Purpose of consultancy
To provide technical expertise to national immunization programmes and implementing partners as they conduct EVM assessments as part of COVID-19 vaccine deployment activities, and to provide technical guidance to the EVM Secretariat managing the EVM web tool and mobile application.
Background
EVM is a global initiative to increase immunization coverage through the continuous improvement of the immunization supply chain (ISC), ensuring potent, life-saving vaccines are available to vaccinate populations through the life course when and where they are needed.
The EVM assessment tool enables national immunization programmes to assess every aspect of their ISC performance and implement a continuous improvement plan to address any areas of poor performance. EVM establishes a global ISC standard, and by referencing these standards countries can identify and prioritize the improvements they need to make. As immunization programmes prepare to integrate COVID-19 vaccines into their national vaccine schedule, many are now planning to conduct a national EVM assessment.
EVM provides a suite of sophisticated data-collection and online reporting tools to understand the performance of the national immunization supply chain. The EVM website enables national EVM focal points to create and manage EVM assessments, while the EVM Assessor mobile application enables national staff to collect data at the facility level.
https://evm2.who.int.
More than 50 national EVM assessments have been conducted since EVM2 was released in 2019.
Deliverables
- Deliverable 1: Provide remote technical guidance to countries to conduct EVM assessments and develop continuous improvement plans (cIP).
Expected by 31/03/2024. - Deliver training on how to conduct an EVM assessment and deliver a cIP workshop.
- Provide technical guidance to countries in setting up their EVM deployments.
- Provide technical guidance to countries in creating and delivering the EVM assessment.
- Contribute to data collection, validation, cleaning, and approval, and trouble-shooting problems as necessary.
- Contribute to EVM assessment results analysis, including the draft EVM Report.
- Facilitate EVM report finalization workshop.
- Deliverable 2: Provide technical expertise to the EVM Secretariat in managing the EVM tool.
Expected by 30/06/2024. - Identify software problems and provide feedback on all software bugs and areas for improvement.
- Participate in ad-hoc meetings to work with the developers to fix all bugs.
- Provide technical expertise to the technical writer in the revision of the following EVM user guides by identifying necessary revisions and reviewing revised drafts provided by the technical writer:
- EVM Assessor Guide.
- EVM Manager Guide.
- cIP Assistant Tool Guide.
- Review the user guide “How to Develop a Continuous Improvement Plan (cIP)”.
- Update the EVM Vaccines Database with all recently WHO-prequalified vaccines.
- Update the Excel tool (LocationsExport) used to define a country’s administrative structure and its supply chain. The updated tool is to auto-code supply chain levels, location codes and unit codes, to validate all data prior to upload, and to visualize the administrative structure and supply chain structure.
- Deliverable 3: Provide updates to the EVM assessment framework to ensure that it aligns with vaccine supply chain and logistics best practice.
Expected by 30/06/2024. - Release the EVM questionnaire version 1.16, focusing on improvements to the text of requirements, questions, and guidance.
- Verify that translations exist and are supported in all languages for new versions of the EVM questionnaire by using the framework administration tool on the EVM website
- Deliverable 4: Update EVM1 template Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Expected by 30/09/2024. - Create a plan for updating EVM template SOPs, including a desktop review of best practice SOPs (eg. COVID VM SOPs), a definition of SOP design and content principles, a timeline, and a proposed assignment of sections to appropriate subject-matter experts.
- Facilitate the revision of EVM template SOPs, with template SOPs released for at least one EVM criterion by the end of 2024.
- Deliverable 5: Provide updates to the “EVM Good Practice” guide included in the EVM tool.
Expected by 31/12/2024. - Review, update and upload into the EVM tool the EVM Good Practice mapping file provided by the external vendor.
- Propose the creation of a new EVM Good Practice based on needs identified in the mapping file, with suggested prioritization and assignment.
- Deliverable 6: Provide updates to the EVM training material based on country feedback.
Expected by 31/12/2024. - Update EVM assessor training materials, including guidance on how to select a suitable venue and required IT resources, a recommended agenda of sessions, detailed instructions and example resources for facilitators for each session, a customizable location assessment simulation, a slide deck of vaccine management basic principles (criterion by criterion, based on EVM1 slides).
- Update the EVM manager training materials, including a recommended agenda of sessions, and add new resources for the Programme Management Assessment, Data-Quality Review, and cIP development.
- Deliverable 7: Contribute to the global ISC analytics, including global vaccine wastage rates and EVM composite score analysis.
Expected by 31/12/2024. - Update “Global Wastage Rate Analysis”, using procurement data provided by the UNICEF Supply Division.
- Contribute to data compilation and analysis for the bi-annual immunization supply chain global analytics reports.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications:
Essential:
- Advanced university degree in a science-related field.
Experience
Essential:
- Over 10 years of professional experience working in the field of immunization supply chain and logistics.
- At least 10 years of professional experience conducting statistical analyses.
- Extensive experience in delivering remote and in-person EVM training.
Desirable:
- Previous experience in the UN system.
- Previous experience in software development or software project management.
Skills:
- Strong mathematical, data analysis and interpretation skills.
- Excellent knowledge of immunization supply chain and logistics.
- Advanced knowledge of conducting EVM assessments and continuous improvement planning (cIP) workshops.
- Advanced knowledge of existing immunization data and monitoring tools in WHO.
Languages required:
Essential:
- Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable:
- Intermediate knowledge of French.
Location
Off site: Home-based.
Travel
The consultant is expected to travel.
Remuneration:
Band level C – USD 10,000 – 12,500 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