Contract Duration- 19 Months
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.
Purpose of Assignment:
The purpose of this consultancy is to ensure the full and continuous functionality of the Regional Working Group (RWG) Secretariat for Immunization in West and Central Africa (WCA) during UNICEF’s chairing period (July 2025–June 2027).
The consultant will provide technical coordination, monitoring, knowledge management, and partner engagement support necessary to implement the RWG mandate under Gavi 6.0 holistic application, VPOP process, and the development / reprogramming of NIS.
This consultancy is essential to enable UNICEF to fulfil its leadership responsibilities as RWG Chair and to coordinate the work of partners across all 24 countries in the WCA region. The consultant will manage harmonizing technical assistance, monitoring country‑level processes, strengthening five technical working groups, and ensuring timely follow‑up to RWG recommendations.
The consultant will therefore ensure continuity of governance, information flow, progress tracking, and technical quality throughout 2026, indirectly supporting countries and partners to achieve immunization objectives and advance IA2030 goals.
Scope of Work:
The consultant will operate as a core member of the RWG Secretariat and member of Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Working Group (TWG), working closely with UNICEF, WHO, Gavi and regional partners. Tasks reflect the responsibilities include technical coordination, monitoring, and partner engagement.
A. Coordination of RWG Workplan & Gavi 6.0/NIS Processes
• Coordinate the update and implementation of the RWG annual workplan, ensuring support to concerned countries on Gavi 6.0 holistic application and VPOP processes, as well as NIS development and reprogramming, is fully integrated as priority areas.
• Coordinate regional partner supports in planning and executing steps of the country’s holistic application including development of country roadmaps, coordination of technical inputs, tracking submission timelines, and cross‑TWG synchronization.
• Organize and coordinate RWG meetings, ensuring timely preparation and dissemination of all required documentation including agendas, background notes, analytic summaries, meeting minutes, and decision trackers.
B. Monitoring, Reporting, and Quality Assurance
• Develop and maintain a robust monitoring RWG dashboard covering: Gavi 6.0 holistic application readiness, NIS progress (development, reprogramming, costing), Partner technical assistance tracking.
• Provide regular situation analyses and alerts to identify risks in timelines, quality, or process compliance.
• As part of M&E TWG, produce quarterly RWG monitoring reports, including country performance updates, strategic coordination meeting submission tracking, RWG follow‑up actions, synthesis of Gavi Secretariat feedback.
C. Strengthening Partner Engagement & Country Support
• Facilitate coordination between regional partners UNICEF, WHO, Gavi, WB, Africa CDC, NGOs and partners supporting Immunization.
• Maintain updated mapping of partner activities and technical support missions.
• Coordinate support for country briefings with required analytics ahead of key processes (Gavi application, JRF, NIS submissions, ICC reviews) including development of priority country profiles.
• Consolidate partner contributions and ensure consistent messaging and quality assurance of support to countries.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: 
Terms of Reference TMC0001705.pdf
Minimum requirements: (Qualifications/Experience/Expertise/Skills)
Education Required:
- Advanced university degree in Public Health, Global/International Health, Health Policy and Management, or other fields relevant to immunization.
Expertise and Skills Required:
- At least 8 years of relevant professional work experience at national and international levels in primary health care
- Substantive experience and technical knowledge on immunization
- Demonstrated experience in coordinating health and immunization processes, programmes and/or strategies
- Strong communication and negotiating skills
- Demonstrated ability to produce high quality technical documents, including reports,
- Experience with UN agencies is an asset.
- Fluency in English and French required
For every Child, you demonstrate Love.
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):
Remarks: If the TOR and financial proposal documents are not visible 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.