National Consultancy - Individual Consultancy to support Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Oxygen systems (Sri Lankan nationals only)

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.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

National individual contractor, providing professional technical support to priority activities essential to improve the oxygen systems in the country

How can you make a difference?

Goal and Objective: Under the supervision of the Child Survival and Development Manager, the consultant will support priority activities essential to conduct a rapid assessment of the oxygen system in Maternal and Newborn Units in the country, oxygen wastage and the training needs to provide oxygen efficiently in patient management, with the objective of developing a solid plan for improvement of oxygen systems

Activities and Tasks:

• Plan, and develop a methodology to conduct a needs assessment on oxygen needs of maternal and newborn units and smaller hospitals providing maternal and neonatal care across the country, training needs of staff for oxygen support and on causes leading to oxygen wastage in health institutions
• Conduct the needs assessment on oxygen needs of maternal and newborn units and smaller hospitals providing maternal and newborn care, training needs of staff and oxygen wastage in hospitals in collaboration with a research team identified for the purpose
• Develop the report on the gaps in oxygen supply in maternal and newborn units in the country, gaps in training needs related to oxygen and the causes leading to oxygen wastage in the health institutions with suggestions to address solutions
• Based on the findings of the report, develop a national plan to address the gaps in oxygen system strengthen the oxygen supply to maternal and neonatal units, to improve the training on oxygen to the relevant staff and to minimize oxygen wastage in the system
• Based on the training needs identified among each category of staff mainly responsible for oxygen supply and usage in a hospital, adopt a training package for capacity building on oxygen supply and usage in consultation with the Oxygen experts in the UNICEF ROSA office
• Develop a training plan for the country
• Facilitate the training of trainers programme as per the plan
• Work closely with the UNICEF’s supply and the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the timely installation of the oxygen plants provided to the MoH through UNICEF
• Collaborate with MoH officials and UNICEF supply section in completing the background work (construction of the plan house etc) prior to installation of the oxygen plants.
• Monitor UNICEF inputs, and timeliness of supply and non-supply assistance related to oxygen to MOH in strengthening oxygen system.
• In collaboration with the supply team, record and update on oxygen plant, distribution, and utilization.
• Continue to work closely with UNICEF Communication and Communication for Development sections on inputs required in communication related to support for oxygen system strengthening.
• Prepare reports and documents required for discussions with in-country partners and UNICEF Regional Office
• Undertake field visits to districts and sub-districts for monitoring activities.
• Other related tasks in the project

Work relationships:

Based within the UNICEF Sri Lanka CSD section, the consultant will report to the CSD Manager and will work closely with the Health and Nutrition Officer, and CSD Programme Associate. The consultant is also expected to work in collaboration with UNICEF’s Supply team who support all procurement-related work and Communication team as per the requirement. The consultant will also work in coordination with the County Office relevant programme sections, health/oxygen experts in other Country Offices, ROSA, HQ and external partners with relation to oxygen strengthening where relevant.

Outputs/Deliverables:

• Work plan to be submitted on the first working day of every month during the contract period;
• Monthly Report on the implementation of the Work plan to be submitted on the last UNICEF working day of each month during the contract period, accompanied by deliverables produced during the month.

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

• Advanced degree/Masters preferred in Public Health OR relevant sector in health or biomedical engineering or mechanical engineering
• Background/familiarity with Emergency would be an added advantage

Work Experience:

• At least five (05) years of experience with in-country medical device management or public health that include assessment, planning and execution, installations, and maintenance
• Hands on experience in oxygen systems (planning, procurement, implementation) is strongly desired, and broader public health experience will be considered
• Experience in Maternal Neonatal and Child Health programming is an asset
• Demonstrated experience with in-country health systems technical assistance, including for oxygen systems, ideally including low- and middle-income settings, understanding of different capacity building models including engaging in-country service providers and private sector

Competencies:

• Computer literacy, MS Office Suite required
• Familiarity with, or willingness to learn and use, the UNICEF Oxygen Systems Planning Tool and be oriented on other UNICEF oxygen resources and tools
• Proven ability to analyze data and write reports that are of high quality

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to liaise with a wide variety of audiences, good attention to detail

• Able to quickly understand instructions, to proactively seek clarification when needed

• Able to work well in a team environment
• 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

Language Proficiency:

Fluency in English (written and oral) is required, along with fluency in either Sinhala (written and oral), or Tamil (written and oral).

How to apply:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a resume and other relevant documents

Please complete your profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system. https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html

Please indicate your ability, availability and fee/rate (in LKR) to undertake the terms of reference above. (Indicate an all-inclusive fee (including lump sum travel, IT accessories, Internet and subsistence costs, as applicable) to undertake the tasks in the Terms of reference. Office 365 license will be provided by UNICEF, as applicable)

Applications submitted without a fee/rate will not be considered

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.

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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).

If you think this position might be for you, please take the time to review our Country Office Mutual Agreements before you apply.

If you believe you can team member that can uphold these everyday, then we look forward to receiving and reviewing your application.