UNICEF Pacific Consultancy: Feasibility Study for Establishing a Centre of Excellence to Professionalize Cold Chain Equipment, & Procurement & Supply Chain Management services for Health, 61 Days

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. 

Over the past few years, significant investments have been made to strengthen immunization and health supply chain management in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). These investments focused on enhancing the cold chain, improving vaccine forecasting and stock management, and providing logistical support, as well as the wider range of procurement and supply chain management (PSCM) services for health products. An Effective Vaccine Management Assessment (EVMA) was conducted in 11 PICs in 2023-24 to evaluate the impact of these investments and further enhance supply chain performance, and combined with PSCM assessments from other agencies, demonstrate a lack of professionalization across biomedical cadres involved in cold chain management and PSCM cadres more broadly the public sector, with similar deficiencies noted in the private sector across PICTs.

Despite the progress made in strengthening the immunization and health product supply chain, the EVMA and other findings still indicate low ratings in evidence-informed management practices such as equipment maintenance, stock management, planning and monitoring, and procedure standardization. For example, the average score for maintenance and repair from Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, and Kiribati EVMAs was 61 percent, one of the lowest across facility operations criteria. Similarly, deficiencies have also been noted across cadres involved in wider health PSCM functions.

To ensure that vaccines and medical products remain potent and effective, they must be kept at optimal temperatures throughout the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the end user. However, issues such as poorly maintained or outdated refrigeration equipment, non-compliance with cold chain procedures, inadequate monitoring, and a lack of understanding of the dangers of vaccine freezing contribute to weaknesses in the supply chain, potentially compromising vaccine potency.

Cold Chain Managers, Engineers, and Technicians, especially Biomedical Engineers, play a crucial role in improving immunization cold chain and supply chain systems. To be effective in this role, they need targeted support in developing both technical and managerial skills relevant to their work. Cadres responsible for PSCM services have similar requirements.

Providing these professionals with the necessary training and resources will enable them to develop robust solutions to technical and managerial challenges, ultimately enhancing Immunization Supply Chains (ISC) and Cold Chain Equipment Management (CCEM). Currently, comprehensive training programmes on Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) Management are not regularly offered in the Pacific Island region, forcing many to seek such opportunities abroad, which is often impractical due to time and financial constraints.

To address this gap, in partnership with Fiji National University (FNU) and the East Africa Centre of Excellence (EACE), UNICEF Pacific conducted a 10-day face-to-face training workshop for selected candidates from Pacific countries. This initiative aimed to build the capacity of technical staff from PICTs, helping them identify and overcome cold chain challenges and implement effective solutions. By offering this training locally, the initiative seeks to support professionals working in immunization and other programs who otherwise might not have access to such crucial training. During this period, several stakeholders were met to discuss the potential for establishing a regional (Pacific) Centre of Excellence for Cold Chain Equipment Management. A feasibility study or landscape assessment activity was proposed to inform the setting up of the Centre of Excellence.

How can you make a difference? 

The objectives of the feasibility study or landscape assessment is to achieve the following:

1. Assess the needs for capacity building in Cold Chain Equipment Management (CCEM), immunization logistics and PSCM functional areas for health products across Pacific Island countries, from both the public and private sectors.

2. Map existing CCEM and PSCM training opportunities across Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

3. Recommend competency-based pre- and in-service education and training programs tailored to regional needs and academic structures.

4. Identify potential partner institutions for developing and delivering capacity-building programs in CCEM and PSCM.

5. Define the institutional, organizational, and financial arrangements for establishing a Centre of Excellence for CCEM in the Pacific region, including its mission, scope, legal arrangements, location, funding mechanisms, and partners involved.

6. Based on the findings, suggest an institution capable of hosting and managing the Centre of Excellence (e.g., FNU, CETVET) and contribute to its sustainability beyond the potential-initial funding period.

7. Based on the findings outline a possible roadmap for the gradual expansion of the Centre of Excellence, from an initial focus on CCEM to include broader inclusion of PSCM

The selected consultant will work closely with the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Fiji and its partners, with overall guidance and technical support from the UNICEF Pacific Multi-Country Office (MCO).

Please refer to the ToR ( FEASIB~1.PDF) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

 

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

• Please submit a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:
• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel
• Living allowance where travel is required
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

 

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in preferably Public Health, Epidemiology, Engineering, Supply chain, Public Health Policy, Global/International Health/ or other related fields

Experience & Skills:

The consultant tasked should have the following experiences and essential skills:

• At least eight years of experience, at the national and international levels, in health supply chain management, cold chain management, logistics, biomedical equipment maintenance and management, or operations management, and experience in immunization/public health programmes.
• Experience in planning, procurement, installation, commissioning, maintenance, training, monitoring, risk assessment, and boarding medical equipment is preferable.
• Familiarity with cold chain systems, effective vaccine management, inventory policies, logistics, outsourcing, segmentation strategies, integration of health products, and other system design strategies.
• Knowledge of pre-service / in-service education and academic structures. Familiarity with academic structures in the Pacific sub region is an added advantage.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and have the initiative to work independently to meet

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language 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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

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 or ethnic background or disabilities. 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:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.