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International Consultant - Development of Small and Sick Newborn Guidelines and KMC Guidelines, Mogadishu, Somalia, 6 months

Apply now Job no: 581802
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Mogadishu
Level: Consultancy
Location: Somalia
Categories: Health

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

www.unicef.org/somalia

How can you make a difference? 

Scope of Work:
 
The consultancy will be structured in two phases. Phase one will involve the development of comprehensive guidelines for the care of small and sick newborns including KMC practices for better management of low birth weight/preterm babies. Phase two will focus on the development of training manuals for KMC.
 
The proposed methodologies will consider existing evidence, align with global newborn standards, and address local needs to ensure practical applicability in various healthcare settings.
 
The consultant's scope of work will focus on two phases.
 
Phase I. Development of National Guidelines for Small and Sick Newborn Care including KMC:
 
This includes adaptation of the WHO small and sick newborn care guidelines and guidelines from other countries with a similar context. The small and sick newborn care guideline will incorporate a module on the operationalization of Kangaroo Mother Care. The module will support to enhance technical capacity of health care providers on Kangaroo mother care, systematic implementation and scale-up of KMC in health facilities and communities. As well as monitoring and evaluation framework for tracking the implementation of the intervention, including the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) and quality improvement frameworks to ensure sustainability and effectiveness. This will involve adaptation of global best practices to the Somali context and addressing barriers such as facility readiness, staff training, and cultural acceptance.
 
Phase II. Development of KMC training manuals:
 
Phase II involves development of KMC training manuals which should include recommendations on how to build the capacity of health workers and community health workers/female health workers to provide consistent, high-quality care to small and sick newborns, including the use and monitoring of KMC.
 
Methodology:
 
Under the direct supervision of the MNCH Manager, the selected consultant will be working with the RMNCAH technical working group under the leadership of the Director of Family Health in collaboration of other UN agencies (UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA), INGOs, implementation partners, Academic institutions, private health sector and professional associations. The consultant will also collaborate with program managers from the Federal Ministry of Health and State Ministries as well as other sectors such as Nutrition.
 
Phase I: Development of National Guidelines for Small and Sick Newborn Care including KMC:
 
1. Develop a work plan including the outline of the proposed strategy for the small and sick newborn care guideline, including KMC
2. Conduct a Desk review of the newborn situation in Somalia to feed into the introduction and background of the guidelines.
3. Collate the required documents to be used as reference materials for the adaptation and development of the guideline for Somalia (WHO guideline for small and sick newborn, Newborn care in humanitarian settings, newborn guidelines from other countries with a similar context).
4. Present the inception report to the RMNCAH TWG and agree on the timelines and the process (in country).
5. For the initial development, organize an in-person 5-day consultation workshop with technical teams for the development of the guidelines, including a separate field visit to a newborn unit in the national referral hospital, one private hospital and a semi-private hospital.
Produce the first draft of the guideline with the inputs from the consultation meeting.
7. Convene virtual follow-up meetings to incorporate inputs and gaps identified (number of virtual meetings to be decided by the consultant based on needs)
8. Organize 5 days in-person workshop for validation of the guidelines.
9. Finalize and share the final draft of the small and sick newborn guideline for Somalia to include proofreading and editing.
10. Participate in the national dissemination of the guidelines.
 
Phase II: Development of KMC training manuals:
 
1. Develop a workplan including the outline of the proposed strategy for the KMC training manuals
2. Collate the required documents to be used as reference materials for KMC training manuals (WHO/UNICEF KMC training guidelines, KMC training materials from other INGOs, KMC training materials from other regions and countries)
3. Present the timelines and the process to UNICEF, Federal Ministry of health and RMNCAH TWG (virtual)
4. For the initial development, organize in-person 5 days consultation workshop with technical teams including the existing KMC TOTs in the country for the development of the KMC training manuals (facilitator and participant manuals).
5. Produce the first draft of the training manuals with the inputs from the consultation meeting.
6. Convene virtual follow up meetings to incorporate inputs and gaps identified (number of the virtual meetings to be decided by the consultant based on needs)
7. Organize 5-day in-person workshop for validation of the KMC training manuals
8. Finalize and share the final draft of the KMC training manuals proofreading and editing.
9. Participate in the national dissemination of the KMC training manuals.
 

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestones

Deliverable/Outputs

Timeline

Phase I: Development of National Guidelines for Small and Sick Newborn Care including KMC:

1. Develop workplan including the outline of the proposed strategy for the small and sick newborn care guideline including KMC

2. Conduct Desk review of the newborn situation in Somalia to feed into the introduction and background of the guidelines.

3. Collate the required documents to be used as reference materials for the adaptation and development of the guideline for Somalia (WHO guideline for small and sick newborn, Newborn care in humanitarian settings, newborn guidelines from other countries with similar context).

4. Present the inception report to the RMNCAH TWG and agree on the timelines and the process (in country).

5. For the initial development organize in-person 5-day consultation workshop with technical teams for the development of the guidelines including a separate for a field visit to a newborn unit in the national referral hospital, one private hospital and a semi-private hospital.

6. Produce the first draft of the guideline with the inputs from the consultation meeting.

7. Convene virtual follow up meetings to incorporate inputs and gaps identified (number of the virtual meetings to be decided by the consultant based on needs)

8. Organize 5 days in-person workshop for validation of the guidelines.

9. Finalize and share the final draft of the small and sick newborn guideline for Somalia to include proofreading and editing.

10. Participate in the national dissemination of the guidelines

Inception report with timelines and workplans

5 days- by 15th July of 2025

First technical workshop to develop the small and sick newborn guideline

 

10 days – by 31st of July 2025

 

Submission of the first draft

 

3 days- by 10th of August 2025

 

Validation workshop conducted

 

7 days- by 30th of August 2025

 

Submission of the Final small and sick newborn care guideline edited

 

3 days- 15th of September 2025

 

 

PPT presentation for National Dissemination of the guidelines

 

2 days- 25th of September 2025

Phase II: Development of KMC training manuals

1. Develop a workplan including the outline of the proposed strategy for the KMC training manuals

2. Collate the required documents to be used as reference materials for KMC training manuals (WHO/UNICEF KMC training guidelines, KMC training materials from other INGOs, KMC training materials from other regions and countries)

3. Present the timelines and the process to UNICEF, Federal Ministry of health and RMNCAH TWG (virtual)

4. For the initial development organize in-person 5-day consultation workshop with technical teams including the existing KMC TOTs in the country for the development of the KMC training manuals (facilitator and participant manuals).

5. Produce the first draft of the training manuals with the inputs from the consultation meeting.

6. Convene virtual follow up meetings to incorporate inputs and gaps identified (number of the virtual meetings to be decided by the consultant based on needs)

7. Organize 5-day in-person workshop for validation of the KMC training manuals

8. Finalize and share the final draft of the KMC training manuals proofreading and editing.

9. Participate in the national dissemination of the KMC training manuals

Inception report with timelines and workplan

5 days- by 1st of October 2025

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

  • An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Pediatrics.
  • Minimum 10-15 years of professional experience in neonatal care and kangaroo mother care implementation, and programming.
  • Experience in developing small and sick newborn care Guidelines, including Kangaroo mother care Guidelines.
  • Proficient writing skills in English & Computer skills (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
  • Strong understanding of the healthcare system in Somalia or similar settings.
  • Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with experience engaging a wide range of stakeholders.
  • 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. 

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:  

All applicants must submit an all-inclusive financial proposal.  Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

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 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. 

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Advertised: E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: E. Africa Standard Time

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