Evaluation Team Leader Consultant of the “Real-Time Assessment of UNICEF’s support to the COVID-19 vaccine roll out and immunization programme strengthening in the Latin America and the Cari

Consultant Monitoring & Evaluation Programme & Policy

Contract

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For every child, hope

Utilizing COVID-19 vaccine roll out to strengthen health systems in LAC: Equitable and fair access to vaccines is an essential contribution to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, while routine immunization programmes are key to prevent outbreaks of other diseases.

Through the COVAX Facility – a joint initiative by Gavi, WHO, CEPI and UNICEF, – UNICEF works with manufacturers and partners on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as freight, logistics and storage. While the PAHO Revolving Fund leads vaccine procurement for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), UNICEF supports vaccine roll out through a large spectrum of activities, ranging from cold and supply chain strengthening, logistics, digital health and innovation to risk communication and community engagement. UNICEF’s specific actions vary from country to country, depending on government needs, UNICEF in-country capacity, and the presence and role of other actors. As of mid-September 2021, all countries in the region have introduced COVID-19 vaccines. However, large across and in-country disparities and inequities exist regarding availability and access to the- 19 vaccines. While some countries in LAC have already vaccinated more than 72% of their population and have expanded services to children, others have not even covered 0.1% of their population.

i. Containment measures and fear of infection have limited access to and use of health services during the pandemic, including primary health care and preventative services like immunization, antenatal check-ups, and growth monitoring.

ii This has had and continues to have immediate and long-term impacts on maternal and child health and wellbeing. Already prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, health indicators of children, adolescents and women in the region showed large inequities, related to unequal access to and quality of services.

iii Immunization coverage in LAC was already declining. In 2019, 2 out of 10.3 million children under one year of age were not fully vaccinated with DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) and the regional DTP3 coverage was 81%.iv DTP3 coverage has further dropped to 77% in 2020.v A total of 1.4 million children had not received any DTP vaccine dose (“zero dose children”).

COVID-19 vaccine delivery is a potential entry point and opportunity to improve overall health outcomes, considering intermediary planning objectives on quality, equity, efficiency, accountability, sustainability, and resilience. vi Through an approach of health systems strengthening (HSS), immunization outcomes specially for underserved populations can be enhanced, and missed opportunities be maximized through Primary Health Care (PHC) platforms. At the same time, there is a risk that COVID-19 vaccinations compete with routine immunization, by absorbing scarce human and supply resources.

Against this backdrop, UNICEF aims to make sure that routine immunization is not jeopardized by COVID-19 vaccination and that instead, UNICEF can capitalize on the COVID-19 vaccine roll out to support countries in making investments for the future by strengthening health systems, with emphasis on primary health care and immunization programmes. It is envisaged that COVID-19 vaccines will be mainstreamed into government immunization systems.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of the RTA is to inform a forward-looking reflection on the implementation of the national and regional office response to COVID-19 vaccine introduction. It will include an assessment of both the Regional Office’s and COs’ comparative advantage in the roll out of COVID-19 vaccination, and how this has been leveraged to strengthen routine immunization services and primary health care in LAC, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. Also, the RTA will assess the effectiveness, coherence, and equity of the LACRO and CO support to the roll out of COVID-19 vaccinations.

The RTA aims to assess the quality of the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination in the region, while also providing early insights on the outcomes achieved. Findings will be consolidated across countries and at the regional level, with a view to identify trends and generate cross-country learning and timely actions to strengthen the ongoing response.

With improved response implementation as its main purpose, the real-time assessment will contribute to annual reporting as well as the 2021 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal (HAC) on the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT-A). The findings from the assessment will contribute to the ongoing support to the roll out of COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition, it will provide medium- and longer-term recommendations to strategically position UNICEF in routine immunization and the health sector.

As the assessment is forward looking, its evidence-based findings and recommendations will inform UNICEF’s LACRO and COs crisis response 2021 and 2022 strategic and operational priorities, and strengthen its partnerships with governments and other both in fast-changing contexts as well as towards the establishment of a more sustainable response to the Covid-19 vaccine roll out.

Specific Tasks:

The RTA team leader is expected to lead and contribute to the following tasks:

• Develop a realistic work plan for the RTA.
• Execute the RTA to respond to the questions stipulated in the terms of reference (or subsequent revisions of the RTA questions);
• Generate RTA products and deliverables as shown in the table below, and in accordance with contractual requirements.
• Provide written responses to comments from the reference group, and update report; accordingly, and,
• Provide regular updates to the RTA Managers.

For detail on the tasks see also in the attached ToR Updated RTA COVID-19 vaccine roll out in LAC - final_Revised.pdf , the following sections:

• Expected users (2.4)
• Special considerations (2.3)
• RTA scope (3)
• Indicative RTA questions (2.3)
• Approach and methods (4)
• Limitations and challenges (4.3)
• Management and government arrangements (4.6)

The evaluation will be conducted by (at least) a 3-person team including 2 international consultants (one team leader, one sectoral subject matter expert) and at least 1 national consultant (desirable one national consultant for each country of field visit).

Expected Results:

The objective of the RTA is to inform a forward-looking reflection on the following three issues:

1. The current implementation of UNICEF LACRO and CO’s support to the COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
2. Achievements in the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines.
3. The repositioning of UNICEF in overall immunization programme strengthening.
4. UNICEF to adjust routine immunization in the future identifying concrete strategic, programmatic and advocacy actions.

