National Health Consultant to Support Integrated Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)
Organizational Context
UNICEF works in over 190 countries to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential from early childhood through adolescence. Committed and passionate, UNICEF promotes every child's rights, offering diverse opportunities for professional and personal development while serving communities worldwide, fostering a sense of purpose.
Job Purpose
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide integrated technical, operational, and coordination support to strengthen Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) systems in Eritrea. This role will particularly focus on immunization systems strengthening, supply chain and forecasting, and critical proposal development, specifically for the Pandemic Fund. Furthermore, the consultant will contribute significantly to the development of a new RMNCAH strategy covering the periods 2027-2031 and provide essential implementation support for national immunization priorities. This comprehensive support aims to address and overcome important system bottlenecks in service delivery integration, immunization optimization, forecasting and supply planning, and emergency preparedness for health system shocks, ultimately ensuring sustained improvements in maternal, newborn, and child health and immunization coverage across Eritrea.
Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the Ministry of Health and in close collaboration with UNICEF and partners, the consultant will provide comprehensive technical, programmatic, and operational support to ensure the continuity and effective implementation of priority MNCH and EPI activities. This includes providing direct technical and operational assistance for the implementation of agreed workplans and supporting accelerated immunization and RMNCAH-related strategic planning activities, encompassing the preparation and consolidation of technical inputs, stakeholder consultations, and the development or revision of planning documents. The consultant will also support the National Immunization Costing Workshop, including the revision of the NIS programme narrative and documentation of agreed priorities. Furthermore, the role involves supporting the implementation of the Vaccine Prioritization and Optimization Platform, coordinating relevant stakeholders, and providing technical backstopping to maintain continuity of priority Health Unit activities during the temporary absence of the Health Officer. Additionally, the consultant will manage EPI and MNCH supply chains, support forecasting and supply planning activities, monitor vaccine and essential health commodity availability using platforms like SMT and Viva, and coordinate health-related procurement processes, including tracking requests and delivery dates.
Work Experience
Information not available.
Skills
Technical Support, Operational Support, Programme Implementation, Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Coordination, Document Development, Immunization Systems Strengthening, Supply Chain Management, Forecasting and Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Procurement Coordination, Grant Management Support