Consultancy: Consultant, Integrated Outbreak Analytics - Health Section, PD, Geneva - Req #

The consultant will be responsible to support the PHE team in the development of GOARN-partnered IMOA technical communication and training to improve use of IMOA in understanding COVID-19 and its impacts.

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, hope.

Consultancy Title: Integrated Outbreak Analytics

Section/Division/Duty Station: Geneva

Duration: 197 Days

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 2020 UNICEF Core Commitments for Children, which include for the first time PHE specific, is a unique opportunity to build a wider understanding of UNICEF’s key preparedness and response actions both internally and with our partners. 

Integrated, operational analytics to better understand outbreak dynamics is a key contributor to more adapted, appropriate and accountable outbreak response. Social sciences and epidemiological analytics are most impactful when included as part of a multidisciplinary, integrated and holistic understanding of outbreaks. The Social Sciences Analytics Cell (CASS) was set up in September 2018 for the X’s eastern DRC Ebola outbreak, to provide near-real time, operational analytics to explain outbreak trends. The CASS operates as a service, supporting the MOH and response actors through evidence. The CASS works to bring outbreak analytics data science together with data and analytical approaches from multiple disciplines in an integrated multidisciplinary outbreak analytics model (IMOA) to provide a holistic understanding which not only maps and models epidemiological data to e.g. assess trends, burden, and risk factors, but seeks to provide context and an understanding of the determinants of outbreak evolution and response uptake.

Over the past two years, the CASS has been scaled up to support the ongoing COVID-19 response. The team supports other countries through technical guidance, workshops, webinars and will invest in trainings, capacity building and regional/global analytics for better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on communities living in humanitarian settings.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible to support the PHE team in the development of GOARN-partnered IMOA technical communication and training to improve use of IMOA in understanding COVID-19 and its impacts.  This includes bringing together key IMOA partners to contribute to training tools, notably: MSF-Epicentre, ITM, WHO, LSHTM, GoData, HHI and Institute Pasteur. The work will be adapted and flexible, contributing to team and country needs.

Specific output includes (but may be adapted based on team needs)

• Workplan for communication and training on IMOA
• A set of online and 'face-to-face' capacity building tools for GOARN deployments to conduct/implement IMOA
• Three online training packages (30 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours)
• 2 online pilot trainings of the tools
• 4 documented case studies
• Technical guidance and support to teams being deployed to support on IMOA approaches

Additional contribution to key PHE team documents will be required (e.g. GBV in PHE, CASS presentations and case studies, SRPs etc.) Additional support may be requested based on PHE team needs and support requests. (e.g. helpdesk/coaching)

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Advanced university qualification (Masters)  in relevant field (social epidemiology, operational social sciences health research, Public Health)

2) Work experience

• 8-10 years of progressively responsible professional work field-based (operational) experience at national and international levels working in humanitarian settings including in public health emergencies.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex scientific content for multiple audiences 
• Demonstrated ability to develop capacity building tools

3) Competencies

• Fluency in English and French are required
• The individual should be highly proficient in a range of PC/web applications, including but not limited to: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook, and Lotus Notes.
• Strong organizational, planning and analytical skills

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
  • 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, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious and ethnic backgrounds 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.