Job Vacancy @ United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): Lead Consultant – 2022 Health Facility Assessment on Availability of RH Commodities and Services

Background:

Sierra Leone has made significant progress in improving access to sexual and reproductive health services. The percentage of births attended by skilled health personnel increased from 42% in 2008 to 87% in 2019. During the same period, the percentage of women who use contraceptive methods tripled (24% among all women aged 15-49) and 46% of the demand for family planning is satisfied, of 45% is through the use of modern methods. This improvement in access to family planning must have contributed to the significant reduction in maternal deaths (i.e. any death that occurs during pregnancy or childbirth or within 42 days after the birth or termination of a pregnancy) from 1165 in 2013 to 717 per 100,000 live births among women age 15-49, a 40% reduction.

Despite this progress, the unmet need for family planning has been static at 25% since 2013. Twenty-one per cent of girls aged 15-29 will have given birth by the time they are 19. The maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone remains one of the highest globally. In order to avert this situation, cost-effective and feasible interventions do exist. However, these interventions require a reliable supply of contraceptives and life-saving maternal health medicines. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) continues to support voluntary family planning services through its UNFPA Supplies Partnership programme. Alongside the provision of modern methods of contraceptives and system strengthening initiatives, UNFPA supports the conduct of the National Health Facility Assessment on Availability of Reproductive Health Commodities and Services which is the focus of this consultancy service.

The Purpose:

The main objective of the survey is therefore to determine the availability of family planning and life-saving maternal health medicines in service delivery points in the country with a view of measuring the progress made as well as identifying gaps so as to inform a more predictable, planned and sustainable country-driven approach to improve the availability, choice, and use of these supplies.

Specifically, the consultant will support the conduct of the 2022 Health Facility Assessment on Availability of RH commodities and Services while ensuring skills transfer to MoHS in the process. The consultant is expected to:

• initiate and lead the development and finalization of the survey protocol and facilitate ethics approval

• Ensure familiarization with and implementation of the sampling procedure and other information, detailing the sample size, a selected facilities, and ensuring the relative weights for provinces, nature of residence and types of health facilities.

• train field staff in the data collection process using Systmapp, a digital tool used to conduct facility based surveys using phones and tablets

• work with the data analyst in data quality and cleaning

• provide technical support in data analysis and reporting on results against the indicators defined in the survey instrument

• write up and finalization of the analytical survey report

• conduct other related tasks as required

The final outcome of the exercise, i.e. the analytical report will mainly cover the following:

• availability and stock out of modern methods of contraceptives

• availability of life-saving RH medicines

• readiness of service delivery points in areas of supply chain, staff training in family planning, staff supervision in RH/FP, availability of guidelines/checklists/job-aids, ICT, waste disposal, and charging of user fees.

• clients perception on their satisfaction with service providers’ adherence to technical (e.g. infomed about side effects) and interpersonal (e.g. treated with courtesy and respect, freedom to choose methods) aspects, organizational aspects (e.g. waiting time, privacy, consultation time), outcome aspects (e.g. intention to visit the SDP again) and appraisal of cost for family planning services (payment for services, travel cost, time spent, source of funds to pay for FP).

Monitoring and progress control:

The consultant will work closely with the data analyst and the Technical Committee for the survey which is composed of representatives from the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health (DRCH), Directorate of Planning, Policy and Information (DPPI), Directorate of Training and Research from Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Statistics Sierra Leone and UNFPA Sierra Leone.

Weekly update meetings will be held with the UNFPA FP/RHCS and QA team and the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health team of the MoHS to ensure timely completion of the deliverables during the period of consultancy.

The consultant will further hold a debriefing session on key deliverables with the senior management team members of UNFPA Sierra Leone Country Office.

Qualifications and Experience:

The consultant should have the following demonstrated experience, knowledge and competencies:

• • Master degree or equivalent in Demography, Population studies, Statistics, Nursing/Midwifery, Pharmacy, Public health or other related field

  • Ten years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the substantive area

  • Population and health research, census, demographic health surveys and civil registration experience

  • demonstrated expertise in the substantive area of work, expected to be an expert in the conduct of surveys such as the present one

• familiarity with digital tools used to conduct facility based surveys such as Systmapp

• strong track record of technical leadership, and proven ability to produce demonstrable results

• strong analytical and written communication skills

• Fluency in English is required

Required Competencies:

Values:

Exemplifying integrity,

Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,

Embracing cultural diversity,

Embracing change

Functional Competencies:

Strategically positioning UNFPA programme

Providing conceptual innovation to support programme effectiveness

Generating, managing and promoting the use of knowledge and information

Facilitating quality programmatic results

Core Competencies:

Achieving results,

Being accountable,

Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,

Thinking analytically and strategically,

Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

Communicating for impact

Compensation:

The compensation for this position is based on acceptance of deliverables in line with the prevailing UN Consultancy scale upon satisfactory performance

Mode of application:

Interested candidates are invited to apply to the email address [email protected]

not later than 11 July 2022 including:

-  Motivational letter

-  CV (including working experience and references)

-  Copy of certificate(s)

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

UNFPA Work Environment

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, Embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity, and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and promoting equal opportunities for all.

We, therefore, encourage women and persons with disabilities to apply.

Disclaimer:

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing, or other fees in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters, or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA.