Individual Contractor : Programme Coordinator UN Joint Programme - Health Systems Strengthening (Open to Malawian Nationals Only)

Contract

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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...

Despite recent gains, Malawi’s health outcomes remain challenging. Health care resources in Malawi are unfairly and inefficiently focused on tertiary level facilities and services. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can only be realistically achieved through a lower cost Essential Health Package (EHP) that emphasizes primary and preventive care, alongside improving quality and strengthening health systems. The UNJP HSS (UN Join Programme on Health Systems Strengthening) funded by FCDO (United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office) aims to improve the health and survival of the most vulnerable in Malawi. The programme will place emphasis on i) reaching the poorest and most vulnerable with cost effective primary and community-based services; ii) improving quality of care to ensure better life-saving outcomes and increased demand; and iii) establishing more effective district governance and accountability for service delivery and outcomes to make better use of available resources.

The programme represents a significant shift from largely input-driven health financing at national level, to focus tightly on strengthening quality and coverage of UHC and delivering better health outcomes at the sub-national level through decentralized administration.

The programme will:

• increase provision and uptake of quality, cost effective life-saving primary healthcare (PHC) services;
• improve equitable resourcing, and district management of services; and

• strengthen Government accountability and citizens’ participation in delivery of health services in districts.

  United Nations Joint Programme

A Joint United Nations (UN) proposal on health systems strengthening (HSS) has been developed by UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA and coordinated by the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO). This was in response to dialogue with FCDO and the Government of Malawi (GoM). The Joint Programme will provide technical support to ensure quality integrated Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Health (RMNCH) services being available and accessible at primary care and community levels, leading to high coverage of such services which is a key condition for women, children and adolescents to attain a state of good health by 2025.

The United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) will identify and build upon the complementarities of the three agencies, bring together the added value of each of the partners to address the multifaceted areas of HSS, PHC and achieving UHC - all important contributions towards sustainable development goals in Malawi.

The UNJP HSS programme will be working alongside GoM in formulation of health policies for delivery of RMNCH services and systems strengthening, directly implementing and effectively managing:

• Downstream partners for health workforce skills enhancement
• Community health workers (CHW) coordination and skills building
• Integration of health services
• Improving quality of healthcare services
• Effective work with communities on accountability initiatives
• Emergency preparedness and response interventions with flexibility to adjust priorities in responding to health shocks as they arise.

How can you make a difference?

Provide technical support to the UN Joint Programme at the sub-national level

• Oversee the identification, selection and capacity building of district HSS (Health Systems Strengthening) coordinators and MNH (Maternal & Newborn Health) coordinators in consultation with the District Health Management Teams (DHMT)
• Technical support to HSS Co-coordinators in UNJP districts to orient districts on the programme and conduct a landscape analysis
• Support the development and implementation of harmonized district level planning systems and processes
• Liaise with MoH Planning Department to support districts in the finalization of their annual workplan and budget, guided by UNJP budget ceilings and in alignment with national DIP (district implementation plans) guidelines.
• Facilitate district leadership in partner harmonization with their District Implementation Plan
• Build district leadership capacity for resource mobilization through better partner engagement and coordination at the district and national level
• Technical support to the districts, through the HSS Coordinators, in DIP implementation and evaluation which includes performance reviews, district coaching and mentoring and supportive supervision.

• Periodically assess district progress in implementing their DIP and support district in taking corrective measures to get their DIP on-track.

• Develop and maintain strong and supportive relations with senior staff in the MOH and Districts and other government departments as appropriate, particularly MOLGRD (Ministry of Local Govt & Rural Development), as well as with other colleagues and stakeholders

• Support the decentralization agenda by means of strengthening the interface between the Ministry of Health and District, through the Satellite Offices, and the MOLGRD

• Liaise with MoH and facilitate monthly and quarterly supervision and technical review meetings at district and Satellite offices as appropriate.

• Identify opportunities to strengthen accountability at district and health facility level, through the sensitization and training of DHMT (District Health Management Teams), capacity building of HCMC (Health Centre Management Committees)

****Support UNJP team in programme coordination****

• Develop operational guidelines and SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) for the district in consultation with UNJP team

• Act as the link between the district level and central level UNJP Team to ensure coordinated programme implementation

• Support the UNJP team in ensuring that project stakeholders are fully appraised of programme objectives, activities and progress

• Contribute to the UNJP-HSS Quarterly Report to FCDO, synthesizing inputs from the District HSS Coordinators.
• Contribute to programme communications activities
• Other reasonable duties requested by UNJP team

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

Academic qualification:

• Master Degree in Health Management, Development Planning or other relevant degree is required

Work experience:

• At least 8 years of work experience in development planning at district level is required
• Sound programme management experience is essential
• Experience of coordinating with other donor funded technical assistance health programmes is essential
• Over 8 years’ experience in providing technical assistance including long term technical assistance to Government is desirable

Technical skills and knowledge:

• Demonstrable knowledge of government health systems and systems reform in Africa is required
• Demonstrable knowledge of good practices in capacity building and delivery of technical assistance is essential
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills is required
• Excellent Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills is needed
• Demonstrable knowledge of international health development issues including Paris Declaration, IHP, pooled funding mechanisms etc. is desirable

• Demonstrable knowledge about Malawi’s current health policy and plans is desirable

  Competencies:

• Ability to multi-task and cover multiple work streams simultaneously

• Self starter; self-reliant with excellent organization, coordination & planning skills
• Naturally committed and hard-working, with ability to work under pressure

Languages:

• Excellent spoken and written English and report writing skills

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference ToR UNJP HSS Progg Co-ordinator.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

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.

HOW TO APPLY...

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment
3. Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, travel, living cost, visa and other costs) Financial Proposal for Consultancy.xlsx Complete the attached form.
4. References details

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.