Job no: 563579
Position type: Temporary Appointment
Location: Kenya
Division/Equivalent: Programme
School/Unit: Programme Group
Department/Office: Health Section, UNICEF NYHQ
Categories: Health
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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.
Note: “Ideally, this position will be based in Nairobi. However, the position has the option for a fully remote work modality. This will be determined based on the preferred candidate’s location and availability to relocate. In the event, that a remote work modality is selected, no installation to the duty station will be applicable and relevant entitlements will be adjusted based on lower of the two costs between the remote work location and the duty station.”
Public health campaigns have been crucial in implementing widespread health interventions effectively and reaching a large portion of the population. By focusing resources on specific
objectives within a set timeframe, these campaigns prove to be efficient in providing essential health services, which can work alongside regular integrated health systems. Nevertheless, in reality, many campaigns encounter difficulties in attaining the desired population coverage, accurately measuring coverage, and making optimal use of resources. Additionally, they often operate independently, driven by donors or non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which leads to a lack of alignment and integration with routine health systems.
Although not a magic bullet, digital health tools have the potential to greatly enhance local ownership and supervision of well-designed and effectively implemented campaigns. By leveraging digital health tools and innovations, public health campaigns can significantly increase coverage rates and improve the accuracy of measurement. These tools can assist in streamlining logistics, providing better visibility into the distribution of interventions, and identifying areas that still require attention. Ultimately, these technologies can act as a catalyst for more successful campaigns, ensuring efficient execution and improved outcomes
For every child, Health for all……
The Health Specialist (Real-Time Monitoring) will be responsible for supporting UNICEF’s Real Time Monitoring (RTM) and Campaign Digitization work.
The Campaign Digitization Working Group identifies several priority areas where technology can significantly improve performance:
- Digital Microplanning, leveraging geo-spatial population enumeration data, can be utilized to create detailed, delivery-level implementation plans for reaching target populations. When effectively implemented, benefits include improved resource allocation, logistics, and campaign delivery; improved service delivery through combined datasets increasing data accuracy, and optimization of workers time management.
- Service Delivery, leveraging real-time monitoring (RTM) tools, can further accelerate the sharing, analysis and use of data to improve campaign quality – helping implementers review progress against targets; identify issues and gaps; track supplies, human resources and vaccine sessions; and make prompt decisions about corrective actions while campaigns are still ongoing, including adjusting supplies and human resources to areas with low coverage.
- Post Campaign Analysis, including reintegration of campaign data into routine health and immunization information systems, coverage monitoring and strengthening of routine immunization services.
This position is intended to focus primarily on harmonization of UNICEF’s RTM approach within broader pre- and post- campaign activities, guide alignment and integration into routine health information systems, lead capacity building and knowledge management, and support partner engagement and coordination. This is expected to include both global outputs as well as country level technical assistance and support. Where the focus is on countries, this position is expected to work through existing UNICEF structures at regional and country level.
How can you make a difference?
Strategy, Global Goods and Knowledge Products
- Identify, document and validate key UNICEF health and immunization programme priorities as well as specific interventions / activities that should be included in the digitalization of integrated campaigns, including in the pre-, Intra- and post-campaign phases.
- Review existing guidance, standards and capacity building materials on RTM, including Campaign Digitization Guidance, Reference Architecture, routine admin data and information systems, monitoring approaches and tools, validate materials and identify any gaps as relevant through consultation with stakeholders at various levels, and develop workplan to revise and update (if needed), finalize, package and disseminate materials.
- Review existing UNICEF and partner digital health, health information system, GIS and RTM assets and planning tools, and provide recommendations on what can be repurposed and packaged as a global good, as well as gaps.
- Develop guidance for integrating RTM / Digitalized Campaign Monitoring into Routine Immunization Information Systems, including considerations at the planning stage – ie Digital Readiness and Health Information System (HIS) Assessments, Geospatial / Digital Microplanning, Health Management Information Systems (HMIS), Platform and Interoperability Considerations, and Enterprise Health Systems Planning. Where relevant, include guidance in existing / planned Digital Health and Health Information System strategies and toolkits, including the GAVI Digital Health Information (DHI) 5.0 Strategy and the Guidance on the Use of Digital Solutions to support National Deploment and Vaccination Plans (NDVPs).
- Develop standardized data element / indicator package for integrated campaign, mapped against recommended routine data packages.
- Provide recommendations on the viability to create WHO approved SMART Guidelines for integrated campaigns.
- Develop and / or update costing tools and guidance, including to address data affordability and hardware, to plan and implement digitalized campaign monitoring. Align and integrate these tools into broader Immunization and DH&IS guidance and capacity building initiatives.
Capacity Building
- Conduct rapid technical capacity assessment of UNICEF staff at regional / country levels for the planning, design and implementation of integrated, digitalized campaigns and RTM approaches, identify capacity building needs, and develop a corresponding workplan.
- Review the global WHO Digital Health Competency Framework (GDHF), including the “Digital Health Planning National Systems” course. Assess existing assets, including UNICEF’s RTM course, against the broader framework, identify opportunities and gaps, and provide recommendations to align and integrate existing training modules within global frameworks.
- Develop plan for the training of concerned staff (Digital health and Immunization) at regional and country offices on RTM modules for supplementary immunization activities (SIAs). Facilitate trainings on RTM modules for SIAs; Ensure availability of all resources (HR, Financial and other logistics) for trainings on RTM modules. Ensure that the RTM approaches are in line with the guidance in RTM modules for SIAs.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Documentation
- Organize rapid landscape assessment of how UNICEF has implemented digitalized campaigns at country level, including a) government leadership / ownership of the process and tools, b) integration of tools and data within national health information systems and routine admin data, c) ability to repurpose country tools across different programme needs and campaigns, capacities required, e) contribution to improved results and / or cost savings.
- Develop workplan to track country demand and implementation progress, develop documentation and capture of country experiences and the integration of lessons into routine immunization.
- Coordinate with countries through regional offices for documentation of best practices, lesson learned and challenges during the use of new approaches about RTM modules. Review the RTM modules on the basis of best practices from the countries.
- Conduct evaluation of the effectiveness of campaign digitalization, including integrated approaches and use of RTM data, to improve outreach, coverage and identification of zero-dose children.
Coordination and Partner Engagement
- Keep close liaison with focal points for RTM work in Digital Health and Information System and Immunization sections. Ensure coordination between the two sections regarding planning and implementation of activities related to RTM for SIA’s.
- Represent UNICEF in the Campaign Digitization Workgroup (CD WG), established as part of the Health Campaign Effectiveness Coalition.
- Engage key partners, including WHO, Gavi, CHAI, and BMGF, to track and contribute to partner strategies, tools, country prioritization, documentation, and ongoing activities. Provide recommendations on opportunities for convergence.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in public health, data science, statistics or a related technical field required.
*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree
- A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience at national and/or international levels in in health informatics, health information systems, and / or monitoring, including with immunization is required.
- Experience with digital health, including planning, designing, costing, and supporting implementation of national / sub national programmes.
- Experience with capacity building, including planning, designing, costing and supporting implementation of national sub national programmes.
- Experience with the Campaign Digitization framwork, including familiarity with Reference Architecture.
- Experience with Digital Microplanning and Enumeration.
- Experience with DHIS2, RapidPro, ODK, and other relevant digital health platforms.
- Experience working in UNICEF Programme Countries. Multi-regional experience preferred.
- Experience with the UN, including UNICEF, is preffered.
- Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French or Spanish) is an asset.
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