The objective of the RTA is to inform a forward-looking reflection on the following three issues:

1. The current implementation of UNICEF LACRO and CO’s support to the COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
2. Achievements in the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines.
3. The repositioning of UNICEF in overall immunization programme strengthening.
4. UNICEF to adjust routine immunization in the future identifying concrete strategic, programmatic and advocacy actions.

To do so, the RTA will assess the quality of the planning, coordination, and delivery of action across different technical areas (health, comms, C4D, supply, T4D etc.), while also providing early insights on the outcomes achieved. In this context, the RTA will:

• Assess the quality of delivery across different aspects (health, comms, C4D, supply, T4D etc.), while also providing early insights on the outcomes achieved.

• Assess whether and how COVID-19 vaccine roll out has improved internal CO structures and processes.

• Assess the appropriateness of institutional priorities developed at country and regional levels and the articulation with the strategies developed at country level.

• Retrospectively assess results and identify emerging good practices of its response at the country and regional level.

• Identify country office and regional level successful strategies and lessons learned as well as review the relevance, effectiveness, coherence, and quality of the support provided by the RO and COs, and

• Appraise partnerships, coordination mechanisms, strategies as well as response modalities which enable UNICEF to better respond and support the transition from humanitarian response towards a more long-term response (the nexus).

Deliverables:

The RTA is expected to produce the following:

• Brief Inception Report (including draft timeline summarizing key events and response) (maximum 15 to 20 pages excluding Annexes) • Short interim RTA country reports (to be submitted prior to the consolidated report)

• Concise and fully edited RTA Report both at country offices and regional synthesis in English (maximum 20.000 words excluding Annexes), including detailed timeline summarizing events and response

• The Executive Summary should be translated in English and Spanish

• Oral briefings/PPT/workshop for different audiences at different points in time of the RTA cycle, containing preliminary findings and emerging conclusions/recommendations.

RTA Deliverables, Team Leader working days and payments

Task/Deliverable

Team leader working days

Timeline

Payments upon validation and approval of deliverables

Inception report validated and approved

20

December-January 2022

Inception report validated and approved 30% Payment

First draft and final country office RTA reports

30

February-June 2022

Final country office RTA reports validated and approved 30% Payment

First draft and regional RTA synthesis report validated and approved

20

June-August 2022

Final regional RTA synthesis report validated and approved 40% Payment

Total

70 days

Tentative timeline for the RTA, by deliverable

Deliverable

Indicative Timeline

1. Inception report including methodology and approach for

the assessment

January 2021

2. Draft country reports (one per country)

February-April 2022

3. CO workshops to validate emerging findings and

Recommendations

May-June 2022

4. Validation workshops at the RO and CO level

June 2022

5. Draft regional synthesis report (regional synthesis),

including strategic recommendations

June-July 2022

6. Final synthesis report

August 2022

7. Webinar on key findings and recommendations for all UNICEF offices in LAC /NYHQ

August 2022

All deliverables are to be submitted by August 2022.

Total Level of effort Expected: 70 working days

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

• Education : Advanced university degree in evaluation, social sciences, or other related fields. (Master)
• Work Experience:
  • At least ten years or more of relevant professional work experience:
  • Extensive similar experience, preferably with a UN agency
  • Experience or familiarity in conducting evaluations or similar assessments in health, epidemiology, public health emergencies, health system strengthening, or social research with an emphasis on mixed methods data collection and analysis.
  • Experience or familiarity in health, epidemiology, public health emergencies, health system strengthening, or social research with an emphasis on mixed methods data collection and analysis.
  • Familiarity with immunization programmes and health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Knowledge or familiarity of latest methods and approaches in humanitarian evaluation/RTAs, especially participatory methods and accountability to affected populations.
  • Experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis and synthesis.
  • Experience working with governments, NGOs, UN agencies or other relevant development partners.
  • Experience in conducting and managing multi-disciplinary evaluations, including evaluating rapid onset emergencies for UNICEF, other UN agencies or other international partners at the global, regional, or country levels.
  • Experience managing a team
  • Experience with the ethics of evidence generation; experience collecting data from vulnerable groups; familiarity with ethical safeguards.
• Languages: Fluency in English and Spanish is a pre-requisite; knowledge of French or Portuguese is an asset.
• Technical Knowledge:
  • Highly qualified professional technical knowledge/expertise in evaluation and/or RTA, including data management and qualitative analytical information:
  • Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods
  • Knowledge of latest methods and approaches in evaluation and/or RTA, especially participatory methods, and accountability to affected populations, and RTEs
  • Familiarity with UNICEF’s work, including the Core Commitments to Children preferred
  • Health, epidemiology, public health emergencies, health system strengthening, or social research.
• Other skills:
  • Flexibility and adaptability to shifting conditions and work demands.
  • Capacity to communicate effectively and work collaboratively
  • High level of Integrity and commitment to UNICEF’s mission and professional values.
  • Analytical and conceptual ability, negotiating, communication and advocacy skills.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically, works collaboratively with others and nurtures, and, leads and manages people.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Administrative details:

Supervision: The Consultant will work under work under the direct supervision of the Regional Evaluation Adviser and in close collaboration with the Multi Country Evaluation Specialist. }

Workplace: Home-based. Travel will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.

• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.

• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.

• UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)

• For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

How to Apply? Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter, University Diploma and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit monthly fees in their financial proposal.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed 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.

Duration of contract: Estimated start date of this consultancy is third week of December 2021 for a period of 8 months.

Vacancy Announcement Remarks:

Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted. UNICEF reserves the right to make additional assessment of the pre-selected candidates, if needed 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and 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.

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Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org