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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, quality health. 

Health | UNICEF South Africa - committed to ensuring that every child survives and thrives.

Maternal and neonatal health care services in South Africa have had several related successes. Maternal HIV testing and access to ART has significantly reduced deaths from non-pregnancy related infections and new HIV infections in children, with the vertical transmission of HIV programme (VTP) reporting a reduction in infant PCR positivity at ten (10) weeks of age, however there is a resurgence of non-pregnancy related infections (NPRI) as the leading causes of maternal deaths. The 2023 savings mothers highlighted that pneumonia, TB and meningitis were the leading causes of death underscoring the importance of good quality ANC care.

The newly approved South African Maternal, Perinatal and Neonatal Health Policy (2021) identified skilled workforce for maternal and new-born health as one of the policy statements that enables the country to further reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. The policy highlights that all health care workers providing maternal and peri-natal services must be trained, competent, certified and registered with a regulated professional health body, exercising their full set of skills at the appropriate level of care as defined in the relevant scopes of practice of professional councils and regulatory bodies. This means that capacity-building efforts should be accelerated.
To improve the capacity of health care workers and to support health facilities to provide good quality maternal, child and women’s health services; Kwa-Zulu Natal has employed 44 maternal, child and women health(midwives) mentors also known as wedge midwives to provide the desired capacity building, mentoring in order to improve the quality of MCWH services. The wedge midwives will provide ongoing mentorship and quality improvement initiatives in subdistricts.

UNICEF provides technical support to improve mother and child services at the national level as well as in selected provinces. Kwa-Zulu Natal is one of the provinces that UNICEF continues to support, to improve the quality of vertical transmission, maternal and child health services.

Therefore, UNICEF seeks to contract the services of a national individual consultant to capacitate the MCWH mentors/wedge midwives in clinical leadership, mentorship and coaching in the MCWH environment. The training will empower midwives with skills to provide mentorship and employ the principles of quality improvement to improve the quality of care.

The consultant will support implementation of one output of the UNICEF 2023-2025 RWP Health and Nutrition workplan. The Output level result: Subnational institutions and systems in 14 targeted high-burden districts have strengthened capacities to deliver evidence-based MNCH, HIV/AIDS and nutrition care and services for children in a coordinated manner. Hence, the consultancy aims to support the KZN provincial department of health to capacitate the wedge midwife’s consultancy aims to implement quality improvement to improve the MCNH services.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the UNICEF HIV/AIDS Manager, and in collaboration with the Kwa-Zulu Natal Provincial Department of Health and the Regional Training Centre, the national individual consultant will develop (a) an outline of the training, (b) interactive training materials that will cover clinical leadership, mentorship, coaching and the district health system, and (c) facilitate a 3-day training for 44 MCWH mentors.

Objectives are to capacitate 44 MCWH mentors on:
• Clinical leadership and mentorship
• Coaching and quality improvement methodology
• Overview of the district health system

Activities and tasks

Execute project management role, including:

1. Development of training materials

• Develop adult based learning and interactive draft training materials, this includes presentations, training manuals, scenarios and group work based on materials that are available in south Africa
• Present the training materials to UNICEF and KZNDOH
• Finalise the training materials based on the feedback from the team
• Develop the tools that are part of the training package e.g. pre-post assessment

2. Develop a training plan and outline of the program

• Develop a training outline and program for the 3 days
• Present and finalise the training program based on the feedback

3. Conduct training

• Facilitate the 3 days training
• Conduct a pre- and post-assessment
• Conduct an assessment after every module

4. Outputs and deliverables

• Specific deliverables
• Inception report that entails the activities of the project and timelines

5. Training materials

• Training outline of the topics to be covered
• Training modules
• Training reports including pre and post training knowledge assessment.
• Final training report including progress, challenges and recommendations.
• Training report that includes
• Number of MCWH mentors trained
• Narrative results from the training (pre and post training assessment) and analysis, how results were utilised the assessment was used to inform the training and approach
• How the result of each module to address the gaps
• Further gaps that were identified during the training, suggested areas of training for follow up.

6. Specific indicators to report on

• Number of MCWH mentors trained
• Results from the training (pre and post training assessment)
• Result from module assessments

UNICEF will be responsible for overall supervision and coordination with government (KZN provincial department) KZN department of health will be responsible for all participants logistics (conferencing and accommodation). The consultant is responsible for the arrangement of their own travel, as well as facilitation and training materials.

7. Outputs

• Inception report submitted
• Training materials developed
• Pre and post assessment tools developed
• Training program developed
• Draft Training report submitted
• Final training report submitted

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Public Health, Mentorship
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in Facilitation and the Development of Training Materials
• Specialised  training and experience in the Development of Health-based Training Materials
• Specialised training and experience in Adult Learning
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Please indicate your ability and availability; and attach a technical proposal and financial proposal in ZAR to undertake the terms of reference above (including admin cost if applicable). Proposals submitted without a detailed financial proposal aligned to the assignment will not be considered.

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

UNICEF does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

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 | 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:  

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 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.