Expression of Interest – Immunization Consultants on Roster, 24 months, Kampala, Uganda

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, a Trustable hand

https://www.unicef.org/where-we-work

How can you make a difference?

Background and Purpose:

For more than 60 years UNICEF has been working with the Government of Uganda and civil society to promote and protect the rights of Ugandan children. UNICEF works across the humanitarian-development nexus in the following areas: Child Survival; Education; Child Protection; Social Policy.

Within the child survival sector, we support the Government of Uganda’s National Expanded programme on Immunisation (UNEPI). According to the Uganda Demographic Health Survey (DHS) 2022, the percentage of children aged 12-23 months who are fully vaccinated increased from 55 to 63 percent and vaccination coverage against measles improved from 80 to 83 per cent and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DPT) remained as 79 percent[1]. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, other public health emergencies, rapid urbanization, refugees’ influx and strengthening antivax voices on the social media, the national coverage for the first dose (DPT-1) has experienced a minor decline from 97 percent in 2022 to 94 percent in 2023. Similarly, the coverage for the third dose (DPT-3) has decreased from 92 percent in 2022 to 90 percent in 2023. This has resulted in an estimated number of 179,450 “zero dose” and 162,557 under immunized children.  

Repeated outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g. measles, rubella, yellow fever), are an indication of the sub-optimal quality and coverage of routine immunization. The increasing frequency and impact of endemic and emerging diseases (e.g. Ebola virus disease, Marburg, Covid-19, cholera and M-pox), pose significant challenges to Uganda in general and its health system in particular.

Justification:

UNICEF Uganda has a rapidly growing portfolio of immunization work that requires support from experienced national and international consultants across different immunization sub-specialties. This expanding portfolio highlights the importance of additional human resource to address the diverse challenges to contribute to better immunization coverages across Uganda.

Objectives:

The objective of this announcement is to engage qualified and diverse professionals who can support in these initiatives by providing expert advice, coordination, and programme implementation. This announcement targets candidates with interest in working in  Uganda over the next 24 months.

The roster will contain pre-screened qualified individuals found suitable for the assignment, who will be contacted for assignments as and when the need arises. Candidates will be placed in the roster for the next 36 months and called upon based on the suitability of the assignment and availability. 

Based on the applications, suitable individuals will be identified for the roster. However, the hiring process will be need-based with specific terms of reference being shared with relevant individuals as per their area of interest indicated in their application. Note that inclusion in the roster does not guarantee any future contractual relations with UNICEF.

UNICEF is interested in hearing from candidates with one or more of the following areas of expertise:

1. Electronic Logistic Management Information System (eLMIS) design and implementation – experience in working with national governments to national assessment and gaps analysis, support the selection of eLMIS open-source software including all costing, facilitate phased roll out including training.
2. Social Behaviour Change – experience in the design and delivery of key messaging targeting segmented audience groups on routine immunization, immunization in emergencies e.g., Mpox addressing vaccine hesitancy and other barriers to receiving vaccinations.
3. Effective Vaccine Management – experience in supporting national and subnational government departments (national medical stores, district vaccine stores, health facilities) to strengthen all aspects of EVM through technical assistance and trainings.
4. Urban immunization practices – experience in assessing and designing key strategies, guidance and policies that reach vulnerable children in urban and peri-urban settings based on national and global best practice.
5. Strategies to Optimize Immunization Coverage: Leveraging experience in enhancing and maintaining immunization coverage through approaches such as RED/REC (Reaching Every District/Reaching Every Child) and IRMMA (Identify, Reach, Monitor, Measure and Advocate). These strategies are specifically designed to reduce the number of zero-dose and under-immunized children, ensuring broader and more effective immunization coverage.
6. Equity Assessment: Experience in designing and conducting immunization equity assessments including analyzing, interpreting and dissemination of the information. This comprehensive approach ensures that immunization program identify equity reference groups that inform inclusive, equitable, and effective reach of underserved and vulnerable populations.
7. Emergency response to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks:  Experience in coordinating national level response to VPD outbreaks such as measles, Cholera, Mpox, Yellow Fever etc,. Demonstrated experience working with UNEPI, district governments, UN organizations, and donors in coordinating and planning reactive campaigns, supporting training, service delivery, vaccine supply chain and logistics and reporting and data management.
8. Implementation Research – experience in conducting implementation research studies across a variety of areas including but not limited to the use of electronic community health information systems, equity, zero-dose children and under-immunized communities.
9. Embedded Technical Assistance – experience in working with District Health Offices to provide them with technical assistance through supporting supervision, mentorship and monitoring to strengthen immunization service delivery.
10. Proposal and report writing: experience in writing resource mobilization proposals and donor reports as required by the office

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

• Master’s/Advanced degree in public health, epidemiology, medicine or another relevant field.
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in immunization program implementation, preferably in Africa.
• Experience in emergency/humanitarian setting is required

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Proven experience in one or more of the technical areas listed above
• Proven experience in programme management and implementation to include managing budgets, procurement, programme monitoring, data and reporting.
• Proven experience working with national ministries of health and EPI departments.
• Experience working with and coordinating diverse stakeholders including UN organizations, government line departments (national and subnational), international and local NGOs in Uganda or similar settings.
• Excellent facilitation skills, negotiation skills and oral and written communication skills.
• Computer skills include MS Office and qualitative and quantitative analytical skills.
• Knowledge of the Uganda context is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of the UNICEF/GoU EPI programs is an added advantage.
• Excellent working knowledge of English. Other local Ugandan languages an asset.

Competencies:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness
• Works Collaboratively with others
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships
• Innovates and Embraces Change
• Thinks and Acts Strategically
• Drive to achieve impactful results
• Manages ambiguity and complexity

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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