of digitalization of their health system functions, countries struggle with the implementation of a large number of pilots which often are not designed for scale, using systems architecture that lacks interoperability, sometimes using non-validated solutions and solutions that are not designed with the users in mind, and which often do not have a sustainable financial or technical support model to allow for scale-up. This has resulted in highly fragmented and uncoordinated implementation of small scale pilots with many types of tools and software solutions (often targeting the same health workers), not feeding data into health management information systems (HMIS) and not addressing the system problems or Ministry of Health needs.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Assignment:

This role will focus heavily on providing support to Liberia in the following:

1. Stakeholder engagement and mapping of existing digital health technologies in Liberia.
2. Integration of agreed standard community indicators and community-data captured from community electronic registers into DHIS2.
3. Planning and developing roadmaps to establish Community Health Workforce Georeferenced Registry Master List.
4. Planning and developing roadmaps for the interoperability of LMIS with DHIS2.
5. Technical support to Ministry of Health for the operationalization of the Digital Health Strategy for primary health care and community health.

This will include engaging with the UNICEF country offices, WHO staff, MOH staff, and other in-country stakeholders in assessing current deployments and partnerships, the status of the “foundational eHealth building blocks”, the health system bottlenecks, opportunities where digital health solutions could support and strengthen the delivery of quality care at community level, planning for implementation of a digitally enabled PHC strategy based on solid eHealth building blocks. The outputs and deliverables of this consultancy is intended to support the future costing and creation of an investment case for scale-up of the digital health implementation plans.

Beyond the tasks identified above, the role will also support in:

1. Providing technical support and advice in the selection and implementation of standard CHIS indicators, digital health public goods like iHRIS, DHIS2, OpenSRP, Commcare, and related training needs
2. Documentation and dissemination of the processes and lessons learned to develop the digital health models and implementation plans in the future
3. Formulate and conduct capacity building strategies and activities to drive continuous policy and programme improvements through transfer of skills, trainings, and webinars.

It will require an ability to understand complex, abstract concepts, and ability to think creatively about best fitting technology for each country and create the end product investment case. It will take an understanding of currently available technology and trends to develop effective solutions for the Health sector, especially at community or primary health care level. It also requires an extensive background and presence in the mHealth/eHealth communities.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries must develop and deploy strategic action plans, which can benefit explicitly from digital health and digital engagement solutions. The consultant will also be asked to support country offices to ensure that existing digital health solutions, where appropriate, are leveraged in a way that is consistent with UNICEF’s guidance, such as the digital health and digital engagement guidance for COVID-19 preparedness and response, to improve future emergency preparedness and response.

Basic Objectives of Consultancy:

Deliverables and Activities:

This project will focus on two main phases of activities which will be further outlined in consultation with the COs, Ministry of Health and partners:

Deliverable 1: Stakeholder Engagement and Digital Health Landscape Analyses and Assessments:

The digital health ecosystem in Liberia is dynamic, with partners actively supporting the design and deployment of digital health solutions. Work is already ongoing on the harmonization of indicators for the community health information system. However, several digital products and solutions in support of community and facility-based programmes are deployed, at various levels of scale (pilot, implementation-phase, ready-for-scale), and scope (district or county). The Ministry of Health has signalled its intent to conduct an assessment of the existing solutions in order to harmonize tools used for data collection, validation, and processing activities. The consultant is also expected to give recommendations on how UNICEF should position itself in the digital health ecosystem in Liberia – to clearly articulate the gaps and have clearer way forward as part of the analysis (improve efficiencies, increase interoperability).

Activities:

• Stakeholder engagement (with existing technical working groups on Community-Based Information Systems and Digital Health TWG chaired by MOH and together with other partners)
• Analyse governance structures and identify each partner’s comparative advantages, roles, and responsibilities
• Drafting and validation of assessments:
  • Mapping of existing technologies, challenges, supporting partners an implementers, and overall digital health ecosystem
  • Functionality and/or bottleneck analysis of Digital Health TWG and other technical platforms
  • Community Health Information System (CHIS) Assessment
  • Recommendations to strengthen community health information system
• Note: Active support must be given to Ministry of Health for other similar-natured assessments

Deliverable 2: Integration of Community-data from Community Electronic Registers into DHIS2:

The Consultant is expected to actively coordinate the integration of the community-data collected via electronic registers currently piloted in Grand Gedeh County into DHIS2, as part of the Child Friendly Communities with Real Time Monitoring approach. S/he is expected to work closely with the DHIS2 focal points in the MOH, HISP West Africa, developers (Ona), and UNICEF team in Liberia CO and Regional Office.

Activities:

• Review of requirements required for interoperability of digitalized community data from electronic register (powered by OpenSRP) to existing district-level HMIS (DHIS2)
• Collaborate with UNICEF team on the harmonization of the standardized community indicators and of community-level module instance in DHIS2
• Troubleshooting and close follow-up, with active support in resolving technical issues encountered by end users, including communication with developers, regional office, HQ, and other stakeholders
• Data validation and analysis, ensuring proper calculation methods are used to link community-level data to DHIS2 (facility-based data and aggregation to district-level)
• Produce data-for-action visualization tools (e.g. scorecards, dashboards, bottleneck analysis briefing notes, etc) to facilitate data use at community level, building on existing products (e.g. FARA scorecards).
• Development of supplementary training manuals and troubleshooting guide to assist country officials in the resolution of technical problems

Deliverable 3: Design and Elaboration of Community Health Workforce Georeferenced Registry/Master List

It is critical to have the right number of community health workers that are qualified, skilled, and distributed equitably, are available for quality health service provision at all levels. Achieving this requires accurate and timely community health workforce information. The consultant is tasked to support the Ministry in the design and elaboration of a Community Health Workforce Georeferenced Registry/Master List, in alignment with national strategies for strengthening the HRH towards achieving universal health coverage, the Institutionalization of Community Health Workers Roadmap, and the deployed iHRIS

Activities:

• Review of existing national HRH policies and guidelines, reports of previous efforts that were done
• Assess the current state of the of the national HRH and CHW master list
• Stakeholder engagement on how to develop a scalable and sustainable georeferenced CHW registry and masterlist
• Review required architecture for the registry, ensuring alignment with other health information systems (DHIS2), iHRIS, and alignment with principles for digital development (open-sourced, human-centered, sustainable, etc.)
• Support Ministry to develop a standardized data set and guidance documents for the CHW registry including a standard operating procedure to ensure that a holistic process is adopted in data collection, management and use nationally.
• Support Ministry on the identification of HRH registry governance functions and ensure that they are integrated into the health information system governance structures.
• Develop and begin implementation of a roadmap for the development and launch of CHW Registry

Deliverable 4: Roadmap Development for Integration and Interoperability of LMIS to DHIS2:

In Liberia, like many countries, health program data and medical stock data are captured in different systems. DHIS2 has been used by the Ministry of Health since 2016 as their Health Management Information System (HMIS), their main data collection and aggregation tool and national repository for health data. Meanwhile, Open LMIS is used as an electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS) for collecting and managing data on medical stocks down to the facility level. The LMIS also does not capture commodities made available, stocked up, and distributed at community level. The two systems do not share data with each other, making it more difficult to combine data from both sources for effective health program management and evidence-based decision support.

Activities:

• Stakeholder engagement from both the health and logistics teams (including Pharmacy units)
• Develop roadmap for integration and interoperability, detailing key phases specified during the scoping, requirements gathering, and design phases of the project. Support and Details are provided below:

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

Qualifications:

Education:

• At least 7 years of professional experience. Proven experience in the mHealth field – especially on the deployment of information systems and mHealth solutions, such as decision support and client communication tools. Significant experience in providing technical assistance and thought leadership surrounding the design and implementation of digital health for system strengthening. Significant experience with project management and proven ability to translate complex ideas from various areas into unified, clear guidance is a must. Advanced degree in a relevant field or equivalent related practical experience.

Additional Experience and Knowledge:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working in, designing, or deploying digital health solutions in/for low-resource settings
• Extensive experience working with the mHealth/eHealth community
• Knowledge and experience in community health/primary health care programmes is essential
• Experience designing and supporting digital health projects with Government (esp. Ministries of Health)
• Knowledge and experience with DHIS2, OpenMRS, iHRIS, OpenHIE, MoTECH, CommCare, OpenSRP, etc
• Familiarity with open-source technology
• Experience with processing large amount of information and synthesizing it
• Ability to work in a team and in a diverse work environment.
• Knowledge of United Nations – particularly UNICEF – processes and work streams is an asset
• Relevant work experience in Liberia, both nationally and sub-nationally (County or District level) or similar low resource setting

Language skills required: Fluency in English (knowledge and proficiency in French is an asset but not required).

Working Arrangement:

• The international Consultant will be hired by UNICEF Liberia with funding support from UNICEF HQ and World Bank. Based in Monrovia, Liberia with field visits, the Consultant will work in close collaboration with the UNICEF country teams, Ministry of Health and key stakeholders engaged in digital health. Some of the assignment may be conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and deliverables may be targeted to digital health activities related to the COVID-19 preparedness and response. The incumbent will be based in the Health Section in UNICEF in Liberia, under the direct supervision of the Health Specialist (Team Lead, and will have a dotted line manager in UNICEF NYHQ (Digital Health lead).

General Terms and Conditions of the Contract:

• Under the consultancy agreements, payment is deliverable based as defined in the ToR
• All remuneration must be within the contract agreement.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or Contractor.
• For international consultants outside the duty station, signed contracts must be sent by fax or email.
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
• Mention is it as per the General Terms and Conditions of the Contract.
• Mention “Grace Period” for submission of deliverables, after which payment will not be processed.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

The UNICEF competencies required for this consultancy are:

1. Builds and maintains partnerships
2. Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
3. Drive to achieve results for impact
4. Innovates and embraces change
5. Manages ambiguity and complexity
6. Thanks and acts strategically
7. Nurtures, leads and manages people
8. Works collaboratively with others

To view our competency framework, please visit 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 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. 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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).

For every child, a future!