Consultant – Digital Supply Chain in SMART Guidelines

Purpose of consultancy

To provide technical expertise to WHO’s program of work in SMART Guidelines with a specific focus on digital supply chains. Specific areas of work include:

• Technical expertise for the utilization of standardized product catalogues across various health domains and commodity types for utilization within decision support services and indicator calculations within the WHO SMART Guideline approach; and
• Development of draft guidance for architectural approaches to the design and implementation of digital supply chain that aligns with WHO’s SMART Guidelines approach.

Background

SMART (Standards-based, Machine-readable, Adaptive, Requirements-based, and Testable) Guidelines is an approach to bringing WHO normative guidance and guidelines content into the digital age. It consists of a comprehensive set of reusable digital health components (e.g., interoperability standards, code libraries, algorithms, technical and operational specifications) that transform the guideline adaptation and implementation process to preserve fidelity and accelerate uptake. SMART Guidelines provide a five-step pathway to advance the adoption of best clinical and data practices, even if a country is not yet fully digital. The five progressive layers of the SMART Guidelines components include:

• L1: Narrative – Evidence-based guideline recommendations and accompanying implementation and data guidance, written in a narrative format.
• L2: Operational – Also referred to as “Digital Adaptation Kits”, or DAK, are “human-readable” software-agnostic documentation of operational and functional requirements (i.e., a requirements document), which includes list of health interventions, personas, business process workflows, core data set (in a data dictionary), transparently documented algorithms (i.e., decision support logic), list of key indicators and calculation of indicators, functional and non-functional requirements.
• L3: Machine-readable – Structured software-neutral specifications, code, terminology, and interoperability standards. Represented in a Health Level Seven Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources Implementation Guide (HL7 FHIR IG).
• L4: Executable – Reference software that can execute static algorithms and interoperable digital components (from L3) to deliver the operational and functional requirements as outlined in the L2 DAK.
• L5: Dynamic – Executable dynamic algorithms that are trained and optimized with advanced analytics to achieve prioritized outcomes through precision health models.

The five SMART guidelines layers comprise documentation, procedures, and digital health components to steer guideline localization and implementation through digital systems.

They inform:

• Guideline developers on how to translate recommendations into specifications and standards.
• Technologists on how to integrate recommendations into updatable digital systems; and
• Countries on how to localize, make interoperable, institutionalize, and update digital systems consistent with evidence-based recommendations.

SMART Guidelines content is, by design, software-neutral, formulated for adaptation into whichever software platforms a country has elected to use, within an exchanged digital health enterprise architecture.

Deliverables:

1) Contribute to the design and deployment of digitized product catalogues services for WHO’s SMART Guidelines work in coordination with a planned separate activity for the deployment of a multi-tenant product catalog management tool as part of WHO’s SMART Guidelines Exchange. The SMART Guidelines approach combines WHO developed guidance with a country adaptation process.

To ensure the high availability of product master data including the development of standard operating procedures and data sharing agreements that will facilitate the availability of this data in the WHO product catalog management tool that will be applicable for WHO Member States as well as the global donor purchaser community.

Prepare monthly progress reports containing:

• Progress towards the above stated objectives.
• Summary of coordination with technical teams to-date and a planning of next phase of work for approval and feedback.
• Raise potential risks and propose corrective actions if project goes off-track for the DHI technical unit to decide on paths forward; and
• Summary of efforts to organize guidance and communication materials developed by technical teams to facilitate coordination with internal and external stakeholders.

2) Following the processes and methodologies outlined in the Digital Implementation Investment Guide (DIIG), develop a draft guiding framework that LMICs can refer to during design, planning, and selection of supply chain information systems (SCIS) such as eLMIS, product catalogues, warehouse management, order management, or procurement systems.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages.

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in public health, health administration, health informatics or executive management or any other related field.

Desirable:

• Project management certification.

Experience

Essential:

• Over 15 years of experience working with digital systems for health service providers (e.g., electronic medical records, lab information systems) with a focus on supply chain information systems.
• Demonstrated experience working with supply chain information systems, including product catalogues, in multiple Low- and Middle-Income Countries with direct engagement with Ministry of Health leadership.
• Demonstrated experience working with supply chain information standards.
• Demonstrated experience working in the design and/or development of digital health tools for health care environments.
• Demonstrated experience in business analysis, project management and process improvement.

Desirable:

• Previous experience working with UN organizations or bilateral organizations.
• Experience designing, implementing and deploying digital health supply chain solutions in low- and middle-income countries.

Skills

• Effective interpersonal, management and negotiation skills proven through successful interaction with stakeholders, including senior government officials, regional/local authorities, experts, and NGOs/communities.
• Highly organized and results-oriented.
• Computer literacy (creating surveys, proficiency in using Microsoft Office tools).

Languages required:

Essential:

Expert knowledge of English.

Location

Off-site: Home based.
The consultant is expected to be available for virtual meetings during a core set of normal business hours of WHO Headquarters in Geneva.

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level D - USD 12,520 – 14,400 per month.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

11 months.

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html