Consultancy to provide technical support to develop information management. Post. 561884

UNICEF would like to hire a consultant to support development and operationalization of an IMS to capture progress made in countries, at regional and global levels, analyze data and produce graphics and maps on implemented activities to be shared across UNICEF countries and amongst partners and share lessons learnt and best practices. The consultant will also assist in knowledge exchange and experience sharing within UNICEF, through Yammer, SharePoint, live webinars, and other channels.

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Consultancy to provide technical support to develop information management systems for the WASH in health care facilities programme

Section/Division/Duty Station: WASH/ CEED /Programme Group, NYHQ

Duration: 25 May 2023 to 24 May 2024 – Remote/Home Based

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. Over 75 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. 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.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: 

Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is foundational to the provision of quality healthcare. Yet healthcare facilities across low- and middle-income countries are without these basic services. A 2022 progress report  from the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene on WASH in healthcare facilities found that worldwide, 1 in 5 healthcare facilities (HCFs) lack basic water services, 1 in 2 lack basic hand hygiene services, and 1 in 10 lack toilets. These poor conditions put more than 1.7 billion people at risk of infections and puts healthcare workers in unsafe working environments as they provide healthcare as manifested during COVID-19 outbreak. In the least developed countries, the problem is even greater: half of HCFs lack basic water services. Furthermore, the extent of the problem remains hidden because major gaps in data persist, especially on environmental cleaning. WASH services in HCFs, so often taken for granted, are needed more than ever to protect vulnerable health workers and patients. Inadequate WASH conditions not only undermine initiatives aimed at improving maternal and infant child health but the overall quality care.

Progress has been made since the 2018 Global Call to Action on WASH in HCF issued by the UN Secretary-General which has elevated the programme among all UN agencies, partners, and Member States. Building upon this Global Call, all 194 WHO Member States unanimously approved the resolution on WASH in HCFs at the 2019 World Health Assembly. In 2018, UNICEF and WHO produced the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Facilities tool with the aim of helping countries incrementally improve WASH services in HCFs. In 2022, the tool was revised and republished to include climate, energy, gender and includes examples of how WASHFIT has been implemented to achieve specific health aims, such as improving quality care and strengthening health systems resilience. To date, over 30 countries have received training on the tool and have received online technical support on operationalizing and institutionalizing it, along the Eight Practical Steps, into health strategies and priorities. In 2019, UNICEF and WHO published the Eight Practical Steps to Universal WASH access to help partners and countries improve capacities of governments to scale up WASH services.

However, despite the progress, a few challenges remain to accelerate and scale up the programme to meet the SDGs, among them- the lack and poor quality of data in some countries and lack of information management

systems (IMS). UNICEF has systems in place to collect data regularly to track progress on Strategic Plan indicators through Country Standard Indicators but does not collect data on the whole range of key out puts and outcomes of the programme such as WASHFIT implementation, support on the Eight Practical Steps and other country innovative activities. In fact, one of the recommendations from the global progress report on WASH in HCFs: Fundamentals First, was for countries and partners to document progress and share best practices on gained from implementing the WASH in HCFs programme.

For this reason, and as countries expand their WASH in HCFs programmes, UNICEF would like to hire a consultant to support development and operationalization of an IMS to capture progress made in countries, at regional and global levels, analyze data and produce graphics and maps on implemented activities to be shared across UNICEF countries and amongst partners and share lessons learnt and best practices. The consultant will also assist in knowledge exchange and experience sharing within UNICEF, through Yammer, SharePoint, live webinars, and other channels.

This investment would support a consultant’s assignment on developing an IMS, knowledge products and reports and conduct of webinar at UNICEF Headquarters in New York will build on progress achieved during the previous grant cycle ending in June 2023.  To-date, training of country focal points on WASHFIT implementation has been conducted, online technical support on WASHFIT has been provided and the WASH in HCFs UNICEF SharePoint pages have been operationalized. Thus far, the WASHFIT training has been rolled out remotely for the South Asia Regional Office in May 2022 and the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office in June 2022. In person trainings have taken place in South Africa (with Lesotho and Eswatini), Ethiopia, Malawi and Madagascar among others. Additional trainings will also be conducted Haiti, Venezuela and Madagascar later in the year. UNICEF will continue to support countries to implement WASHFIT and on the Eight Practical Steps.

