UNICEF Recruits 01 TA Health Specialist (Emergency), P3

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, a safe home

UNICEF Malawi Country Program (2019-2023) is aligned with the Government of Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS III) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The program supports the Government of Malawi to meet its commitment to respect, protect and fulfill children’s rights in line with international conventions and standards. The country program is guided by the principles of children’s rights, equity, gender equality, inclusion and resilience, and supports evidence-based, integrative and innovative programming. The vision is that ‘all girls and boys in Malawi, especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights’. The program focuses on: early childhood (parenting, high-impact social services, early stimulation and learning), middle childhood and adolescence (learning, multi-sectoral services, active citizenship), communities (decentralized services and systems, community ownership, social norms ), program effectiveness (monitoring, evaluation, HACT, Innovation, Social Protection and Social Policy and External Communication. The program is based on ‘leaving no child behind’, realizing ‘rights for all children in Malawi’.

UNICEF envisions health systems that reliably deliver integrated service packages for children, adolescents and reproductive age women, focusing on health, nutrition, WASH and HIV. A strong health system also facilitates child protection services, is linked to social protection and social welfare initiatives and the education sector, particularly for alleviating poverty, improving health literacy, screening and ensuring early child development (ECD).

How can you make a difference?

The Health Specialist (Emergency) reports to the Program Manager MNH & HIV AIDS for guidance and general supervision. The incumbent will support the provision of access to basic health care to girls, boys, women and men in emergency and post emergency settings, being responsible for the overall planning and management of UNICEF’s health response to the emergency and crisis.

S/he will provide technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), organizational Strategic Plans and goals, standards of performance, and accountability framework.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. SUPPORT TO PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING

• Support and contribute to the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the sector(s) to establish a strategic plan for development, design and management of emergency health related programmes. Keep abreast of development trends to enhance program management, efficiency and delivery.

• Participate in rapid needs assessments for the Health sector.
• Identify interventions and actions for UNICEF in response to specific emergencies, develop work plans and coordinate implementation.
• Help draft funding appeals, donor reports and project proposals related to the response.

• Participate in strategic program discussions on the planning of health programmes. Formulate, design and prepare a sector of the health program proposal, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, the Country Programme, as well as coherence/integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies, and national priorities, plans and competencies .
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities and competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.

1. MANAGEMENT, MONITORING AND DELIVERY OF RESULTS PROGRAM

• Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector in health programmes.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Actively monitor programmes/projects through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution
• Prepare regular and mandated programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of program progress.
• Assess disease surveillance progress and gaps.
• Assessments of:
  • Updated emergency health needs
  • Local Capacity to respond to evolving emergency health issues
  • Social Determinants of Health Affecting Emergency Health
  • Application of Social Justice in Screening Diagnosis and health care during Emergencies
• In close consultation with the M&E team, contribute to the office M&E mechanism, including performing results tracking.
• Oversee project supply chain in coordination with UNICEF operations staff to provide essential drugs and materials to government and NGO partners

1. TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT TO PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices and approaches on health-related issues to support program development planning, management, implementation and delivery of results.

• Support UNICEF’s response in Health as part of the overall health cluster/sector coordination mechanism. Represent UNICEF in the Health and other cluster/sector coordination meetings.
• Contribute to UNICEF’s and the health cluster/sector response strategy, work planning and contingency planning processes with other sectors to ensure cross sectoral response programming. Coordinate more broadly in the health sector and emergency response among the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders at both the national and district levels
• Monitor the coverage of key health interventions among the beneficiary population and share information for internal communication and external coordination.
• Support UNICEF information products related to the response including situation reports.
• Participate in emergency preparedness initiatives for program development, contingency planning and/or to respond to emergencies in country or where designated.

1. NETWORKING AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

• Provide technical support to UNICEF and partners including contributing to the development of or sharing relevant standards, protocols, guidelines and training materials for Health in emergencies.
• Conduct joint field visits and evaluations with relevant health sector/cluster partners.
• Manage UNICEF’s relations with its partners, facilitating administrative actions such as renewing partner contracts, PCAs, and managing program finances.
• Build the capacity of the Ministry of Health in ensuring that critical existing and emerging diseases, such as Zika, Ebola, cholera, yellow fever, etc., can be identified, tracked and addressed.
• Participate in the evaluation of behavior change communication materials for C4D and other relevant sectors.

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government counterparts, national stakeholders, as well as global partners, allies, donors, and academia. Through active networking, advocacy and effective communication, build capacity and exchange knowledge and expertise to facilitate the achievement of program goals on child rights, social justice and equity.

1. INNOVATION, KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING

• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders, and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable program results.

• Keep abreast and conduct research to provide evidence for implementation of best and cutting-edge practices in health.
• Assess, institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to promote sustainable results on health related programmes/projects.
• Support the collection, availability and use of up-to-date high-quality health and nutrition information to support evidence-based advocacy, planning, reporting and budgeting efforts in both the humanitarian and development programs.

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

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric health, family health, global/international health, biostatistics, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in public health and nutrition as well as emergency preparedness and response which includes disease outbreaks like Ebola and Cholera.
• Proven experience in health related program management cycle is essential.
• Experience working in a developing country as well as in sub-Saharan Africa is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English is essential.

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.

The functional competencies required for this post are:

• Leading and Supervising (I)
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts (II)
• Analyzing (III)
• Relating and Networking (II)
• Deciding and Initiating action (II)
• Applying technical expertise (III)

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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