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, Vaccination

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

Over the past two years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in the northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Over the past two decades, Ethiopia has made significant steps in expanding and improving its immunization program. However, according to the WUENIC 2023 estimates, Ethiopia is amongst the top 10 countries with the highest number of zero-dose children (917,000), ranking third and 4^th for countries with the largest number of children unprotected from measles (1.5 million) globally. Frequent vaccine stockouts, weak vaccine stock management at the woreda and health facility levels, and limited stock data visibility at subnational levels are among the health system bottlenecks affecting equity and coverage in immunization programs.

In the past, UNICEF has played a vital role in supporting Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) and its agencies, including the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service (EPSS) and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), in delivering vaccines for routine immunization, supplemental vaccination activities (SIAs) and responding to vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), during humanitarian settings and global emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

To address ongoing immunization supply chain and vaccine stock management gaps in delivering routine, catch up and supplementary immunization vaccines at all levels, UNICEF plans to deploy six Vaccine Management Specialists (VMS) consultants. These consultants will provide crucial technical support to strengthen the immunization supply chain, with special focus to vaccine stock management at all levels including the management of cold chain, vaccines, dry supplies, and other logistics. Their role is to ensure the availability and equitable delivery of immunization services across the country.

The VMS will be based at MoH, UNICEF Country Offices & EPSS Center, with frequent travel to subnational levels to provide technical support, ensuring comprehensive and effective immunization services across the country.

Scope of Work:

The Vaccine Management Specialists (Consultant) will assist MoH and EPSS in managing the immunization supply chain. This includes planning, forecasting, procurement, storage distribution, monitoring, and reporting. The specialist will also help build capacity at regional and local levels to manage vaccine supply and cold chain systems effectively.

Detailed Activities:

Under the guidance of the UNICEF Immunization Officer/EPSS Inventory management Director, the Vaccine Management Specialist (Consultant) will:

• Technical support on demand forecasting and supply planning for immunization supplies.
• Build the capacity of government counterparts to strengthen immunization supply chain system at subnational level.
• Support in optimization and monitoring of Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) platforms!
• Manage vaccine stock data quality and inventory visibility at all levels.
• Regular monitoring and evaluation of immunization supply chain performance
• Support the Last Mile delivery expansion plan of Subnational EPSS to the Service delivery points.
• Manage Immunization wastes and decommissioning of CCE.

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, OFFICE BASED.

Please note that applications submitted without a fee rate will not be considered.

 New TOR _Vaccine management specialist( consultants) for MOH EPSS and UNICEF ECO_J.pdf

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

Education:

• Master’s degree in pharmacy, public health, Logistic and Supply chain management, or related fields from a recognized University/institution.

Experience:

• At least seven years of experience in the supply chain, storage, logistics, and inventory control of supplies, preferably in the health sector.
• Expertise in health logistics, supply planning, forecasting and customs clearance.
• Strong knowledge of the Ethiopian health sector and supply chains.
• Experience in developing national CCE inventories and rehabilitation plans.
• Skilled in WHO PQS-listed equipment and Gavi CCEOP processes.
• Proficient in temperature monitoring, cold room mapping and RTM installation.
• Familiar with strategies to reach zero-dose children.
• Proven track record in engaging with Ministry of Health and its agencies like EPSS.
• Experienced in training, technical assistance and SOP/guideline/training guide development.
• Strong skills in data quality, reporting and analytics.
• Excellent analytical, communication and presentation abilities.
• Collaborative in diverse team and partner environments.
• Proficient in MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Fluent in English; willing to travel frequently.

For every Child, you demonstrate…   

UNICEF's values:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

UNICEF Competencies:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons with disability are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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 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.