Scope of Work:

Since 2015, UNICEF has been implementing the WASH in HCFs programme and the number of countries involved has grown close to 100. Data and information are vital not only for reporting progress on the key indicators of the Strategic Plan but also on other initiatives that contribute to reporting these indicators as well as documenting lessons learnt and best practices which will help countries learn from one another and apply and adapt these lessons and practices to their contexts. 

To close the data and information gaps, share lessons learnt and best practices at organization and sector level, the consultant will be expected to:

• Undertake a desk review of key documents to identify data and information sources for an IMS and conduct interviews with key staff to understand their information needs. Develop tools and methods for data collection and establish a robust IMS for WASH in HCFs programme at global level.
• Collect, collate, filter/clean, analyze and interpret trends or patterns in data sets on programme implementation in countries and ensure availability and consistency of quality data and information through the IMS in an easily transferrable and usable form.
• Prepare and produce maps, graphics, dashboards and scorecards on programme activities, including access to WASH based on the JMP service levels on regular basis and create and generate reports in timely and accurate manner. Data sources include UNICEFs country strategic indicators (CSIs), JMP country data sets, country reports, annual results reports, WASH Bulletins, etc
• Prepare 3 case studies on WASH in HCFs efforts to highlight successes and synthesizes best practices on WASH in HCFs activities.
• Map countries implementing WASHFIT interventions and the Eight Practical steps, identify champion countries (and those lagging behind) as well as identify gaps in implementation to inform programme design.
• Support organization of global webinars to share the documented lessons learned on WASH in HCFs, in partnership with the Health Section.
• Maintain Yammer Community of Practice, including upload of new publications, tools, reports, to the Yammer platform and respond to questions and inquiries from the community to keep them engaged. Prepare analytics on Yammer Community of Practice.
• Maintain the UNICEF SharePoint page- by identifying new resources and uploading them to the SharePoint Pages on WASH in HCFs and track WASHFIT implementation.
• Identify resources from various sources, including UNICEF WASH in HCFs programme activities, and upload them to the joint WHO/ UNICEF website.
• Updated monitoring systems for WASHFIT and for the WASH in HCFs program including analysis of CSI data.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables / Deadlines

Functional, user friendly, interactive, web- based, computerized information management system on WASH in HCFs programme- with maps, graphics, dash boards and scorecards on WASHFIT implementation and access to WASH services based on the JMP service levels

• A functional, web- based, computerized IMS developed

By 31 Aug 2023

3 Case studies on WASH in HCFs programme from 3 countries- documenting best practices and important knowledge and lessons learnt, progress on WASHFIT and Eight Practical Steps implementation as well as other WASH in HCFs activities at country level

• 3 case studies on best practices developed

By 30 Nov 2023

A summary DATABASE of countries implementing WASHFIT and the Eight Practical steps

• One database of countries implementing WASHFIT created

By 31 Dec 2023

3 virtual meet-ups for UNICEF staff and partners – on the established information system, experience and lessons learnt sharing on WASHFIT/ Eight Practical Steps

• 3 webinars on the IMS, lessons learnt conducted

By 24 May 2024

Four reports on maintenance of yammer community of practice, UNICEF SharePoint pages on WASH in HCFs

• Four analytical reports on yammer prepared and two UNICEF SharePoint pages updates implemented

By 24 May 2024

Inputs to the joint WHO/ UNICEF website

• At least 20 publications shared on the website

By 24 May 2024

Updated monitoring systems for WASHFIT and for the WASH in HCFs programme

• Two updated monitoring system reports on WASH in HCFs prepared

By 24 May 2024

A consultancy report showing outputs/accomplishments and tasks not complemented, challenges.

• One consultancy report

By 24 May 2024

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Masters level. Advanced university degree in Statistics, Economics Information Management and Data Analysis. Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Social Sciences also desirable.

(2) Work experience

• At least five years’ experience in developing and managing information management systems especially in WASH context – essential.
• Experience in managing communities of practice
• Prior experience working for the United Nations an added advantage

(3) Competencies

• Excellent oral and written communication skills are required
• Must be fluent in English. Knowledge of French or Spanish is considered an asset.
• Demonstrated analytical skills is a key requirement (Use of power BI an added value).
• Demonstrated capacity to work in a dynamic environment coordinating across different teams and sectors.

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:

• All-inclusive (lump sum) fees for the deliverables noted above.
• 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 offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.