Individual Contractor - Oxygen Systems Consultant (Country Support & Scale Up), Copenhagen - 200 days - Full Time - Remote with International Travel

This opening expired 1 year ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Open positions at UNICEF
Logo of UNICEF
DK Home-based; Copenhagen (Denmark)

Application deadline 1 year ago: Thursday 9 Jun 2022 at 21:55 UTC

Open application form

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

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: COVID-19 has exposed a massive oxygen gap that has existed for many years in low- and middle-income countries. This gap among others includes limited oxygen infrastructure/production capacity, hospitals ill-equipped for oxygen provision and the lack of trained human resources (both biomedical staff to install and maintain oxygen equipment and clinicians to provide safe oxygen therapy for COVID-19 and non-COVID patients).

Before the onset of COVID-19, UNICEF had in the past few years been investing towards improving oxygen access in LMICs. Some of these investments included updating oxygen device specifications with WHO, providing a suite of oxygen therapy equipment through the UNICEF supply catalogue and developing tools and guidance to support countries in their planning, forecasting, and costing of oxygen needs. Other investments included improving the quality of maternal, newborn and child health programming by improving access to and safe use of oxygen as part of integrated service delivery at hospital and Primary Health Care level.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has supplied over 23,000 oxygen concentrators and related accessories and consumables, as well as hypoxemia measurement devices to 94 countries across the world. UNICEF country offices have supported the local oxygen response in multiple ways through needs assessment, local procurement and installation of PSA plants or liquid oxygen tanks, procurement of oxygen cylinders, service contracts with suppliers, capacity building and other efforts aimed at strengthening country oxygen systems through sustainable solutions for long-term impact beyond COVID-19 to improve child health outcomes.

In the last two and half years, COVID-19 has put additional extensive pressure on existing medical oxygen supply chains that saw an exponential increase in demand for therapeutic oxygen and related supplies. In response, UNICEF developed a strategic framework to guide programmes aimed at preventing and overcoming the acute oxygen crisis in countries while ensuring long term sustainability and impact.

In order to adequately respond to the urgent needs for therapeutic oxygen in countries, UNICEF embarked on a programme of work to strengthen the medical oxygen ecosystem by (1) providing a financing facility for procurement of new medical oxygen sources i.e. oxygen plants, concentrators, liquid medical oxygen (2) Creating a centralized procurement service (3) providing technical support and tools to aid countries with forecasting oxygen needs, site readiness, installation and maintenance. Furthermore, UNICEF created Plant -in-a- Box, a bundled oxygen solution aimed for rapid deployment to countries with limited oxygen production capacity or those faced with a sudden surge in demand for oxygen due to rising COVID-19 cases. UNICEF secured PSA Plants (Plant-in-a Box) through long term procurement agreements with leading manufacturers, and these were made available to countries for ordering through UNICEF’s procurement services. In addition, UNICEF also secured LTAs for Liquid Medical Oxygen and Biomedical Engineering Services.

UNICEF now wants to accelerate the implementation of Plant in-a Box and the broader oxygen ecosystem in countries and is looking for a consultant to support this initiative through provision of technical support and guidance to countries. This support will range from site preparation, installation, and commissioning of PSA plants to solutions that will ensure the ultimate delivery of oxygen to patients. This support will be coordinated through the UNICEF global oxygen team, housed at Programme Division in New York and Supply Division in Copenhagen.

Scope of Work: Countries have large and diverse technical assistance requirements to expand and strengthen oxygen systems. The key task of the consultant is to support UNICEF accelerate the strengthening of oxygen systems in countries, particularly the implementation of Plant-in-a-Box and the general oxygen ecosystem leveraging existing networks/workstreams and the already established long term arrangements (LTAs) with suppliers for provision of equipment and other services (including engineering services). The consultant will also be responsible for providing/coordinating technical support across all UNICEF regions which will include the following.

