Purpose of consultancy
Working closely with the responsible focal points within the Department of Immunization Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB), the Consultant will align and collate the implementation of Big Catch-up activities, and liaising with the global BCU Task Team and regional and/or Inter-Country Support Team focal points to provide technical guidance.
Background
In April 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) targeted a global effort to facilitate recovery of immunization systems and close immunization gaps among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, called the “Big Catch-up” (BCU).
The BCU has three objectives: (1) restoring routine immunization coverage to at least 2019 levels; (2) catching-up missed children; and (3) strengthening health systems to sustainably reach zero-dose children and communities.
Given the urgency to catch-up missed children and control growing outbreaks, the IA2030 Partnership has encouraged Heads of State and ministers of health to prioritize implementation of the BCU from 2023-2025. In December 2023, the Gavi Board approved to exceptionally offer fully financed doses for the BCU; all antigens already in a country’s routine programme in the period 2019-2022 can be supported, and children up to 5 years of age are eligible.
WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through the Regional Working Group (RWG) mechanism, have been providing support to countries to develop catch-up plans, and 35 countries are now set to receive Gavi-supported BCU vaccine doses in 2024 and 2025. With the implementation phase of the BCU now fully underway and expected to continue into 2025, WHO is playing a key role in supporting its implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Deliverables
- Deliverable 1: Contribute to the BCU project across the three levels of the Organization:
- Facilitate timely reporting of BCU activities by liaising closely with global, regional and country-level stakeholders.
- Facilitate the provision of global guidance and provide technical contributions to regional counterparts and countries.
- Maintain linkages with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the Measles and Rubella Partnership and other disease-specific initiatives to ensure opportunities for integration are leveraged where possible.
Expected by the end of the contract.
- Deliverable 2: Prepare technical materials, including presentations, pre-reads, and talking points, for internal and external use for meetings (Gavi Board, Alliance Partnership and Performance Team (APPT), Immunization Agenda 2023 (IA2030) Partnership Council)
Expected by the end of the contract.
- Deliverable 3: Review and validate the quarterly BCU monitoring reports as they become available and assist with data collation at the global level, identify challenges and opportunities for targeted technical guidance and early course correction.
Expected by the end of the contract.
- Deliverable 4: Contribute to the overall technical aspects of the BCU project including technical/financial/donor reporting quarterly.
Expected by the end of the contract.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications
Essential:
- Advanced university degree in public health, health management, epidemiology or infectious or communicable diseases.
Experience
Essential:
- Between 5 to 10 years of practical national and international experience in managing and coordinating large-scale programmes and initiatives, preferably related to immunization.
- Strong background in project management, particularly in the field of global public health and with experience managing projects across multiple locations.
- Experience working in multi-cultural settings, working with a large number of diverse stakeholders.
- Experience in preparing technical presentations and materials.
- Familiarity with monitoring and learning in global health settings.
Desirable:
- Experience working with Gavi operations and processes.
Skills/Knowledge
Essential:
- Strong analytical skills.
- Strong project management skills.
- Excellent written communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative and flexibility.
- Familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization information systems would be an asset.
- Knowledge of specialized computer programmes, for example, statistical software such as XLStat may be an advantage.
Languages and level required
Essential:
- Expert knowledge of English
Desirable:
- Intermediate knowledge of French
Location
Offsite: Home-based
Travel
The consultant is expected to travel.
Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)
Remuneration
Band level B: USD 7,000 – USD 9,980 per month
Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited)
N/A
Expected duration of contract
6 months. Additional contracts up to a cumulative total of 11 months may be offered, subject to satisfactory performance, continued need and funding availability.
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.
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- Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
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- 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 shws@who.int.
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