Job Opening at UNICEF

Scope of Work and Objectives

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct and develop in a publishable form, a high-quality analysis of trends and opportunities in the financing of ART, and opportunities to identify additional fiscal space for domestic financing. This will include a report of no more than 20 pages providing an analysis of regional trends and key issues, coupled with 21 one-page country profiles which can be used for advocacy. A draft of this report already exists, with considerable but incomplete data.

Under the guidance of the Social Policy Specialist, the consultant will be expected to:

• Provide a high-quality regional analysis which provides up-to-date data on trends in disease burden (including prevalence amongst adolescents and children), ART coverage, domestic financing and trends (both proportional and absolute, and in proportion to overall health sector financing), donor funding and trends (focusing on PEPFAR and Global Fund, and including comparisons of countries at different income levels), sustainability of financing and options for identifying additional fiscal space, and a set of clear policy recommendations.
• Develop 21 one-page country profiles providing data on HIV prevalence and ARV coverage (including for children and adolescents and pregnant women living with HIV), indicative resources allocated to HIV (PMTCT, VMMC, paediatric and adolescent treatment, care and prevention programmes), domestic expenditure trends (proportional and absolute), and any potential issues impacting HIV financing.

These materials should be developed primarily using existing data included in sources such as PEPFAR reports, Global Fund grant allocations, supplemented with discussions with UNICEF ESARO, and UNICEF country offices and reviews of recent health budget briefs where possible. Note that a substantial amount of data has already been collected and a basic draft report exists; though this will require significant adjustment, it will serve as a key source of data for the consultant.

Payment Schedule

The Consultant will be paid upon receipt of satisfactory deliverables as outlined above:

Deliverables that meet UNICEF’s quality standard.

Desired competencies, technical background and experience

• Advanced university degree in Economics (ideally Health Economics) or a related field;
• Proven experience conducting data analysis, and specifically financing and budget analyses, at a senior technical level;
• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience at a professional level;
• Must be reliable, creative, and be able to work with little supervision;
• Must be able to work efficiently under tight deadlines;
• Proven experience delivering publication-quality products designed for non-specialized audiences;
• Ideally a record of publication in respected journals or working paper series; and
• Excellent spoken and written English.

The contract will be established for 15 working days, to commence upon the signature of the contract. The Consultant will be required to deliver a high-quality initial draft, building on the analysis already undertaken, by 29 January 2018. Following a brief feedback period, the Consultant will finalize the assignment by 16 February 2018. The Consultant will work from home with regular interaction with ESARO/SPR staff through teleconferences or skype. The Consultant will be supervised by the Social Policy Specialist.

The final products should be delivered to UNICEF in word and PDF format - both low and high resolution.

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 percent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.

The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.