Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (Public Health)/ Health Programs

Contract

This is a ICS-10 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Civil Service. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about ICS-10 contracts.

Background Information - Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

Project Information: As part of its partnership with different health organizations, UNOPS may be called upon to provide management, implementation and monitoring services for health programmes, including immunisation programmes across Asia, Africa, as well as Europe and Central Asia. As part of such roles, UNOPS will require a pool of technical leads to be drawn upon and deployed across these regions to undergo a broad scope of work and act as an extension of its partners’ country teams. Teams to be deployed will typically consist of Public Health and M&E, Finance and Supply Chain Specialists as well as a Senior Project Manager reporting to the relevant UNOPS Country or Multi-country Office Director.

Local Context: The need for and scope of work will vary depending on each country situation, as will the timeframe. Work will be conducted in countries where UNOPS’ in-country capacity complements its partners’ needs. The work shall predominantly be performed in-country, liaising closely with the agreed domestic institutions and stakeholders. Duty stations may include both family or non-family duty stations, and travel to regional locations may be required depending on country context and any national and/or international travel restrictions in place related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Senior Project Manager, the M&E Specialist (Public Health) plays a key role on the Program Management Team, with a broad range of responsibilities related to the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and programmatic components of health services. The M&E Specialist (Public Health) ensures that health programs achieve the established goals and objectives. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Lead expertise on programmatic monitoring and public health
2. Program evaluation, data collection and reporting

Please note that specific functions may vary from one duty station to the other.

1. Lead expertise on programmatic monitoring and public health - Lead on all Public Health and M&E activities within the services provided to the partner, in one or more countries as required - Serve as the technical reference point for all Public Health and M&E matters of the service provided to partners - Analyze information from various sources and advise the Senior Project Manager on all Public Health and M&E issues, including on quality of services, relevance of interventions and programmatic performance - Verify the efficient implementation of health programs and compliance with partners’ requirements, technical guidelines and UNOPS’ policies and guidelines - Liaise with technical partners and national authorities to verify service quality, identify implementation challenges and raise these through the appropriate channels - Assess the effectiveness of the health programs including through verification of the: i) appropriateness of monitoring and surveillance systems; ii) equitable uptake and coverage of the program, in particular among risk groups; iii) appropriateness of remedial measures to address implementation bottlenecks, such as population hesitancy to access health services, misinformation, etc. - Develop appropriate procedures to optimize programmatic performance and ensure compliance with the risks & country mitigation plans (communications plans, community advocacy and engagement plans) - Assess any funding gaps affecting the availability and delivery of health products, and in collaboration with the Senior Project Manager, engage with relevant stakeholders to fill the gap.

2. Program evaluation, data collection and reporting

• Design and monitor the implementation of epidemiologic studies, including on-site visits of health facilities, data collection, interviews with patients, health-care providers
• Ensure the necessary records and documentation are in place for use in surveys, safety monitoring, disease surveillance, and effectiveness studies
• Ensure that appropriate monitoring of individuals accessing the health services is in place, allowing to track defaulters and reduce the incidence of dropouts
• Develop a framework to measure performance; design, manage and evaluate study protocols and health status questionnaires, sample selection and analysis thereof
• Work with national programmes and stakeholders to collect reports and supporting documents
• Conduct periodic risk assessments, joint monitoring visits to verify data, remedy data quality issues, and verify reported progress and achievements
• Perform data verification through site visits informed by data gaps, previous monitoring visits and available risk assessments
• Document and track findings of monitoring visits into UNOPS’ electronic monitoring system
• Monitor procedures and reporting of irregularities, consent forms, whistleblowing, etc.
• Report any compliance issues, including irregularities to the Senior Project Manager and relevant stakeholders

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization. Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education: - Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), in public health or related fields is required.

• 2 additional years of relevant work experience, in combination with a relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent, may substitute for the requirement of a master’s degree.

Experience

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience working in Monitoring and Evaluation of public health programs is required.

Desired Experience:

• Strong knowledge of immunisation programmes and roll out is desirable.

Language requirements - Fluency in English is required. - Working knowledge of specific local country language, if applicable, is desired.

Contract type, level and duration

Type of Contract: Roster selection process, whose main objective is to prequalify candidates for different projects in different countries. Candidates who have a successful selection process will be on the roster for a period of 36 months and may be contacted as needed by the projects.

The contracting modality will be defined according to the needs of the projects and specific assignments. Here are the contracting modalities that can be used:

Contract for retention of services (retainer): in this type of contract an estimated number of days to work during the period is established. The supervisor will call the contractor to work only the days that are necessary and will be paid only for the days actually worked. By Product (Lumpsum): This type of contract indicates that a defined product or products must be delivered within a specific time frame. Payment for these services will be made as a full payment, upon completion and delivery of the product (s) and with the acceptance and approval of the product (s) by UNOPS.

Regular / Monthly Contract: This contract is established in the form of a regular monthly Contract, that is, a continuous provision of services is required during the contract period, making the payments associated with the contract at the end of each calendar month.

Homebased contract: in this type of contract, the contractor will work mainly from her place of residence, and she will only be required to travel to the place where the project is developed occasionally. The type of contract will be indicated at the time of sending the formal offer to the selected candidates.

Destination: Multiple Duty Stations across the globe.

For more details about the Individual Contractor Agreement modality, please visit the following link.

Additional Considerations

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.