Consultancy Project manager for the facilitation of the Institutionalizing Community Health Conference (ICHC 2020) - Health Section - Programme Division NYHQ- REQ#530799

The consultant will work with the Child and Community Health Unit and the ICHC2020 Steering Committee under the guidance of the UNICEF supervisor,

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.

Consultancy Title: Project manager for the facilitation of the Institutionalizing Community Health Conference (ICHC 2020)

Section/Division/Duty Station: NYHQ

Duration: 11.5 months

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also provide a basis to further operationalize UNICEF’s equity-focussed and people-centred approach.

     Despite significant progress in reducing child mortality, most of the 5.6 million deaths of children under five in 2016 were entirely preventable. And progress has not been universal: Children in the poorest households are nearly twice as likely to die before the age of five than those from the richest. These deaths are also concentrated geographically, the majority taking place in just two regions, southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Concerted efforts remain necessary to avoid preventable child deaths in the coming years and to accelerate progress in improving child survival.

     To be taken to scale, child mortality reduction through a comprehensive package of evidence based interventions delivered at community level need to be fully institutionalized into primary health care systems. UNICEF is increasingly recognized and called upon to lead efforts at global, regional and country levels to ensure resilient, institutionalized community health systems. UNICEF leadership includes coordination, guidance, technical support as well as financing mechanisms for community health.

     To support countries' ambitions to institutionalize community health, UNICEF and USAID co-hosted the first Institutionalizing Community Health Conference (ICHC) in March 2017 Johannesburg. The 400 participants including 23 country delegations adopted a set of ten principles and committed to further action to strengthen community health programmes.

     Since then, global momentum in this direction has further coalesced at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC) in October 2018 in Astana, the  UN High-Level Meeting on Universal health coverage (UHC) in September 2019 in New York, and at the Community Health Worker Symposium in November 2019 in Dhaka. A growing number of countries are embarking in health reforms to institutionalize community health in their national health policies and systems.

     The second ICHC will be co-hosted in late 2020 by UNICEF with other partner organizations for the purpose of engaging Governments, civil society leaders, and other stakeholders to discuss opportunities for bolstering community systems as the foundation of PHC. The conference will build on experiences and state-of the-art lessons learnt since the first conference (www.ichc2017.org) and the revitalization of PHC. It will enable country stakeholders to identify solutions to persistent challenges; inform country policies and plans through evidence; and engage communities as resources and agents of national and local systems.

     Two specific objectives of the conference are to support countries represented to:

1. Develop country-specific priorities and strategic investment cases to guide country action and harmonize resources around those actions; and
2. Develop cross-country learning agendas and capacity building that address priority issues/challenges.

The methodology to achieve these objectives will be collaborative and horizontal, leveraging South-South expertise to review national plans and commitments.

     The co-hosts are seeking a project management consultant to support the preparations for and execution of the ICHC. The consultant will engage with a conference Steering Committee, support coordination of  logistics (venue confirmation, budget development, resource mobilization etc.) and technical content development, coordinate and execute an advocacy and communications strategy, and serve as the primary contact for partner engagement and participant communications. 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables 

Objectives of Assignment:

• Project management: overseeing the development and implementation of contractual requirements, developing proposals for resource mobilisation or for contracting additional capacity, provision of leadership to project team, identifying, planning and managing project resources and progress reports
• Provision of facilitation services and coordinating/collating supplementary material for conference sessions, missions and knowledge-sharing events to effectively inform the content of the conference;
• Lead in logistics coordination with vendors and partners, manage travel and participation of conference attendees and speakers.
• Oversee the development of media content to promote the ICHC, e.g. branding, visual communications materials for print and digital layouts, infographics, iconography, exhibitions/event materials, marketing materials, proposal documents, presentation decks, event website.

The consultant will work with the Child and Community Health Unit and the ICHC2020 Steering Committee under the guidance of the UNICEF supervisor, and undertake the following:

Conference organization and planning

• Develop detailed workplan and budget with timeline, roles and responsibilities and actionable tasks leading up to the ICHC.
• Lead regular consultations with the ICHC Steering Committee, main organizing team, external vendors and other partners, to align on visions for the planning process and incorporate input into the planning process.

Logistics

• Create budget projections for ICHC expenses and manage disbursements.
• Oversee the contracting of vendors (e.g. translators, printing companies, designers, event app)
• Identify and secure accommodation block booking for self paying participants at hotels and support travel bookings/reservations for sponsored participants.
• Arrange and ensure all meeting rooms (for plenary and break-out sessions) ready for the meetings as required (as per specified meetings’ schedule).
• Oversee the booking and confirmation of catering services, audiovisual functions and equipment, and all other necessary equipment and components for a large scale conference.
• Identify and supervise volunteers (i.e. pro-bono agencies for specific deliverables; individual volunteers for event day-specific tasks e.g. signing in of participants).

Participant, Presenter & Country delegation identification, engagement and preparations

• Liaise with technical focal points (from the Steering Committee members or nominated by them) to coordinate speakers and panelists, conduct quality control of presentations, and brief them on the respective sessions, expectations and expected roles. Guide them to align sessions to meet the objectives of the sessions.
• Send out Information Note to all participants (arrival details, hotels, visa requirements, general city info; etc.).
• Lead in organizing travel for sponsored delegates and speakers, e.g. air tickets, accommodation, visa application, per diem.
• Protocol arrangements for VIPs, including arrival and departure at the airport with the relevant Ministries.

Communications

• Develop pre-, during, and post- conference communications strategies.
• Develop conference materials e.g. concept note, final agenda, detailed run of show, speakers bios, communications package, social media package, website and knowledge management platforms, mobile application.
• Coordinate session and plenary rapporteurs and oversee development of final conference outputs.
• Develop fundraising and sponsorship communications materials and partnerships.
• Develop participant satisfaction survey, analyse results and produce conference feedback report.

Qualifications 

(1) Education

• A graduate degree in Public Health or a related field is essential. 

2) Work experience

• At least 5 years professional work experience in project management and convening international conferences attended by high level stakeholders across sectors. Past work in UN/UNICEF undertaking similar assignments will be an asset.
• Strong and proven level of expertise in managing logistics and problem solving to deliver efficient execution of events following established timeframes. 
• Demonstrated high level of communication skills. Must be able to manage diverse view points and work in demanding situations.
• Proven ability to work in teams, and past work in similar capacity of working alongside steering committee and other partners will be an asset
• Fluency in English. Fluency in French desired.
• Demonstrated strategic and conceptual thinking, and ability to synthesize complex information.  

3) Competencies

• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English.
• Good judgment, initiative, high sense of responsibility, tact and discretion.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.) 

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html 
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

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. View our competency framework at: 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.