• Planning support to countries to better understand and quantify oxygen needs for a single facility or all facilities in a district, region, country using the UNICEF oxygen planning tool, supporting the decision-making process around optimal oxygen source solutions (https://www.unicef.org/innovation/documents/oxygen-system-planning-tool)

• Proposal development support, including oxygen proposals to local and international partners/donors, other oxygen funding opportunities or country budgeting exercises

• Implementation support for oxygen systems including supply chain, installation/maintenance, and capacity building of biomedical staff

• Tracking country oxygen needs for both procurement and technical assistance to inform fundraising, allocation, and prioritization

• Developing costing models for different oxygen therapy solutions in the primary health care context for budgeting, funding proposals, advocacy

• Developing simple tools and guidance for UNICEF country offices to build internal capacity in oxygen systems

• Contributing to global/national oxygen supply chain strategies, guidance, and tools to facilitate equitable access to oxygen therapy and associated devices

• Developing country case studies on successful oxygen scale up initiatives for advocacy, communication and fundraising

Work Assignment Overview

Deliverables/Outputs: Countries aware of Global Oxygen LTAs available for call down Tasks/Milestone: • Dissemination of available LTAs across all oxygen related services/solutions (LMO/Plants/Engineering Services/Training/Capacity building)

Deliverables/Outputs: Countries aware and understand LTA Call down process Tasks/Milestone: • Defined and disseminated process for calling down LTAs across all oxygen related solutions

Deliverables/Outputs: Support/develop global or national supply chain strategies, guidance, tools and policies that contributes to equitable oxygen access. Tasks/Milestone: • Strategies, guidance, tools and policies developed and shared

Deliverables/Outputs: Country support for local procurement Tasks/Milestone: • Input to terms of reference/solicitation documents for local procurement/LTA call down for civil/biomedical engineering services, construction, training, and capacity building provided

Deliverables/Outputs: Administer all incoming oxygen support requests by UNICEF country offices, including logging and assigning respondents from the global oxygen team Country request log Tasks/Milestone: • Regularly updated log with incoming requests

Deliverables/Outputs: Provide technical support to at least five country offices for proposal development, planning and implementation of oxygen systems, including supply chains and programmatic use of oxygen Updated tracker monitoring support Tasks/Milestone: • Final summary for each country

Deliverables/Outputs: Monitor and document country progress on oxygen services Tasks/Milestone: Updated PiB Country Status tracker • Summary per country

Deliverables/Outputs: Develop at least three country case studies Tasks/Milestone: • Country case studies

Deliverables/Outputs: Provide additional ad hoc, needs-based support to the global oxygen team Tasks/Milestone: • Monthly progress report

The activity deadlines and further specification on individual activities will be specified and agreed after contracted.

Payments will follow the approval of key deliverables itemized above and according to the following estimation of workdays. 1. Monthly basis 2. Payment will be aligned to deliverables as agreed when contracted. 3. All deliverables to be approved prior to payment.

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

  • Academic: University degree in engineering (Biomedical/Electrical/Chemical/Mechanical/Civil), medicine, medical science, logistics, public health, business administration or related discipline. Advanced degree (Masters) preferred. Professional Experience: • Experience with in-country maternal, neonatal and child health (including oxygen) systems • Experience with in-country health systems services technical assistance, including for oxygen • Understanding of different capacity building models including engaging in-country service providers and private sector • Familiarity and experience of working with UNICEF and LMICs is considered an asset Other Skills and Qualifications: • High level of academic technical writing expertise • High level of analytical skills and attention to detail • Knowledge of MS Office Suite • Knowledge of the environment in which UNICEF operates (i.e., global health sector) • Excellent communicator of verbal and written concepts to an international audience • Able to quickly understand instructions, to proactively seek clarification when needed • Able to work well in a team environment UNICEF core values The consultant has to follow UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability Functional Competencies: • Able to work independently and problem solving oriented • Able to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships • Demonstrated communication and relationship building skills • Proven capacity to work with collaborative teams across different locations and with different technical skills

    • Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

Language Requirements: • Fluency in English is essential. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

F****or 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 09 June. 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.

Successful applicants will be evaluated by the following criteria:

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (max. 75 points) Overall Response (25 points) Understanding of tasks, objectives and completeness and coherence of response Overall match between the TOR requirements and proposal Technical Capacity (50 points) Relevance of consultant’s experience with similar projects and as per required qualifications References FINANCIAL PROPOSAL (max. 25 points) Daily rate Relocation expenses Total estimated cost of contract (proposed contract fee only) FINANCIAL PROPOSAL - Weight Combined Score TOTAL SCORE (max. 100 points)

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:

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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org