TA Health Specialist P3, Sokoto, Nigeria

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 74,649 USD and 97,747 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with government, civil society, children and families. UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

How can you make a difference?

The Health Specialist reports to the Chief of Field Office for guidance and general supervision. The Health Specialist will lead the health portfolio of the UNICEF Sokoto Field Office, working closely with State Ministry of Health (SMoH) , State Primary Health Care development Agency (SPHCDA) and partners for effective coordination and implementation of the Primary Health Care (PHC) PHC MoU Health System Strengthening work plans in three States (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara), and will lead the design, implementation and oversight of other key health interventions as per UNICEF workplan, including improving maternal, adolescent and child health outcomes, prepare and respond to public health emergencies, and reducing the number zero-dose children.

The Health Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), organizational Strategic Plans and goals, standards of performance, and accountability framework.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1.Support to programme development and planning

• Lead the health team in strategic program design, evidence generation, partnership coordination and representation of the health program in the State.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning of health programmes, with a focus on strategies to strengthen the health system and PHC, and address health inequities, including gender disparities
• Formulate, design and prepare a sector of the health programme proposal, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, the Country Programme, as well as coherence/integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies, and national priorities, plans and competencies.
• Provide support to the State Government in developing its annual work plan and getting it approved by State Government Leadership
• Ensure close coordination with Social Behavior Change (SBC) colleagues for effective demand generation and social mobilization including increasing uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, and in general routine immunization
• Provide technical assistance to the development of good quality State and LGA annual equity-focused operational plans and their review
• Support and advocate for the design of equity-informed strategies and interventions targeting reduction number of under and un-immunized children and communities, including through leveraging on supportive supervision, micro-planning, RI-SMS and Post-SIA monitoring and campaign data
• Work closely with relevant colleagues, UN partners and State Government in developing and management of the Delivery as One annual work plan in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States.
• Coordinate with colleagues, relevant partners, and the State Government in developing and implementing the Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for any disease outbreak and the humanitarian crisis.

2.Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector in health programmes.

• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.

• Ensure quarterly fund allocations based on utilization and compliance with achievement of programmatic and accountability framework goals for the implementation of the State's PHC MOU HSS operational plans as per the agreed counterpart funding arrangement

• Ensure timely implementation of the Nigeria Country Office priorities (health section) as well as Sokoto Field Office priorities, including strengthening the health system with a focus on PHC and affordable access to health services (including cash-transfers and health insurance); responding to public health emergencies including circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) ; reducing the number of zero-dose children; increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage; strengthening cold chain and vaccine logistics management; and improving maternal and child health outcomes by strengthening community structures. A gender -transformative approach and human-rights based approaches must underpin all health interventions.

• Ensure the monitoring framework of key results is regularly updated and key deliverables are achieved

• Hands on experience to generate and utilize both primary and secondary data in lieu time to inform program improvement design or redesign.

3.Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices and approaches on health-related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation and delivery of results.

• Lead technically the health team in Sokoto Field Office to design, coordinate, implement and monitor health interventions, with a focus on increasing access and utilization of responsive health services, including strengthening service delivery, reduce barriers to access (financial, socio-cultural), and collaborating with other UNICEF sections in Sokoto filed office to maximize opportunities to improve maternal, adolescent and child health outcomes (i.e., nutrition, Social Behavior Change)

• Participate in discussions with State partners and stakeholders to promote health and development issues, especially in the areas of gender, equity, emergency preparedness, maternal and neonatal health, immunization and child survival and development

• Support the documentation, reporting and sharing of innovations, success stories and programme activities related to health including emergency response in the assigned State
• Support integration of COVID-19 vaccination with RI services and Non-Polio SIAs subject to national policy decision
• Participate in emergency preparedness and response initiatives for programme development, contingency planning and/or to respond to emergencies in states

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector and non-health sector (i.e., Sate Ministry of Planning and Budget, State Health Insurance Authority) government counterparts, national stakeholders, as well as global partners, allies, donors, and academia. Through active networking, advocacy and effective communication, build capacity and exchange knowledge and expertise to facilitate the achievement of programme goals on child rights, social justice and equity.

• Prepare communication and information materials for FO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes (maternal, neonatal and child survival and development).

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders, and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.

• Keep abreast and conduct research to provide evidence for implementation of best and cutting-edge practices in health.

• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to promote sustainable results on health-related programmes/projects.

• Support the documentation, reporting and sharing of innovations, success stories and programme activities related to health including emergency response in the assigned State

To view the full job description, please refer to the attached…

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

• An Advanced University Degree in public health/nutrition, paediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, epidemiology or other health related science. An advanced university degree in a social sciences field or other field related to the work of UNICEF.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in public health/nutrition planning and management and/or in relevant areas of maternal and neonatal health care, Primary Health Care and health system strengthening, health emergency/humanitarian preparedness, at the international level.
• Relevant experience in health/nutrition program/project development and management in any UN system agency or organization is an asset
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset

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.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.