International consultant- To conduct a cold chain assessment and generate up to date data for CCEOP application- Mogadishu, Somalia, 47 days working days with travel across the country

Consultant Medical & Health Programme & Policy

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, Hope

Somalia is emerging from a long period of conflict that greatly weakened the health system. Over the past decade, the

Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with health partners has embarked on a process of health system

rehabilitation with the goal of ensuring access to essential health services for all. The goal is to put the country onto a

path towards achievement of equity in health service delivery, and to lay the foundation for progress towards Universal

Health Coverage (UHC) 2030.

Over the last decade, Somalia has registered an improvement in health indicators, though, though much work remains

to be done. For example, the UN Inter-agency Group for Mortality estimates indicates that the under-five mortality rate

has steadily declined from 157.47 per 1,000 livebirths in 2010 to 134.47 per 1,000 livebirths in 2015 to 111.78 per

livebirths in 20211. Similarly, the infant mortality rate has gradually declined from 96.28 per 1,000 livebirths in 2010, to

83.74 per 1,000 livebirths in 2015 to 71.13 per 1,000 livebirths in 20212. Despite these improvements, it is worthy to

note that the infant and under-5 mortality rates in Somalia remain the highest in the region, thus underlining the

magnitude of work that needs to be done, if Somalia is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing

the under-five mortality to 25 per 1000 live births by 2030.

Over the past years, childhood immunisation programs have substantially contributed to the reduction of vaccine

preventable diseases (VPD) and child morbidity and mortality rates. One of the ways in ensuring immunization

effectiveness is sustaining the potency of vaccines used at every level from point of entry into the country to the point

of administration. This can only be achieved using appropriate storage cold chain equipment at both static points and

during transportation to sustain its potency. Lots of investment is going into vaccine procurement and overtime huge

investment have been in improving the cold chain infrastructure particularly in the last 2 years. Despite the investment,

lots off gap remain across all levels of the supply chain for cold chain storage for both routine immunization and other

SIAs.

One of the key interventions for improving the cold chain infrastructure is the GAVI Cold Chain Optimization Platform

(CCEOP) under which eligible countries can apply for upgrade and rehabilitation of its cold chain infrastructure through

an application and other documentation based on the CCEOP guidelines. One of the most important information that

formed the basis for request under the CCEOP is an up-to-date cold chain inventory information using the appropriate

gap analysis tool from WHO. The country presently does not have updated inventory and would need to put one in place

for the CCEOP application that is due in June 2023.

How can you make a difference?

Specifically, the consultant will:

1. Develop a reporting template for data collation to be customized using the ODK

2. Identify number of personnel for data collection, training on the use of ODK for data collection and reporting

including other information required from the cold chain inventory.

3. Develop a timeline for training (cascaded or otherwise), data collection and submission to be concluded

within 15 days

4. Customize and collate all cold chain data accurately into the cold chain gap inventory and gap analysis tool

and ensure data cleaning.

5. Use the cold chain inventory and gap analysis tool to identify gaps at all levels of the immunization supply

chain to be filled through the CCEOP application.

6. Write a comprehensive cold chain report indicating challenges and gap for each level of the supply chain

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Estimated Timeline (days)

Develop training/data collection plan with timelines, identify number of assessors required for data collection, review cold chain inventory and gap analysis too and customized to country need including the planned NVI in coming years.

Share training/data collection plan including customized CCI tool

4

Work with government to identify staff for data collection and training including venues for training. Complete customization of the ODK for data collection.

List of staff for data collection and training schedule available. ODK ready to use for

assessment

5

Conduct physical workshop and field trip for hands- on experience on data collection. Develop deployment plan of all assessors to the field

Workshop attendant list and deployment plan

5

Monitor data collection from field through ODK download and send feedback to assessors to correct

data as may be necessary. Complete data collation and data cleaning

Daily briefing report and data collated sharing

10

Final data collection using the CCI tool indication gaps at all levels. Final report on Cold chain assessment with UNICEF.

Finalized and updated CCI tools and cold chain inventory report.

15

Address comments from UNICEF in both CCI tools and final report.

Finalized tool and report.

8

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

• A first degree in Engineering, Logistics, any area of Public Health, Economics, IT or Social Sciences. An advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) would be an advantage.
• A good understanding of immunization supply chain structure and usage of cold chain inventory tool for assessment.
• At least 5 years previous relevant and proven experience in the EPI programme particularly on cold chain or vaccine security (Essential).
• Excellent interviewing and facilitation skills, particularly via remote methods about gender considerations and cultural sensitivities (Essential)
• Ability to produce technically sound, well-written assessment report with all essential elements included (Essential)
• Experience with working in the Somalia context or other fragile contexts (Advantageous)
• Prior experience with UN and other international organizations and exposure to UNICEF’s work (Advantageous)
• Competencies: Drive to achieve results for impact, works collaboratively with others, thinks and acts strategically,
• innovates and embraces change (Essential)
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) and a local language is an asset.

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:

Kindly provide financial proposal along with your application.

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.

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Added 11 months ago - Updated 11 months ago - Source: unicef.org