National or International Consultancy - Development and operationalization of the National Electronic MPDSR, Maseru, Lesotho (office based) 8 months #596433
Apply now
Job no: 596433
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Maseru
Level: Consultancy
Location: Lesotho
Categories: Early Childhood Development
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF seeks to engage a consult to support the ministry of health to design, develop, deploy, and operationalize a National Electronic Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response System (eMPDSR) that will serve as the country's central platform for maternal and perinatal death notification, review, response tracking, analytics, and accountability. The system shall be interoperable with existing Government of Lesotho information systems, particularly DHIS2, CRVS, IDSR, and other national death registration platforms managed by relevant Ministries and Agencies.
The objective of this assignment is to establish a national electronic MPDSR platform that strengthens Lesotho's capacity to identify, record, review, analyse, and respond to every maternal, neonatal, stillbirth, and perinatal death through a unified, interoperable, and real-time surveillance system that links health facilities, communities, DHIS2, CRVS, IDSR, and other relevant government information systems, thereby improving mortality reporting, accountability, quality of care, and the implementation of actions aimed at reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Specific Objectives
• To digitize and automate all MPDSR notification, review, action-tracking, monitoring, and reporting processes outlined in the National MPDSR Guidelines.
• To establish a national interoperable eMPDSR platform that exchanges data seamlessly with DHIS2, CRVS, IDSR, BKM,eLMIS and other relevant government information systems involved in birth and death registration and surveillance.
• To improve the completeness, timeliness, and quality of maternal, neonatal, stillbirth, and perinatal death reporting through establishing a dual-source surveillance approach that links community- and facility-level reporting platforms.
• To provide real-time dashboards, alerts, and analytics that support monitoring of mortality trends, causes of death, modifiable factors, review outcomes, and implementation of corrective actions at facility, district, and national levels.
• To strengthen accountability by enabling systematic tracking, escalation, monitoring, and reporting of MPDSR recommendations and response actions across all levels of the health system.
• To build national and district capacity for sustainable management, administration, maintenance, and use of the eMPDSR platform through training, mentorship, and knowledge transfer to local institutions and personnel.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: 
Tor ext TMC0007047.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...
QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL) / LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT
Education:
An advanced university degree (Master's Degree or higher) in one or more of the following disciplines:
•Health Informatics
•Computer Science
•Software Engineering
•Information Systems
•Health Information Systems
•Digital Health
•Data Science
•Public Health with specialization in Health Information Systems
•Information Technology
•Electronic Engineering or related field
Work Experience:
•Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the design, development, deployment, and management of large-scale health information systems.
•Demonstrated experience in leading the development and implementation of national digital health platforms within low- and middle-income countries.
•Proven experience in development and deployment of web-based and mobile-enabled health information systems.
•At least 5 years of experience in systems integration and interoperability using international health data exchange standards.
•Demonstrated experience integrating health information systems with platforms such as DHIS2, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), disease surveillance systems, or similar national databases.
•Proven experience in software architecture, database design, cybersecurity, and data governance.
•Experience in developing dashboards, analytics, and data visualization solutions for public health programmes.
•Demonstrated experience conducting user acceptance testing, system rollout, change management, and capacity building.
•Experience working with Ministries of Health, UNICEF, WHO, UN agencies, development partners, or government institutions.
•Previous experience in maternal, newborn, child health, mortality surveillance, MPDSR, public health surveillance, or related health programmes will be an added advantage.
•Experience working in the Southern African region and/or Lesotho is highly desirable.
Language Requirements:
•Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
•Knowledge of Sesotho will be an added advantage
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
•Strong knowledge of digital health architecture and health information systems.
•Advanced knowledge of software development methodologies and system lifecycle management.
•Demonstrated expertise in interoperability frameworks, APIs, HL7 FHIR, OpenHIE, and related standards.
•Strong understanding of DHIS2 architecture and integration methodologies.
•Knowledge of maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) systems and public health surveillance frameworks.
•Knowledge of data protection, cybersecurity, privacy, confidentiality, and information governance principles.
•Expertise in database management systems, cloud-based solutions, and web technologies.
•Strong analytical, problem-solving, and systems design skills.
•Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills.
•Ability to translate business and public health requirements into technical solutions.
•Strong project management, planning, and coordination skills.
•Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality technical documentation and reports.
•Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
•Ability to train and mentor technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Desirables:
•Certification in Digital Health, Health Informatics, Enterprise Architecture, Project Management (PMP, PRINCE2), or related professional qualifications.
•Experience developing or supporting MPDSR, MDSR, surveillance, civil registration, or mortality reporting systems.
•Experience with DHIS2 Tracker, DHIS2 Events, and interoperability components.
•Experience with OpenHIM, OpenMRS, OpenHIE, FHIR, or similar digital health platforms.
•Knowledge of WHO digital health guidelines and interoperability standards.
•Experience developing systems using open-source technologies.
•Experience working on UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, Global Fund, USAID, or other donor-funded digital health initiatives.
•Knowledge of the Lesotho health system and health information architecture.
•Availability of a multidisciplinary team comprising software developers, interoperability specialists, health informatics experts, data analysts, and trainers.
•Proven track record of successfully delivering national-scale digital health solutions within agreed timelines and budgets.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
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.
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):
-
An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
-
Cover letter
-
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template)
Financial proposal templateTMC0007047.docx
-
A detailed technical proposal: The technical proposal should outline the understanding of the assignment, methodology, implementation approach, coordination and stakeholder engagement plan, quality assurance measures, risk management approach and workplan for delivery of the expected outputs.
Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
Advertised: South Africa Standard Time
Deadline: South Africa Standard Time