National Individual Consultancy for Immunization Supply Chain Officer in Hargeisa, Somaliland

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, health 

Under the guidance of the cold chain specialist to support the supply chain systems improvements and management processes required to ensure timely supply of quality vaccines for the supplementary immunization activities and expanded routine immunization services.

www.unicef.org/Somalia

How can you make a difference? 

Scope of work:

As a key partner of the GPEI, UNICEF has the mandate to provide assistance to fast track and effective coordination, planning and monitoring for C4D and cold chain logistics activities at the field level which needs day-to-day field office guidance and inputs. This will harness the strength and contribution of all stakeholders at the state and regional levels for effective response to the outbreak. The organization relies on highly trained and experienced personnel of staff and consultants to meet this obligation.

The consultant will support work across the country. The key areas of support will include cold chain and logistics capacity assessment using appropriate tools for vaccine and logistics distribution, temperature monitoring, vaccine utilization reports, reverse logistics, participation in regional and district coordination meetings, capacity building, monitoring and supervision. The consultant will provide weekly update after clearance from the appropriate specialist to the MoHD authorities and UNICEF field office teams. S/he will also support additional immunization related tasks and assignments that may be required. The consultant shall work closely with the relevant specialists to perform these tasks.

Work Assignment Overview:

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Participate in the planning process for Polio campaigns and other SIA including support to the forecasting process for vaccines and devices at all levels and act as the secretariat for the National Logistics Working Group (NLWG)

Vaccine and cold chain devices forecast are available through planning meetings of National Logistics Working Group (NLWG)

Support the implementation of the Effective Vaccine Management improving plans and sharing of quarterly updates of implementation status to stakeholders

EVM implementation status reports are shared on monthly basis

Support the modeling / conception of deployment strategy from central level to the periphery, identify and fill the

supply chain gaps

Vaccine transportation systems- alternative plans are developed and implemented

Coordinate with Supply section to ensure all vaccines/devices, CCE and other logistics are delivered timely to recipients

Support the facilitation of the rapid delivery of routine, polio and other accelerated disease control vaccines and associated supplies/equipment and deployment to vaccination centers / target groups.

Distribution report of timely vaccines

Collate monthly vaccine stock balances from the subnational stores and regional store and using the balances to develop quarterly vaccine & devices requirements to the subnational stores

Availability of vaccine deployment plan for SIAs & RI, stock balances especially for campaigns are determined and used to forecast the next supplies

Follow up to ensure timely submission of the Vaccine Arrival Report (VAR) to the

Supply Division

Vaccine utilization reports shared with UNICEF and MoH and prepare and quarterly distribution plans for RI to subnational stores

Prepare and submit vaccine utilization report after every polio campaign with

SCO and RO

Contribute to the development and implementation & monitoring framework to guide the state/regional supply chain / cold chain and logistics matters and ensure close monitoring of the planning and the implementation phases under the guidance of the cold chain specialist

Immunization supply chain plan, implementation and monitoring framework is in place

Assist the arrival of polio campaign and outbreak response vaccines and rapid delivery to the central vaccine store/hubs

Availability of distribution and monitoring plans for emergency vaccines from central stores to

regional stores

Assist the arrival and rapid delivery of any bundled cold-chain equipment and devices to the state/regional hubs as follow up in the implementation of

distribution plans and installation.

Bundled cold chain equipment are delivered on time and as planned

Provide close and extensive supportive supervision & monitoring of supply chain & logistics interventions at national and

subnational levels.

Extensive supportive field visits are conducted, and report showing challenges, enabling factors and clear action points are shared.

Identify and document enabling factors,

challenges and lessons learnt from the vaccine deployment activities.

Contribute to capacity building of Cold chain and logistical government staff and UNICEF personnel on logistic aspects of cold chain and vaccine management.

MoH Staff of iSC and frontline immunization staff capacity building for cold chain and vaccine development are developed and

implemented.

Update guidance and tools (including waste collection and treatment) and support the adequate implementation of the campaign vaccination waste.

management strategy

iSC guidelines, job aids and tools are updated and are used at the facilities

Write and submit monthly and final consultancy report including analysis of coverage and social data, challenges, gaps, recommendations & best practices

Monthly and final consultancy reports with all the required inputs are submitted

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

• A first University degree is required in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Procurement, Health related specialty and other related field.
• A good understanding of immunization supply chain structure, Effective Vaccine Management procedures and usage of cold chain inventory tool for assessment.
• At least 5 years previous relevant and proven experience in the EPI programme particularly on cold chain or vaccine security (Essential).
• Excellent interviewing and facilitation skills, particularly via remote methods about gender considerations and cultural sensitivities (Essential)
• Fluency in Somali and good command of written and spoken English is required.
• Ability to produce technically sound, well-written assessment report with all essential elements included. (Essential)
• Experience with working in the Somalia context or other fragile contexts (Advantageous)
• Prior experience with UN and other international organizations and exposure to UNICEF’s work (Advantageous)
• Competencies: Drive to achieve results for impact, works collaboratively with others, thinks, and acts strategically (Essential)

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 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks: 

UNICEF only considers Higher education 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 at http://www.whed.net.

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. 

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

Read Full Description