National Nutrition Information Systems Consultant (NOB level), Kampala, Uganda, 11 Months (Ugandan Nationals Only)

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Application deadline 3 years ago: Monday 22 Feb 2021 at 20:55 UTC

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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, a fair chance

Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

Visit this link for more information on Uganda Country Office https://www.unicef.org/uganda/

How can you make a difference?

In 2012, the World Health Assembly approved a Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework (GNMF) that includes six global nutrition targets to be achieved by 2025. The nutrition priorities in the GNMF are also embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) specifically the SDG2 that states “By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-update-coronavirus/n, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons”.

Timely and quality data with adequate level of disaggregation are essential to guide country programmes to allocate resources and to monitor progress in nutrition programming. Many countries including Uganda have committed to implement the 20 indicators included in the GNMF to track nutrition targets and to monitor nutrition interventions. The MoH in Uganda has integrated nutrition data elements and indicators into the Health Management Information System/District Health Information System II (HMIS/DHIS2). However, critical gaps in quality, collection and use at national level as well as sub national levels to report on the GNMF indicators and to also inform policy formulation remain glaring.

Under the UNICEF’s framework to health systems strengthening, improving data and information systems and supporting improvements to the HMIS has been an area of focus. The availability of timely and reliable nutrition and health information supports the development of nutrition and health-related policies, strategies, plans and budgets at national level and improves decentralized capacity for management. Furthermore, this provides the necessary information for evidence-based prioritization, resource allocation and monitoring and evaluation. Data availability at health facilities and districts levels enhances local decision-making, targeted service delivery and improvements to interventions. A UNICEF nutrition review of DHIS2 and routine reporting systems in 21 countries, including Uganda, reported a lack of standard definitions for nutrition indicators, data quality issues and recommended standardization and appropriate customization of indicators in the DHIS2[1]. In addition, this review also recommended improved data visualization such as the use of dashboards to maximize use. The aim of a DHIS2 dashboard is to visualize at a glance current performance of selected key indicators in the DHIS2. Although in January 2020, the Ministry of Health finalized and rolled out a revised HMIS/DHIS2, a number of recommendations from this report, still need to be addressed. For example, there are no nutrition dashboards that would show current nutrition program status and support actions and decision making, suggesting that use of the data collected in the DHIS2 is not optimal. In addition, the capacity of MOH Nutrition staff at the national, regional, district and health facility levels in using DHIS2 remains suboptimal and yet is important to ensure that maximum use can be made of the routine HMIS and the rich information it can provide.

With funding from the European Commission, UNICEF and WHO, in April 2020, launched a joint programme aimed at improving national nutrition information systems under the Ministry of Health (MoH). Expected outcomes from this four-year support to the MoH include a revised national nutrition monitoring framework; web and paper-based nutrition data training modules; enhanced human resource for nutrition for data collection, analysis, interpretation and use; availability of quality and timely nutrition data and improved dissemination of nutrition information. Since the rollout of this support to the MoH, a number of strides have been made, including the implementation of national level inception meeting that included all stakeholders, establishment of a steering committee and the development and approval of workplans for the first two years of the project.

UNICEF is seeking to hire a national consultant to provide technical support to the MoH to strengthen the availability, quality and use of nutrition data in HMIS/DHIS2. The consultancy is being funded by the EU funded WHO-UNICEF Joint Program in support of the Ministry of Health of Uganda.

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT AND SCOPE OF WORK:

In collaboration with WHO, provide technical assistance to the MoH Divisions of Nutrition and Health Information:

  1. Review and refine the national nutrition monitoring framework and work plan, including the review and finalization of a list of standardized nutrition indicators from the GNMF with definitions, numerators and denominators clearly stated that can be easily adopted by nutrition stakeholders and customized into the DHIS2.
  2. Advise on adopting the standard set of nutrition indicators within the national health information system
  3. Participate in relevant technical working groups and engagement in national data review processes, e.g. thematic data review meetings, data cleaning exercises etc.
  4. Ensure standardized nutrition dashboards are available and in use at the national, regional and district levels.
  5. Support capacity building to the MoH, Regional and district nutrition personnel around Nutrition Information Systems including the use of the HMIS/DHIS2; quality assurance / quality control of data and use of data for program improvements among others.
  6. Provide technical assistance to the MoH and stakeholders in development of resource material including manuals, standard operating procedures, data quality assessment tools etc. as resource guides for the roll out of the HMIS/DHIS2. This will include development, stakeholder review, validation and roll out.
  7. Provide technical assistance to the MoH with development of nutrition quarterly bulletins and advocacy briefs on key nutrition indicators in districts with humanitarian context, national level and develop and recommend action points to inform improvement.
  8. Support the MoH Divisions of Health Information and Nutrition to implement monthly nutrition meetings for data in the thematic technical working group.
  9. Support mentorships and on job coaching on the nutrition data in UNICEF focus districts and provide the MoH and District Local governments with actions for improvement

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

The selected Consultant should have:

Education:

  • Bachelor’s in nutrition and/or Food Sciences, Biostatistics or Epidemiology.
  • A masters dedree in any of the mentioned fields is an added advantage.

Work experience:

  • At least two years or more of experience working with DHSI2 and HMIS.
  • Understanding of the current revisions of the national HMIS for nutrition.
  • Proven knowledge and use of the national HMIS/DHIS2 system is a MUST.
  • Supported MoH in the review of the existing national DHSI2 and Nutrition information Systems is a MUST.
  • Experience in coordination and implementing training of health workers in nutrition, and onsite mentorships and support supervisions
  • Proven experience in collecting, analysing and preparing nutrition programme status reports, including policy briefs and or bulletins.
  • Proven skill and ability in developing nutrition dashboards using DHIS2.
  • Understanding of the 2020 DHIS2 nutrition program revisions and implications for the NIS project implementation.
  • Relevant experience in health/nutrition program/project development and management with UNICEF in a similar role is desirable.
  • Knowledge of NIS joint programme and the previous exposure to the NIS work is desirable.
  • Fluency in written and verbal English.

Competencies:

Core Values

  • Commitment
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Integrity

Core competencies

  • Communication
  • Working with people
  • Drive for results

Functional Competencies:

  • Planning and organizing
  • Formulating Strategies and Concepts
  • Analysing
  • Relating and networking
  • Deciding and Initiating action
  • Applying technical expertise

Application Procedure/Call for Proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit a technical proposal on how they intend to approach the work. The proposal should include a timeline, and methodology, based on the Terms of Reference. The proposal must also include detailed CV of the consultant, as well as a financial proposal, clearly indicating daily rate for professional fees. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive of all costs (consultancy fees and where applicable air fares, airport transfers, daily living expenses). This is an international level consultancy and competitive market rates should apply.

Evaluation of Candidate:

The consultant will be competitively selected from a list of applicants based on their past experience of doing similar work (extensive experience in writing donor reports, in compiling and editing annual reports for various UNICEF offices).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Added 3 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org