International Consultant (Digital Health), Freetown, Sierra Leone, 245 working days (Onsite) - Open only to non-Sierra Leoneans

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

Please access UNICEF Sierra Leone information here and here

How can you make a difference?

Background:

Digital technologies and improved data capacity are important catalysts for accelerating achievement of the 2030 SDG3 targets. Actionable and relevant data is the foundation to monitor progress toward the 2030 SDGs, while harmonized digital systems optimize the health system to deliver 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 to facilitate 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. 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 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 have achieved some level of digitalization of health system functions, some struggle with the implementation of several pilots which often are not designed for scale, using systems architecture that lack interoperability, sometimes using non-validated solutions, 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 various tools and software solutions (often targeting the same health workers), failure to feed data into health management information systems (HMIS) or to address the system problems or Ministry of Health needs.

Specific Tasks of the Consultant

Under the overall guidance of the Senior M&E Specialist of the MoHS Directorate of Policy, Planning and Information and the Research and Publication Specialist (DPPI) and direct supervision of the UNICEF Health Specialist (System Strengthening), the contractor will perform the following tasks:

• A review of existing EMR applications, and update of current EMR guideline
• Update the existing Health Information Strategy
• Provide technical support for the implementation of DIPC Digital Health Project particularly in capacity building on Digital Health Core Competencies.
• Support full implementation of e-SMT scale up.
• Support Digital Health Coordination Unit at DPPI, MOHS to become fully operational by coordinating the implementation of the Digital Health Roadmap 2023-2025.
• Implement & update a georeferenced CHW master list hosted in a registry, and support e-CHIS initiative

Please access the full job description here VA ToR - Intl Consultant (Digital Health).pdf

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

Required Knowledge/Expertise/Skill

• 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.

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, NIS 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
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of local language (Krio) is an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

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. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.