UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, works together with partners in 190 countries and territories to promote and advocate for the protection of the rights of every child.

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The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Despite the fact that Tajikistan has made important strides in strengthening its health system, significant gaps remain in the digitalization of key public health programmes, including immunization. Historically reliant on paper-based data management system, the country lacked an Electronic Immunization Registry (EIR) until the COVID-19 pandemic exposed this shortfall. In response, a basic web-based immunization system was rapidly developed to support COVID-19 vaccine registration and certification. While functional for its initial purpose, this system remains siloed and lacks the architecture, interoperability, and scalability to support a comprehensive, integrated Immunization Information System (IIS).

In the post-pandemic period, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP), through its Agency for Medical Statistics and Information (AMSI) and with technical leadership from the Republican Centre for Immuno-Prophylaxis (RCIP), has prioritized the development of a full-fledged Immunization Information System. The expansion of the current digital platform Tandurusti.tj has emerged as a strategic initiative to improve immunization coverage, enhance vaccine logistics monitoring, support real-time data use, and ultimately reduce the number of zero-dose children in the country.

The envisioned IIS will serve as a digital backbone for routine and campaign immunization tracking, adverse event monitoring, automated reminders, and evidence-based programme management. It must be interoperable with key national systems such as the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) platform, Vaccine Stock Management Information System, and health data aggregators like HMIS which is based on DHIS2.

To realize this vision, UNICEF – building on its longstanding technical engagement in Tajikistan’s health sector – is supporting the MoHSP in the design, development, and implementation of the additional features and functionalities required to transform the Tandurusti.tj platform into a fully-fledged IIS. While UNICEF plans to contract a software development firm or team of software developers to carry out the actual platform development, UNICEF CO in Tajikistan needs relevant ICT and digital health capacity required to provide technical leadership, ensure adherence to best practices, and guarantee quality assurance across all stages of the project lifecycle.
Accordingly, UNICEF seeks to hire an experienced International ICT Consultant with experience in Digital Health to lead the technical design and supervise the expansion of Tandurusti.tj into a comprehensive Immunization Information System. This expert will ensure that all technical deliverables are robust, interoperable, user-centred, and aligned with global standards and national priorities.

How can you make a difference? 

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Duration: 57 working days between July 2025 - December 2025
Supervisor: Health Specialist, UNICEF Tajikistan

TOR with detailed deliverables and concrete timeframes is at the following link  TOR IC Digital Immunisation Tajikistan.docx

The primary purpose of this consultancy is to provide strategic technical leadership and expert oversight for the design, development, and implementation of an expanded IIS based on the Tandurusti.tj platform in Tajikistan. The consultant will ensure that all new features and functionalities are technically sound, interoperable, secure, and aligned with international best practices, including guidance from UNICEF, WHO, and GAVI.

• Lead the development of a comprehensive technical requirements document based on the agreed Scope of Work (SoW) between UNICEF and the AMSI. This document shall outline the detailed functional and non-functional requirements, architectural design, security considerations, and interoperability aspects, and will serve as the principal reference guiding all work to be undertaken by the software development team on the Tandurusti.tj platform.
• Draft the Terms of Reference for the procurement of a qualified software development team or firm.
• Provide technical assistance during the vendor selection and contracting process, including evaluation of proposals.
• Oversee the software development process, ensuring that implementation is fully aligned with the approved technical requirements and design.
• Ensure quality assurance at every stage of development by reviewing deliverables, identifying gaps, and recommending corrective actions.
• Supervise the system testing process, including functional, performance, and security testing, as well as facilitate and validate user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Support the rollout and institutionalization of the IIS, including inputs to training materials, training delivery oversight, and ensuring capacity transfer to national counterparts.

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

• Education: Advanced university degree in Computer Science, ICT, or a closely related field.
• Work experience: Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in ICT, of which at least 5 years must involve providing technical assistance and thought leadership for the design and implementation of complex digital solutions for the public health sector preferably immunization.
• Demonstrated experience in the technical design, system architecture, ICT-related procurement, QA, and rollout of information systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
• Experience with information systems related to immunisation and vaccine management is a significant asset.
• Familiarity with UNICEF and WHO digital health frameworks, standards, and implementation guidance.
• Proven knowledge and experience in SDLC and project management methodologies applicable to software implementation and vendor management. Possession of internationally recognised certifications (e.g. Agile, Scrum, PMI PMP, PRINCE2, etc) is considered an asset.
• Strong analytical, communication, and coordination skills, with the ability to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders across government, UN agencies, and technical teams.
• Languages: Fluency in English. Knowledge of Russian or Tajik is significant asset.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about children’s rights and making a lasting difference on children’s lives, one of the global leading entities on children’s rights would like to hear from you.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

• CV and cover letter.
• Technical proposal describing approach/methodology to achieve the tasks of the TOR, workplan with concrete timeframes
• Financial proposal in USD-all inclusive, indicting fee per day and cost of the travel: two flights to Dushanbe during assignment and Per Diem/DSA in Dushanbe: two visits to Dushanbe 5 day/each during the assignment, total of 10 days. Annex 3 to be completed.   Annex 3.docx
• Applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered.

Applications must be received in the system by 23 July 2025 on UNICEF website.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is also proud of a diverse workforce who are profoundly committed to supporting the full realization of children’s rights, and in uplifting a rights-based approach in all that we do.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Thinks and acts strategically

(5) Works collaboratively with others 

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 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.