International Consultancy - Cold Chain Logistics Specialist for Immunization

The Guinea Bissau CO would like to hire an International consultant to provide technical support to EPI Guinea Bissau CO to improve Immunization supply chain (iSC) management through Effective Vaccine Management (EVM), implementation of Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform (CCEOP), Temperature monitoring study, Vaccine stock management and functioning National Logistics Working Groups.

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, vaccine

Background

The mission and goal of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) program in Guinea-Bissau is to contribute to the overall realization of the National Health Development Plan (PNDS) by reducing morbidity, mortality and disability due to vaccine preventable diseases and to ensure all children and high-risk group are fully vaccinated with high quality and effective vaccines against vaccine preventable diseases as per national and global standards. To achieve these goals, routine immunization services for children and pregnant women are provided through static, outreach and mobile sites and occasional special acceleration campaigns.

Immunization is the most widely accessed and successful child health intervention in use today in Guinea Bissau. But immunization coverage has stagnated at 88% of DPT3 over the last five years (WUENIC 2019), which is probably related to the general instability context resulting in the erosion of public services and systems. Also, these relative high rates mask inequities at the subnational level. At subnational level, 5 out of 11 regions has the DTP3 coverage less than 80 per cent. Around 8,000 children remained unvaccinated in Guinea-Bissau during 2019. More than 60% of those unvaccinated children are living in urban area, principally in the capital Bissau.

The study on equity in immunization conducted in 2017 showed that the major bottlenecks to immunization are: geographical access; continuity in use; quality of services, except for Bissau where the issues are quite different, more related to human resources capacity and economic activities of mothers. The study also helped identify underserved communities in each region for which specific efforts must be undertaken to reach every child. Major challenges remain in terms of insufficient allocation of human resources, coordination, outreach strategies, cold chain management and data collection.

Strategies to reach unvaccinated children have been developed and are being implemented.

On the other hand, for the immunization coverage to be of quality, strong and efficient supply chains, equipped with reliable cold chain equipment (CCE) are vital.

To ensure that vaccines are widely available and remain cold, safe and effective throughout the entire supply chain, the country's immunization programme needs access to high-performing and well-maintained cold chain equipment. Such cold chain equipment, when available at the required cold chain points-in-country, will increase vaccine availability, potency, and safety.To address these issues, GAVI's Supply Chain Strategy has placed attention on an efficient and effective immunization supply chain management (iSCM) to ensure the potency of vaccines and increased availability in order to improve coverage and equity. One fundamental of the strategy, cold chain equipment, is addressed by Gavi's establishment of the Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform (CCEOP). To make the CCEOP most effective at both global and country levels, GAVI must now understand how the design of the platform is shaping the market for optimal cold chain equipment and how countries are responding to and implementing CCEOP grants. Through the platform, Gavi just committed funds for a five years period between to jointly invest with the country to purchase and install equipment that meets specific technology requirements. With this support from GAVI, the Ministry of Health commits to ensure greater efficiency in effective vaccine management practices and the cold chain systems. This CCEOP support will enhance the Government efforts to expand and replace the cold chain equipment. Improvements in vaccine management will enable the immunization program to optimally utilize the vaccines, thereby ensuring further increase in vaccination coverage without undue increases in vaccine wastage. UNICEF is at the forefront of supporting the MOH in cold chain and vaccine supply, injection supply and management as well as assurance of equity and would like to recruit an experienced international consultant to provide a technical insight to the country's growing immunization system which strengthening capacity for immunization equity analysis.

Objective:

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical support to EPI through Guinea-Bissau CO to improve Immunization supply chain (iSC) management through Effective Vaccine Management (EVM), implementation of Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform (CCEOP), Temperature monitoring study, Vaccine stock management and functioning National Logistics Working Groups.

How can you make a difference?

Activities, tasks, deliverables and timelines

1. Progress report on improvement plan implementation as per EVM findings available every two months.

• Support the national EPI team and partners to implement Improvement Plan (cIP) towards better performance across the supply chain standards
• Monitor implementation and report progress against programmatic indicators

• Assist the national logisticians to conduct temperature mapping for each cold rooms at all levels using WHO tool (protocol, training, data analysis) in selected countries
• Prepare a technical report for the first (at least) temperature mapping conducted based on method, results and recommendations and built capacity to report on future temperature mapping
• Coordinate the temperature monitoring study in Guinea-Bissau

• Support and/or coordinate the whole process of the CCEOP implementation as per Gavi 2017 guidance on CCEOP
• Follow up Cold Chain Equipment purchase and deployment through dashboard
• Support the CCEOP implementation in close collaboration with Programme Division and Supply Division

• Assist Guinea-Bissau in New Vaccine application and/or HSS development
• Provide technical advice and support to the Immunization team to strengthen routine immunization supply chain
• Support the establishment or strengthening of the National Logistics Working Groups (NLWG)
• Built synergies between Immunization and Supply units to strengthen the supply chain capacity

• Provide regular feedback on Vaccine stock and Cold chain management
• Support trainings on iSC data management for decision making

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

• Advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, MNCH, pediatric health, family health, health policy and/or management, epidemiology or another relevant technical field.
• At least 5 years of cognate experience in logistics, cold chain, supply chain; of which at least 3 years in developing countries.
• Knowledge of the latest development in the field of temperature studies and/or cold chain equipment management is highly desirable.
• Experience in conducting health supply chain assessments, EVM assessments, GDP audits would be an added value.
• Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language especially Portuguese is an asset

Duration of the consultancy: 6 months

Conditions of work:

The payment will be done at monthly basis. To receive the professional fees, the international consultant will invoice Health and Nutrition Section for devoted tasks

As a general rule, the fees payable to a consultant must follow the principle of best value (obtain the desired result at the lowest possible cost). Consultants are therefore required to indicate their fees for the services to be provided (financial proposal). If the proposed fees are higher than the United Nations system fee scale for national consultants in Guinea Bissau, United Nations scales will be applied. The Consultant will be based in the UNICEF office and will carry out field monitoring visits (on the basis of the agreed work plan) using UNICEF transport in accordance with the relevant regulations. UNICEF will provide the consultant with a computer for the job and he will use other UNICEF IT infrastructure to do its work (printers, photocopiers, scanner and Internet).

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 functional competencies required for this post are: Formulating strategies/concepts (II), Analysing (III), Relating and networking (II), Deciding and initiating action (II) and Apply technical expertise (III). 

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 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.