Qualifications

1. Purpose of the Consultancy

The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the World Bank and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), is spearheading a transformative initiative to enhance health care access in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Under the Iran COVID-19 Emergency Response Project–Additional Financing (ICERP-AF), WHO is overseeing the deployment of cutting-edge medical and laboratory equipment to 31 provinces across the country. The goal of the consultancy is to support administrative and operational aspects of the project to ensure the deliverables are met, in line with the donor agreement, by the project end date of 31 July 2024.

2. Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a great strain on national health systems around the world, including the Islamic Republic of Iran. The country reported its first cases and fatalities in the country on 19 February 2020 and to this day continues to fight the battle against the viral infection. To strengthen the response capacities of the health system during this challenging time, a trilateral collaboration was fostered among the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, WHO, and the World Bank. As a result, in 2020, a US$ 50 million loan was secured to fund the Islamic Republic of Iran COVID-19 Emergency Response Project (ICERP), which aimed to provide the country’s health system with essential and life-saving medical and laboratory equipment. In this project, a total of 451 devices, along with their consumables, and diagnostic kits were procured and delivered to 137 hospitals and 45 laboratories in all 31 provinces of the country.

Iran COVID-19 Emergency Response Project–Additional Financing (ICERP-AF) was initiated in January 2022. Like ICERP, ICERP-AF is a dedicated endeavor to enhance access to life-saving medical equipment and services.

3. Planned timelines

Start date: 1 May 2024

End date:  31 July 2024

4. Work to be performed

The consultant under direct supervision of WHO Health Emergency Programme (WHE) Team Lead and overall guidance of the WHO Representative will:

Output I: Develop and implement a three-month action plan to ensure timely completion of the project.

·       Deliverable 1.1: Analyze procurement options, in consultation with the Ministry of Health, WHO’s Global Procurement and Logistics, and the WHO Country Office personnel, considering the supply chain, timelines, and any other pertinent data, and derive feasible/viable recommendations for any additional procurement.

·       Deliverable 1.2: Prepare progress reports and presentations to the donor and the Ministry of Health.

·       Deliverable 1.3: Evaluate the overall process of procurement, shipment/delivery, installation, training, and monitoring and evaluation and advise the WHO Country Office’s senior management on risk management and compliance issues.

·       Deliverable 1.4: Attend various project management and donor meetings, customs clearance, and other processes and assess internal and external collaboration, communication, and more generally, operations.

·       Deliverable 1.5: Draft and submit a full report of the consultancy, summarizing deliverables 1.1. and 1.3.

Deliverable Output I & II & payment

5. Specific requirements

– Qualifications required:

Essential: First University degree in public or business administration, supply chain management, or related field from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable: Professional certification/qualification in areas such project management, supply chain management, and monitoring & evaluation.

– Experience required:

Essential: Up to five years of related experience, at the national in managing large-scale projects in emergencies.

Desirable:

·       Prior working experience with WHO/UN, multilateral bank, or reputable humanitarian organizations.

·       Experience or knowledge of project management, emergency response at international levels.

– Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

·       Demonstrated knowledge of project management in an emergency context, with an emphasis on logistics and procurement.

·       Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

·       Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure.

·       Proven ability to promote cohesive action and convince officials with tact and diplomacy.

– Language requirements:

Excellent knowledge of English.

6. Place of assignment

Tehran, Iran

7. Medical clearance

The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work

8. Travel

The Consultant is expected to travel within Tehran to attend in-person meetings as required.

All travel arrangements will be made by WHO – WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO. While on mission under the terms of this consultancy, the Consultant will receive subsistence allowance. Visas requirements: it is the consultant’s responsibility to fulfil visa requirements and ask for visa support letter(s) if needed.

Additional Information (For HR use only):

·       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. 

·       The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.

Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to  [email protected]

·       An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) 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 short-listed candidates. 
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco. 
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. 
• WHO shall have no responsibility 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. 
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected]. 
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