Consultant: Consultancy to conduct Literature review and stakeholder consultations on parameters for measuring delivery effectiveness – Nutrition, PD, NYHQ/Home based – Req # 535036

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Consultancy Title: Consultancy to conduct Literature review and stakeholder consultations on parameters for measuring delivery effectiveness

Section/Division/Duty Station: NUT-PD/NYHQ

Duration: 3 months

 

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Preventive public health and nutrition programs, such as immunization, screening for acute malnutrition and micronutrient supplementation are a key component of a successful health system. Preventive interventions, such as vaccines, deworming, micronutrient supplements etc. are generally highly cost-effective and deliver extensive benefits to society in terms of averted mortality and morbidity. Although almost all preventive programs are delivered community-wide, they use a variety of different delivery strategies, including campaigns, targeted outreach and routine service delivery. Effectiveness of delivery is sometimes equated with coverage and equity in distribution, but an encompassing definition could plausibly include additional attributes, such as sustainability, resilience, responsiveness and efficiency (e.g. cost-effectiveness). A key limitation is our understanding of what makes for ‘effective delivery’, as well as how decision-makers perceive of and use the concept of delivery effectiveness.

Focusing on vitamin A supplementation (VAS), UNICEF is conducting analysis of the effectiveness of delivery strategies for preventive nutrition and health services. VAS is one of the world’s largest public health programs that reaches approximately 250 million children every year in countries that are at increased risk of vitamin A deficiency. Supplementing children aged 6 to 59 months with a high dose of vitamin A is a highly effective public health intervention in deficient populations that saves millions of lives. Because supplementation does not address underlying causes of deficiency, it must be repeated every four to six months – or until dietary intake of vitamin A is sufficient. Despite the potential benefits of VAS, data for 2018 suggest less than two-thirds of children in at-risk countries receive the recommended doses of vitamin A. Most doses of the supplement are delivered through campaigns, but these take various forms, including integrated child health days and co-delivery with oral polio vaccines in house-to-house campaigns. Increasingly, vitamin A is being delivered during ongoing, routine health system contacts. 

Purpose

The nutrition section is looking for a consultant to conduct a literature review and synthesize results of stakeholder consultations to create a comprehensive overview of relevant goals and metrics for the effectiveness of health and nutrition intervention delivery.

Expected results: (measurable results)

Initial review of existing information

Literature review and analyses to identify goals and metrics for effectiveness currently in use in health and nutrition.

Technical Consultation

Develop a discussion paper on the findings of the literature review that will serve as an input to guide technical consultations with partners and other relevant stakeholders, including a set of proposed definitions of delivery effectiveness

Facilitate online technical consultation of partners and stakeholders

Summarize input from partners and stakeholders

Draft a conceptual framework based on the literature review and outcomes of consultation to be used in further assessment of delivery effectiveness

Journal submission

Draft and finalize a peer-reviewed journal article on definitions and metrics for effectiveness of VAS delivery

 

Duty Station: Remote based work

 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

 

Deliverables

(See the last page for guidance on formulating deliverables) Duration

(Estimated # of Days) Deadline

Report of literature review of existing information on metrics for delivery effectiveness   15 days            6th November

Discussion paper on the findings of the literature review for stakeholder consultation            3 days  20th November

Synthesis report on outcomes of stakeholder consultation on proposed definitions of effectiveness   7 days  20th December

Conceptual framework to assess delivery effectiveness        5 days  10th January

Journal paper on definitions and metrics for delivery effectiveness of VAS 8 days            30th January

total     38 days           

 

Qualifications

Education

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in nutrition, public health, statistics, epidemiology or other health related social science field is required

Skills and Experience

• A minimum of five (5) or more years of relevant experience in the field of nutrition, public health, statistics, epidemiology or related field is required
• Professional technical experience in conducting systematic literature reviews on complex interventions in key databases leading to publications in scientific journals, WHO guidelines or the Cochrane Library.

Other Competencies

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language an asset.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Requirements:

–           Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials

–           Financial proposal that will include:

–           your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html 

o          travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.

o          Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.

o          Indicate your availability

–           Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

–           At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

–           Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.