Consultant, Assessment of Service Delivery Channels for the Introduction and Roll-out of New Malaria Preventative Chemotherapies (Mozambique)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

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IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

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Project context

Despite significant efforts to scale up malaria interventions, progress in combating the disease is stagnating, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden is highest. This slowdown is driven by a convergence of factors, including biological threats such as insecticide and drug resistance, as well as non-biological challenges like conflict, insecurity, and inadequate funding, all of which undermine the effectiveness of malaria intervention programs.

Nonetheless, malaria chemoprevention remains a critical tool for prevention. Key strategies include preventive treatment for pregnant women, malaria vaccines, seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC). Reinforcing these efforts, 28 countries across the WHO African Region have expressed interest in introducing novel malaria vaccines, while PMC, endorsed by WHO in June 2022^[1], is currently being piloted in several countries.

Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in developing new malaria prevention and treatment molecules, including monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and long acting injectables (LAI), which will add new tools to the toolbox for malaria control and elimination. These molecules help reduce morbidity and mortality by preventing blood-stage infections, lowering parasite density and thus have the potential to reduce community-level malaria transmission.

Project overview

The purpose of the project is to identify the most effective service delivery channels for the roll-out of monoclonal antibodies and long acting injectables for malaria prevention. With a specific focus on the feasibility of community-level delivery and the roles of community level structures and stakeholders for successful introduction, the project will use a variety of methods to generate a granular understanding of the comprehensive requirements necessary for the efficient and effective introduction and roll-out of these innovative therapies by examining key logistical, regulatory (once products are approved in-country/linked to the service delivery channel) and service delivery considerations.

Project outputs

1. Context-specific profiles and assessments for the introduction and deployment of mAb/LAI from a protection, gender and inclusion informed perspective.
2. Summary of facilitators and barriers for the introduction and deployment of mAb/LAI.
3. Context-specific profiles and summary of community-level roles for introduction, deployment, scale up and follow up on mAb/LAI.
4. A package of tools to support assessment and implementation options.

^[1] https://www.who.int/news/item/05-07-2023-18-million-doses-of-first-ever-malaria-vaccine-allocated-to-12-african-countries-for-2023-2025--gavi--who-and-unicef

The role of the consultant is to support the achievement of the above project outputs in Mozambique. Under the guidance of the project coordinator and with support from the project team the consultant will be tasked with these deliverables.

Across all activities and deliverables, a key element will be providing feedback to support the revision of the assessment tools so that they can be improved for future use in other countries/contexts.

Key activities to support achievement of the deliverables and project outputs:

Project and stakeholder support:

• Support the MoH, NMP, and NSG on the identification of research target areas.
• Collaborate with the NSG to align project activities with national malaria control strategies and local health priorities.
• Plan, coordinate and document key meetings/workshops, ensuring stakeholder input is systematically captured and shared.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops to prioritize delivery channels and strategies and validate findings.
• Disseminate interim findings, consolidate stakeholder feedback and refine recommendations through structured engagement.
• Coordinate with IFRC project team and partners to ensure adherence to guidelines, timelines and reporting frameworks.

Research and data collection:

• Review and refine the project framework and tools with the IFRC team, ensuring contextual relevance, and precisions for the identification of data sources.
• Present the project framework and tools to the NSG and key stakeholders, capturing and incorporating feedback.
• Develop an assessment workplan in coordination with national stakeholders (MOH, NMP, etc.).
• Conduct desk reviews of published and unpublished literature, policies and reports.
• Collect primary data through key informant interviews, focus group discussions and surveys (as decided with NMP and stakeholders).
• Ensure ethical compliance, including informed consent, data privacy and necessary approvals are established.
• Clean, compile, triangulate and validate data through stakeholder feedback.
• Analyse data (quantitative & qualitative) in line with the assessment framework and project output templates.

Reporting and documentation:

• Review and refine the project output tools with the IFRC team, ensuring contextual relevance, to compare delivery channels and strategies, using quantitative and qualitative data.
• Submit progress reports to IFRC, the NMP, NSG and partners, highlighting progress, challenges and next steps.
• Support the production of the initial findings report with:
  • Evidence-based recommendations for policy, channel and strategy selection and optimisation for the introduction and scale up of mAb/LAI.
  • Potential community roles and accountability mechanisms.
  • PGI analysis and recommendations for prioritized channels and strategies.
• Ensure all data, tools and reports are safely managed, protected and archived.

Estimated time commitment, fee and location

Time:

It is estimated that the consultant will work approximately 45 days from December 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026 including sub-national information collection (district, health facility).

Fee:

The consultant is requested to indicate their expected daily rate (in CHF).

Location:

The consultant will be based in Mozambique.

Required

• Advanced degree (MSc, MPH) or Honors BSc in Public Health, Global Health, Epidemiology or a related field.

Required

• Minimum five years of experience in public health, program design, implementation or evaluation.
• Experience conducting research, health system assessments, service delivery assessments, supply chain assessments, etc.
• Work experience at national or sub-national level in health service delivery, research, supply chain management or other area.
• Experience using digital tools for data collection, analysis or visualization (e.g. KOBO, ODK, NVivo, Power BI).

Preferred

• Experience designing or evaluating community-led health interventions, particularly involving community health workers or volunteers.
• Prior collaboration with the IFRC or National Societies.

Required

• Professional fluency and technical proficiency in the local language of Mozambique – both written and spoken – as well as professional fluency in English are required to be considered.
• Demonstrated knowledge of immunization and/or malaria interventions.
• Understanding of local health systems, cultural dynamics and community practices.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, using mixed methods approaches (e.g., key informant interviews, focus group discussions, data triangulation).
• Track record of collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including national and sub-national government, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations and other partners.

Preferred

• Knowledge of gender, protection and inclusion dynamics and their relation to health equity.
• Knowledge or prior involvement in the introduction or scale-up of new therapies, products (e.g., vaccines, monoclonal antibodies).

Key Competencies:

• Adaptability: Flexibility, good natured, able to maintain professionalism in dynamic, resource-constrained environments.
• Cultural sensitivity: Strong interpersonal skills to engage respectfully with diverse communities.
• Communication: Clear and concise reporting and communicating skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Application Instructions

Please submit your application in English only.

Note

• Nationals of Mozambique, regional candidates, and women are highly encouraged to apply.