Health (Digital Information System) Specialist, NOC, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania # 00128620 (Temporary Position)

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For every child, Health

The United Republic of Tanzania is going through a rapid phase of development of its Primary Health Care systems, in both mainland and Zanzibar. As the access to and utilization of services has increased substantially over the past decade, the emphasis on quality, sustainability and system strengthening is a key priority of the government. The functionality, and use of health information is a core pillar to achieve this, and Tanzania has been at the forefront in digitalizing health management information systems in the Eastern and Southern Africa region. The National digital health strategy 2019-2024, which is currently being reviewed with support from UNICEF, articulates this commitment with its focus on innovative, data-driven, client-centric, efficient, effective, and integrated digital health solutions.

UNICEF Tanzania’s heath program is focused on strengthening the primary health care (PHC) system at facility and community levels to equitably deliver quality services for children. The quality of data systems is a core area of work in which substantial progress has been made over the past few years in close collaboration with the government and other partners:

• Improved functionality and usability of the government’s electronic Medical Records (eMR) system for PHC, GoTHOMIS, including its centralization and accessibility through a mobile application.
• Inclusion of the Tanzania Immunization Registry (TIMR) into GoTHOMIS
• Establishment of a digital client feedback mechanism for PHC (Mama na Mwana) which is currently in use across 19 mainland regions and where data is linked to HMIS and visualized in DHIS-2 dashboards.
• Integration of the Unified Community Solution (UCS) Health information system with GoTHOMIS and Mama na Mwana
• Integration of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System with HMIS, including the roll out of the simplified death registration module
• Improvement of the digitized supportive supervision system (Afya SS)

UNICEF is uniquely positioned in the digital health space through its convening partner and ability to provide robust technical assistance. Through its convening power, the move towards defragmentation has been accelerated and partner alignment to government systems has increased. These efforts have been widely recognized, reflected for example by a recent agreement with the World Bank to provide technical assistance for the transformation of digital health information systems on Zanzibar. UNICEF is also co-chairing the sub-committee on health information in the National Community Health Taskforce for Tanzania mainland.

How can you make a difference?

The overall objective of the position is to ensure continuity of UNICEF’s support to strengthen digital health management information systems through solutions that are holistic, integrated and fit for purpose in the Tanzanian context.

The specific objectives include:

• To provide high quality contextual technical assistance to the government and its counterparts in the area of strengthening health management information systems and in streamlining digital health solutions.
• To keep abreast of and contribute to the government’s digital strategies, data governance system structure, and on-going discussions in digital health, and ensure an alignment of what UNICEF investments and governments’ initiatives.
• To develop, sustain and build government capacity and ownership of platforms and supporting applications for facilitating evidence-based decision making.

Scope of work.

1.Strengthen coordination with government and stakeholders in digital health.

• Promote alignment of partners with government health information systems through proactive dialogue and engagement, including through the Development Partner Group for Health (DPG-H), with implementing partners and academia.
• Participate and contribute to the government’s Technical Working Group (TWG) number 10 on ICT, Information Systems Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning on Tanzania mainland and the Digital Health TWG on Zanzibar.
• Co-chair the sub-committee on health information in the National Community Health Taskforce
• Maintain and strengthen working relationships with government counterparts (MoH, PORALG) including through capacity building and provision of hands-on technical advice.

2.Provide leadership in digital health across UNICEF Tanzania’s health program.

• Liaise and collaborate with colleagues in UNICEF health program section as well as with colleagues in other sections that work on health management information and associated systems (Nutrition, HIV, WASH, Child Protection)

• Manage the digital health component of the client feedback mechanism (Mama na Mwana), including the transition of the server to the government system and preparing for national launch.
• Provide technical assistance for the scale up of GoTHOMIS including the documentation of learning from the old to new (centralized) system.
• Oversee the improvement (Mainland) and development (Zanzibar) of the digital supportive supervision system (Afya SS).
• Supervise consultants and institutions contracted by UNICEF to provide dedicated support to the government in the field of digital health.
• Identify opportunities for development and strategic engagement.
• Contribute to the development of funding proposals with relevance for digital health.

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

The following minimum requirements:

• A Master’s degree in one of the following fields is required: Health management information systems, Digital Health Information Systems, Information Technology, Knowledge management, or related field.
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in Health-related programs is required.
• Knowledge and experience of working with health information and planning systems in Tanzania is a required.
• Solid experience of program management, including the development of sound technical plans, budgets, reports, and presentations is required.
• In-depth knowledge of the TCP / IP protocol suite; security architecture; securing and hardening Operating Systems; Networks; Databases; and Applications
• Database Administrator certifications
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Kiswahili.

The following desirables:

• Additional relevant courses/degrees, such as public health, research methods, computer science, and data analysis and knowledge management are an asset.
• Experience of engaging in research and evaluation projects is an asset, including the use of open-source data capturing.
• Experience in IT or database administration and the following systems is an asset: Java GUI, Angular front-end development, SQL, Postgres, or equivalent database tools, Agile software development using JIRA, multiple OS platforms with strong emphasis on Linux (CentOS, Red Hat, Ubuntu), Mac OS X, and Windows systems

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships, (1) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness,(1) Drive to achieve results for impact, (1) Innovates and embraces change, (1) Manages ambiguity and complexity, (1) Thinks and acts strategically, (1) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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 appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidate and persons living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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