National Individual Contractor - Strengthening Coordination for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment, Sierra Leone, 11.5 months

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 click on the YouTube video link for information about UNICEF SLCO : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnC-Cn793U

How can you make a difference?

Purpose and objectives:

The purpose of this consultancy is to rapidly scale up COVID-19 vaccine deployment, while sustaining routine immunization service delivery in Sierra Leone. The objective is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the national EPI programme to effectively plan, implement, monitor and manage COVID-19 vaccine deployment through coordinated demand-side and supply-side interventions and close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders including donors and other partners.

Methodology and Technical Approach

The consultant will be embedded/based in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS)’s Child Health/EPI programme, serving as surge capacity. S/he will work closely with the national EPI programme manager as well as UNICEF EPI team which provides technical assistance to the national EPI programme. The consultant will further liaise with other MoHS departments such as health education division (HED), national COVID-19 emergency response centre (NaCOVERC) including its Public Information, Risk Communication and Social Mobilization (PIRCSM) Pillar, other partners and donors such as Gavi, World Bank, WHO, USAID and French Government.

Specific Tasks of the Consultant

Under the overall supervision of the UNICEF Immunization Specialist and direct guidance of the National EPI Manager, the national consultant will work closely with the EPI team and in-country partners at different levels to help scale up COVID-19 vaccine deployment while sustaining routine immunization service delivery in Sierra Leone.

• Provide ongoing support to the EPI manager related to strategic efforts towards harmonization, integration, when feasible, and ensure complementarities across the multiple COVID-19 vaccine deployment efforts supported by multiple partners.
• Work closely with the National EPI team to further extend relationships with donors and other strategic partners.
• Facilitate the functioning of Inter-agency Coordination Committee, Sierra Leone NITAG, Technical Advisory Group, and other structures currently in place for oversight and coordination of immunization and COVID-19 vaccine deployment activities.
• Support the EPI office to plan and coordinate key priorities and deliverables among the strategic programme partners.
• Support the national EPI programme and other teams where necessary in the development of appropriate workplans and budgets for donor funded activities for COVID-19 vaccine deployment.
• Support the national EPI Office to enhance implementation and effective follow up of programme activities and ensure relevant action points are followed up. Provide critical technical support as may be required on all interventions related to COVID-19 vaccine deployment.
• Support the development and implementation of the long-term capacity building strategy for the national EPI programme. In addition, mentoring and on the job trainings of relevant team members.
• Strengthening cross communication and collaboration among partners.
• Support MOHS/ EPI to ensure knowledge management, ensuring availability of systems and data bases to support the programme.
• Ensure all the financial and programmatic reporting requirements for donors are timely met and with sufficient quality.
• Lead resource mobilisation for COVID-19 vaccine deployment, including through coordinating the in-country partners’ technical inputs to the develop funding proposals / applications to the donors such as Gavi.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by national EPI programme manager and UNICEF EPI specialist.

Please see attached ToR for more information ToR-Consultancy to Strengthen EPI Cordination.pdf

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

• University degree is required in Public Health or related field
• 2 years’ experience in EPI Programme management with field work in immunization, cold chain, supply chain management or other related areas related to primary health care.
• Outstanding coordination capacity with proven track record in interfacing with Ministry of Health and other partners.
• Excellent communication skills with good command of English language, both oral and written, including report writing skills.
• Experience in grant management is a plus.
• Very good analytical capacities - excellent ability to synthesize information and relate action to results.
• Ability to work independently to meet deadlines
• Previous experience in working with UN agencies or other Non-governmental organisations is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively work and communicate in a multicultural environment
• Fluency in English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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:

• Application to include financial proposal that will detail your daily/monthly rate (in SLL) to undertake the terms of reference.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

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.