National Consultancy: Cold Chain and Vaccine Management Consultant, 12 Months, Sana’a, Yemen (Home-Based)

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, Healthy life

In the 1970s UNICEF established presence in Yemen to respond to the urgent needs of children in the poorest country in the Middle East. In 1991, Yemen ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and it was enacted immediately.  Since then the country has been making steady progress for children until it plunged into a brutal conflict in 2015 but even before that, Yemen needed large amounts of humanitarian assistance.

In collaboration with local authorities, non-governmental organizations and community partners, UNICEF is working in all the governorates in Yemen to respond to the needs of children throughout the country with a continuum of services to help children survive and grow to their full potential through the following programmes: Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Basic Education, and Child protection.

For more on our work in Yemen, please visit our website: https://www.unicef.org/yemen/

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF Yemen is seeking a highly skilled and experienced consultant to support cold chain logistics and vaccine management component, and assist country programs in proper planning, utilization, stock management and reporting of all vaccines, and Dry items stock in Yemen.  As a cold chain consultant, you will also assist the country programs in planning, implementation, and reporting of health outposts/HEER/BCU/EAF in areas with a high risk of measles and other VPDs.

Purpose/ Objectivity of this Assignment:

 The main objective of this consultancy is to enhance cold chain system and improve vaccine management practices in Yemen, ultimately leading to increased efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of vaccine delivery and distribution.

You will deliver the following Tasks:

1. Provide support in planning, receiving, storing, deploying, and monitoring vaccine-related logistics, including waste management, in accordance with national guidelines.
2. Assist in developing monthly vaccine stock reports at the national and subnational levels, encompassing stock receipts, distribution, utilization, and wastage rates. Highlight any concerns and provide feedback to EPI (Expanded Program on Immunization) staff, along with recommendations.
3. Support the integration and deployment of Thrive360 for immunization stock reporting.
4. Aid in the deployment or strengthening of vaccine inventory tools to automate data collection for vaccine management. Develop or adopt relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines.
5. Assist in vaccine forecasting and data triangulation of stock, consumption, and coverage at all levels of the supply chain, considering data use barriers and mitigation strategies.
6. Support the completion of a cold chain equipment inventory analysis for all governorates.
7. Update the Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) inventories on a quarterly basis through the DHIS-2 (District Health Information System).
8. Assist in developing a decommissioning and maintenance plan for cold chain equipment.
9. Organize capacity development events and devise on-the-job training plans for key partners.
10. Provide technical support for the implementation of health outposts/HEER (Health Education and Emergency Response)/BCU (Big Catch-Up) in areas at high risk of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Ensure detailed vaccine distribution plans are developed in accordance with the micro plans. Prepare vaccine accountability reports after each implementation round.
11. Supervise routine vaccine supply at all levels to ensure compliance with vaccine management guidelines.

To view the full Job Profile, hold CTRL & double-click on the following link:  Job Profile for Cold Chain Consultant.pdf

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

Education: 

Diploma in Public health, Community medicine, cold chain & vaccine management, or other relevant field.

Experience:

• To have more than 5-year experience in cold chain, and vaccine management.
• Extensive experience in stock management, forecasting, microplanning, solarization, and installation.
• Proven expertise in developing facilities CCE Inventory, HSS3, and CCEOP application.
• Strong knowledge of relevant regulations, standards, and best practices related to cold chain, vaccine management, HEER/BCU, and EAF Interventions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic is required. Knowledge of English would be an advantage.

Language:

Fluency in spoken & written Arabic is required. Knowledge of English is an asset.

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 for ensuring 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, programmme 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.
• Candidates are required to provide an all-inclusive fee proposal as part of their application. It is better to attach a table which shall include fees for the deliverables, DSA, and travel cost (if applicable)
• Candidates are required to provide a technical proposal as part of their application.