National Individual Consultant: Quality of care indicator consultant at UNICEF

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

UNICEF is a core member of global network for quality improvement (Quality, Equity and Dignity (QED) network) of which WHO has been servicing as a global secretariat. Tanzania is one of member countries who proactively participates and contribute to a global efforts and knowledge sharing in improving quality of maternal and newborn care. At country level, with WHO Tanzania, UNICEF Tanzania has been working with Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC) to come up with a joint workplan to streamline our investments and monitor its outcomes. One of technical areas where this joint effort aiming to achieve is to increase and improve availability and quality of data to measure and track quality of care indicators as per global recommendations.

How can you make a difference?

Data plays critical role to inform policy and programme making. Accuracy and consistency in indicator definition and ensuring an alignment with the global recommendations are critically important to monitor the real status of outputs and outcomes against RMNCAH services. In order to harmonize our efforts across the RMNCAH data within UNICEF Tanzania, a robust technical support from the expert would strengthen and expedite our programme redesign process, implementation and advocacy.

MAIN OBJECTIVES, TASKS, DELIVERABLES AND TIME FRAME

The overall objective of this consultancy is to support UNICEF Health section to strengthen several areas of programmatic work that depend on the availability, use and monitoring of quality of care indicators for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent health (RMNCAH).

The specific objectives include:

• To support redesign of the Mama na Mwana programme.
• To provide technical support in contribution to Global Quality, Equity and Dignity of care (QED) network.
• To provide technical support in strengthening availability of adolescent specific indicator availability in routine health information systems.

Specific Tasks

The consultant is expected to support UNICEF Health section with technical expertise in the area of quality-of-care indicators in the context of the Tanzanian health system. Specifically, the consultant will work on the following tasks contributing to the consultancy objectives;

1. To support redesign of the Mama na Mwana programme through review and development of its content to capture validated quality of care indicators across programmatic areas with relevance for RMNCAH in the Tanzanian health system.

• Literature review of studies validating and/or evaluating self-reported quality of care indicators with relevance for RMNCAH in the Tanzanian health system
• Review current guidance on what quality of care indicators are recommended for tracking/monitoring/use within the Tanzania national strategic plans (including One Plan II/III, ENAP and HSSP IV/V)
• Review current set of Mama na Mwana questions against list of relevant validated indicators, suggest indicators to drop, add or merge
• Conduct stakeholder consultations within UNICEF, development and implementing partners and government to identify additional cross-sectoral indicators including for Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Early Childhood Development (ECD)CD, parenting, child protection and gender-based violence (GBV)
• Produced revised list of indicators for the Mama na Mwana program based on evidence review, revision of indicators and cross-sectoral additions with relevance for Tanzania
• Present revised list of Mama na Mwana indicators to Mama na Mwana stakeholders for validation
• Finalization of Mama na Mwana indicators and

2. Adolescent indicator situation reviews and policy brief development.

• Literature reviews and key informant interview to identify global recommendations for strengthening adolescent’s data availability.
• Development of inception report with policy briefs to strategize advocacy to the Government stakeholders to improve availability of adolescent’s data in routine information systems.

DELIVERABLES

  *Expected date of completion would be highly affected by COVID-19 pandemic situation. 

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payments will be made upon submission and acceptance of the specified deliverables in the table above under section TASKS, DELIVERABLE AND TIME FRAME. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines

METHODOLOGY

The consultant will work under direct guidance of the P3 Health specialist with overall guidance of the Health manager for Primary Health Care. For the various deliverables, the consultant will also receive specific guidance from the Health section C4D specialist, Health specialist QoC and Immunization specialist. In addition, in order to perform the expected tasks, the consultant will be required to work closely with various Government counterparts, development partners and implementing partners.

The consultant will be tasked to communicate with relevant stakeholders as UNICEF representative as necessary to complete her/his tasks. S/he will be requested to regularly update the progress status to UNICEF team members by oral or written as appropriate

Supervision

The Consultant will work under the supervision of the Health Specialist, in close collaboration with the Health Manager (PHC), Health specialist (Quality of Care), Health specialist (Immunization – HSS) and C4D specialist.

Working conditions

Additional details of UNICEF rules, regulations and conditions will be attached to the contract
Medical Evacuation Coverage:
The consultant will be required to submit the proof of medical/Health Insurance with medical evacuation coverage.

ASSESSMENT /SELECTION PROCESS AND METHOD

Interested consultant will be assessed on the basis of a technical and financial proposal. The financial proposal should be prepared in TZS and inclusive of all cost including travel and accommodation and contain a breakdown for each component of the proposed work deliverables, based on an estimate of time taken, which needs to be stated. The budget narrative must explain the assumptions behind all cost estimates.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you are required to have the following:

• Advanced degree in public health or relevant area such as Monitoring and Evaluation.

• Fluency in spoken and written English and Swahili.

• Solid knowledge on accurately defining and handling health-related data

Employment experience – 5 years progressively responsible professional work experience at global and national level in health-related information and data, especially quality of care and adolescents’ indicators.

A suitable candidate should have experience in the following areas.

• Work experience in quality of care work at global level.

• Being able to work and communicate with Tanzania government officials and various type of stakeholders who are working in the relevant areas.

• Work experience in defining and evaluating quality of care and adolescent area in Tanzania.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are; Builds and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, innovates and embraces change, drive to achieve results for impact, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically, work Collaboratively with others.

https://www.unicef.org/careers/media/1041/file/UNICEF%27s_Competency_Framework.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 deadline for submitting the application is 23 April 2021

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