Introduction 

Under the Health Emergency Response Supplemental Program, SSBH is providing technical and material support to the Government of Nepal (GoN) in their efforts to respond to the health emergency created by the spread of COVID-19 in the country. It works closely with national-level health sector leadership to strengthen emergency planning, response, and management at subnational levels. The SSBH operational areas are especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to Lumbini Province’s proximity to the Indian border and the large number of returning migrant workers to communities throughout both provinces. The SSBH team utilizes leverage its well-established relationships within the health sector, its management and technical assistance capabilities, and its proven approaches to system strengthening and capacity building to provide effective technical and logistic support for COVID-19 response efforts across a total of 138 municipalities. SSBH is mobilizing its team to plan, manage and deliver technical and material support for the Government of Nepal’s (GoN) response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Objectives and Scope of the Assignment 

COVID-19 vaccination planning, deployment, capacity building, logistics and cold chain management are the major activities among many to combat COVID-19 pandemic. The Consultant will work with the stakeholders at federal level (especially Family Welfare Division (FWD) and the Management Division (MD) of Department of Health Services) and provincial level (especially with the Provincial Health Directorate and Provincial Health Logistics Management Center of Karnali and Lumbini provinces) and selected districts for development/update and implementation of National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) for COVID-19 vaccine, national vaccine distribution and cold chain management plans, and Multi-Year Plan of Action of National Immunization Program. 

The consultant will also work with SSBH’s team at federal and provincial level to support planning for the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination activities at federal, provincial and district. The consultant may have to be engaged in reviews and microplanning of COVID-19 vaccination program at federal and provincial level, in development of guidelines and protocols for vaccine cold chain and logistics management and handling of the vaccines during transport and administration.            

Scope:

Number of Vacancies: 1

Time Frame:  Four months, beginning in January 2022

Level of Effort: Estimated 30 days, with 3 trips to Karnali and Lumbini Provinces during the period of performance

Reporting to: Senior Technical Advisor – Health Emergency Response 

• Specifically, the consultant shall be responsible for following tasks in close coordination with FWD, MD and SSBH team:
• Support to federal and provincial levels in strategic discussions and workshops on immunization-related topics to improve uptake and coverage, 
• Support and guide in managing vaccination related logistics, addressing challenges, preparing micro-plans, and building capacity of health workers,    
• Provide technical and coordination support to provinces and districts to relay key information for early planning, mobilization of health workers and deployment of COVID-19 vaccination, 
• Follow with provinces and districts to ensure that the agreed steps for COVID-19 vaccine rollout are implemented,
• Provide guidance and orientation on immunization related guidelines and protocols to provincial and district levels, as per the need and relevancy
• Review findings from National Effective Vaccine Management Assessment and provide inputs for incorporating findings in National Vaccination Improvement Plan  

Eligibility:

• Medical Doctor with Post Graduate degree in Public Health 
• More than 10 years of experience of working in health system of Nepal involving immunization programs of Nepal
• Experience in working with national and international organizations supporting national immunization program
• Proficiency in reviewing and interpreting guidance of WHO, CDC and other reputable international organizations on vaccination and extracting information for necessary policy dialogue.
• Willing to travel frequently to provinces and districts from SSBH operational areas.
• Workshop and training facilitation skills involving senior government officials and development partners
• Computer proficiency to use MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), virtual communication tools such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx, Skype.

SSBH is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and culture. Individuals from minority groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. Only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the further selection process. Canvassing at any stage of the process shall lead to automatic disqualification.