Individual National Consultant – Vaccine Management (VM) Field – Polio Surveillance and Response, Gaborone, Botswana, 6 months only (Remote)

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Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The National Vaccine Management (VM) Field Consultant, under the overall guidance of Deputy Representative, with technical guidance from the Health and Nutrition Specialist, will provide support to the EPI Team and Ministry of Health (MOH) for Polio Outbreak Preparedness and Response and utilization of nOPV2 vaccine in Botswana, including supporting implementation of the National Immunization Strategy activities.

Further, and in the event that polio supplementary activities are implemented, the National Vaccine Management Field Consultant will facilitate a timely and effective implementation of polio SIA and ensure that the capacity of local institutions is strengthened, to respond to, and coordinate the polio SIA interventions that demonstrate results and impact achieved with high coverage. In summary, the local consultants will be responsible for assisting country programmes in proper planning, utilization, stock management, disposal (if necessary) and reporting of all vaccines used in polio outbreak response campaigns.

Background:

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023 aimed to achieve and sustain a polio-free world. However, the GPEI program in Botswana is facing significant challenges in responding to the current cVDPV2 polio outbreak. Recent initiatives have provided insights into addressing the cVDPV2 outbreaks, but there are pending tasks such as, reinforcing surveillance measures, and executing targeted nOPV2 mop-up campaigns. These campaigns are part of Botswana’s national immunization strategy and align with ARCC’s emphasis on a comprehensive strategy.

The recent detection of an emerging virus, BOT FRA1, highlights the dynamic nature of the polio threat, requiring continued consultant support for surveillance and response efforts including vaccine management, cold chain management and monitoring. The complex and urgent nature of these tasks, linked to global and regional recommendations, necessitates awarding contracts for a field consultant to ensure resilience and adaptability in the pursuit of polio eradication in Botswana amid the current outbreak. Support and expertise are crucial to maintaining effective polio surveillance and response mechanisms.

UNICEF, being the lead technical agency for cold chain and vaccines management, is accountable for supporting the EPI/MoH and its implementing partners in vaccines and logistics management as well as cold chain system operations, and management in collaboration with World Health Organisation, and other partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). This technical expertise can be leveraged to strengthen routine immunization. The organization relies on highly trained and experienced personnel and consultants to meet this obligation.

SCOPE OF WORK/OBJECTIVES

To provide technical assistance and build local capacity for vaccine management and immunisation logistics and supply chain for the polio outbreak preparedness and response nation-wide, following will be the specific tasks:
– Provide technical support to the EPI/MOH to assess the cold chain and logistics support required through carrying out a rapid desk review of country cold chain inventory, updating available documents and performing a gap analysis to ascertain fast and slow cold chain gaps across all cold stores.
– Assist in building the national and district cold chain and logistics equipment inventory while ensuring quarterly update of national and district cold chain inventory using the WHO approved inventory replacement tool (IRP).
– Carry out monthly analysis and dissemination of temperature monitoring reports from national and district cold stores leveraging on all available digital temperature monitoring devices while monitoring the status of functionality of all cold chain equipment at the district pharmacies and health facilities.
– Train cold chain managers on planned preventive maintenance of cold chain equipment, curative maintenance, SOPs for cold chain equipment and inventory management.
– Review and update nOPV2 training materials to facilitate training for National level and district officers’ cold chain and vaccines managers on nOPV2 outbreak response.
– Support the micro-planning exercise.
– Conduct vaccines management training for national and district pharmacists and CHNs on effective vaccines management with development of continuous improvement plan (cIP) from previous EVMA conducted.
– Update a National Logistics Plan for nOPV2 campaign which details plans to close CCE and storage facility gaps by analyzing and showing fast and slow cold chain resources available, guidelines on management and containment of nOPV2 vials, reverse logistics requirements, vial disposal and waste management activities.
– Provide capacity building sessions for national and district pharmacist in the management and handling of nOPV2 vaccine, transportation, storage, retrieval, accountability, and destruction during nOPV2 outbreak response.
– Support Central Medical Stores (CMS) in SIA vaccines forecasting at the national level and monitor and support the receipt of all vaccines into the country documenting the vaccines arrival report (VAR) electronically and physically Assist the Health Specialist to develop detailed vaccine management implementation plan with a monitoring framework to ensure quality implementation of SIA and that the planned SIA results are achieved.
– Provide regular comprehensive bottleneck analysis of stock level in the district and national cold store, cold chain operational status across the country and antigen coverage (RI & SIA) of districts and country while providing the NLWG innovative solutions to vaccine management and logistics issues on a regular basis.
– Assist in engaging with key stakeholders like the EOC, EPI program, WHO, Botswana Red Cross Society and other existing partners, and donors supporting the preparedness and response activities, performing other duties as will be assigned within the scope of this work.
– Provide frequent and regular reports to UNICEF and MOH/EPI/EOC on all aspects of polio cold chain logistics/ vaccine management and contribute to the drafting of SITREPS and bulletins. Prepare reports according to GPEI requirements.
– Document lessons learned and shared with stakeholders in a timely manner.
– Regular supportive supervisory field visits to districts and health facilities to assess progress, identify problems and propose remedial or alternative strategies to accelerate/improve quality of vaccines management, cold chain management practices, routine, and supplementary immunization service delivery.
– Support the EPI program with epidemiological surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases and other diseases with epidemic potential using antigen coverage data and immunization coverage (using DHIS2).

The key tasks and indicative timeline are provided below. The tasks will be conducted in close collaboration with the UNICEF Country and Regional Offices.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
To whom will the consultant report (supervisory and any other reporting/communication lines):
– The Vaccine Management Consultant will report to the UNICEF Country Office Health & Nutrition Specialist and share periodic updates with immunization and supply chain coordinator, EPI unit in MoH.
– They are also expected to give support to the EPI team as well as the Programme Manager EPI MOH when needed.
– It is expected that the consultant prepares an implementation plan with timelines for the assignment, outlining planned tasks and concrete steps to be undertaken to accomplish the planned tasks within the scheduled time.
– Regular discussions will be held face-to-face, virtually, and the consultant is expected to stay in touch via telephone, e-mails and other means such as Teams, WhatsApp, Zoom or Skype.

How will the individual contractor consult and deliver work and when will reporting be done:

– The consultant will need to present the draft documents as well as the final report to UNICEF and MOH.
– At the beginning of the assignment, the consultant is expected to produce and agree with UNICEF on the workplan schedules for the assignment period. February – July 2024

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

Minimum Qualifications required:

Bachelors

Disciplines: Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health. An advanced university degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to the area of the expertise –Medicine or Public Health, Pharmacy, Public Health or any of the sciences will be an added advantage.

Experience:
• At least 5 years of professional work experience at national level in outbreak response, routine immunization, public health, and other relevant programs.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical assistance to governments on the implementation of outbreak responses (Polio)
• Emergency work experience is an asset.
• Willingness to immediately take up the assignment.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Skills:
– Ability to work independently, under pressure, and within deadlines, including strong planning and coordination skills.
– Good communication, advocacy and people skills and the ability to communicate with various stakeholders and to express concisely and clearly ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
– Strong interpersonal communication and writing skills, with ability to lead/train a group of individuals and impart knowledge.

Languages:
• Professional level knowledge of written and spoken English is a requirement. All reports must be submitted in English.
• Fluency in Setswana will be an added advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  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.

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:  

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

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.