International Consultant for Vaccine Management Officer (VMO), Niamey Niger (6 months)

Job no: 581701
Position type: Consultant
Location: Niger
Division/Equivalent: Dakar (WCAR), Senegal
School/Unit: Niger
Department/Office: Niamey, Niger
Categories: Health

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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, health! 

Timely and equitable immunization service delivery is amongst the most cost-effective development interventions with sustained and long-term health and economic dividends for nations. And effective end-to-end vaccine stock management is at its core, ensuring life-saving vaccines are always available up to the last mile, coverage goals are met, and no child is left behind. 
However, each year, health facilities in Niger experience one or more vaccine insufficiency lasting for one month or more due to weak vaccines stock management. 
Sub-optimal stock management not only increases the operational and opportunity costs of vaccination but can also play a significant role in broadening inequities and stagnating demand, specifically affecting under-served urban poor, insecure and hard-to-reach populations. Assessment Efficiency Vaccine Management held in 2020 developed a dashboard to improve vaccine management to ensure that health facilities receive needed quantities of vaccines on time. 
Also, Niger conducted the Auto Assessment of Efficiency Vaccines Management (EVM) in 2022 and, the implementing of continuous improvement plan will allow to reinforce all logistics components. 
To proactively address vaccine stock management challenges for both Polio campaigns and Routine Immunization (RI) and, ensure the implementing and monitoring of dashboard and continuous improvement plan of EVM, UNICEF would like to recruit international consultant of Vaccine Management Officer (VMO).
The Vaccine Manager Officer will be responsible for providing technical support in the preparation, implement, and evaluation of logistical activities for Polio campaigns, and the implementing of EVM continuous improvement plan.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the overall supervision of Cold Chain and Logistics Specialist, the VMO will be accountable for the following key deliverables. 
• Ensure issues in vaccine management are identified and timely and actively addressed. 
• Follow up on the implementation of continuous improvement plan.
• Contribute on the implementation EVM-Assessment 2024. 
• Support of Expanded Programme Immunization national warehouse officers to effectively manage the arrivals, storage, temperature monitoring and control during storage and distribution and redistribution, equipment and vaccine accountability, disposal and waste management for polio campaigns and routine vaccines. 
• Support the design of distribution plans, installation budgets, and provide technical support in the supervision of cold chain equipment installations.
• Mapping of cold rooms and dry warehouses.
• Strengthen the capacity of logisticians in the polio campaigns.
• Facilitate Niger logistics team access to up-to-date stock management data including on forecast/actual quantities, stock-on-hand, consumption rates, expiry dates, open and closed vial wastage, critical operational challenges, and data use for action. 
• Ensure the regular availability of vaccines and other inputs in all health facilities offering immunization services.
Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks
• The main objective of the Vaccine Management and Cold Chain and Logistic Specialist is to support the identified provinces in the capitalization of the acquired knowledge, the transfer of competence in systematic immunization, the preparation and implementation of the logistical activities of polio and other epidemic responses. All these activities will be carried out with the aim of strengthening EPI vaccine management in an integrated manner. 

Details of the ToR including are available hereDownload File VA-International Consultant for VMO.pdf

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

  • Master’s degree is required, preferably in relevant field (e.g., business planning, supply chain management, procurement, logistics, or other quantitative degree).
    At least two (2) years of experience in international public health programme management and five (5) year in immunization, with experience in low- and middle-income countries.
    Experience in the below areas will be considered as an asset:
    • Logistics management systems. 
    • Supply chain bottleneck and root cause analysis.
    • Familiarity with inventory policies, allocation, ordering and distribution strategies and other supply chain operations. 
    • Health systems strengthening 
    • Assessing and measuring supply chain performance. 
    • Experience in training, planning and delivery of technical assistance.
    • Effective presenter including ability to adapt the message and visual aids for multiple audiences to deliver concise, impactful presentations.
    • Knowledge of supply chain management and operations 
    • Excellent analysis skills 
    • Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. 
    • Proficiency in MS Excel, PowerPoint, Word 
    • Familiarity with SMT, ODK, ViVa and field data collection is an asset. 
    • Communication and training skills and, Fluency in French, good knowledge of English is an asset.  
  • Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered 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:  

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. 

Advertised: W. Central Africa Standard Time
Application close: W. Central Africa Standard Time

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