Consultancy: Healthcare Waste Management Consultant – Req.#572414

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Healthcare Waste Management Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Health Section– Immunization Supply Chain/iSC, New York HQ

Duration: 1 July 2024 to 30 December 2025

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose Of Activity/Assignment:

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, data compiled from extensive surveys indicate that more than two thirds of health facilities in low and middle-income economies do not practice safe and environmentally sustainable healthcare waste management (HCWM) practices. The global analysis of healthcare waste in the context of COVID-19 published by WHO in February 2022 informs that three in ten of the world’s healthcare facilities lack systems to segregate waste, while in the least developed countries less than a third of facilities have a basic healthcare waste management system for safe treatment of medical waste from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lack of resources and prioritization of resource allocations both financial and technical, for acquiring and operating the best available techniques and technologies are the key challenges to this major waste management shortcoming in resource-limited low and middle-income economies.

The assignment for a Healthcare Waste Management Consultant at UNICEF HQ is to deliver essential outputs that help countries in planning waste management solutions. The Consultant will conduct formal HCWM assessments in focal countries, develop improvement plans, and be responsible for capacity strengthening activities, such as training courses and workshops, for knowledge sharing and learning across UNICEF Countries and key stakeholders at global and country levels.

Scope of Work: (Activity/Assignment)

Workstream 1: HCWM Situational analysis, action plan, and capacity strengthening for Zambia and Namibia: A detailed HCWM assessment using WHO recommended tools and methodology should be done as first step towards documenting the situation analysis of HCWM in primary health care facilities in the country. The overall objective of the HCWM Assessment is to identify the gaps in current practices of HCWM compared with WHO recommended best practice and propose an approach to bridge these gaps with contextual recommendation on best suitable technologies for waste management. The HCWM assessment should lead to comprehensive budgeted action plan with timelines for implementation. The plan should be approved and formally endorsed by respective authorities in the country, followed by integration of the plan within national health strategies of coming years. The deployment of the plan should be steered by the national HCWM committee which, in Zambia, is represented by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, partner UN organizations in the country, NGOs and agencies that are engaged/responsible for safe management of healthcare waste such as the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).

Deliverables And Activities:

• In-country training of assessors: Facilitate training of key HCWM stakeholders in Zambia and Namibia, including team of site assessors.
• HCWM assessment report with recommendations: Use the WHO recommended methodology to conduct the HCWM assessment in Zambia and Namibia, with support of country colleagues and team of site assessors, and collate the assessment report.
• Budgeted phased action plan with timelines for implementation to fit into national health strategy with choice of technologies best fit for the country: Produce improvement/action plan including detailed technical specifications of hardware required procurement and provide detailed costed operational and maintenance plan of 10 years for proposed technologies.
• Detailed list of TA needs, on-site civil and electrical works needed as site readiness for commissioning of system: Provide detailed estimate of level of effort (LOE) needed for deployment of technologies.
• Establishing committee on HCWM: Engage the national committee for managing HCW in country for recommending/endorsing all policy, technology choice, logistics decisions. Conduct first meeting, prepare meeting schedule, and record minutes of meeting with formal endorsement by government.
• One session of TOT conducted through a workshop, summary report on workshop with list of participants, agenda of program and training package: Conduct one session of sensitizing the national technical team (committee) on waste management plan and Training of Trainers at national level on managing HCW in country. This includes end user training of handling, storing, and transporting waste, using technology for disposing/treating the waste, operation, and maintenance needs.
• Minutes and debriefing slides deck: Debrief government and UNICEF offices in-country at the end of the mission with findings, solutions, plan of action provided in PowerPoint file.

Workstream 2: Global HCWM Capacity Strengthening: Leveraging knowledge gained through situational analysis, improvement plans, global and country experiences, etc., a comprehensive training course should be developed for diverse stakeholders at different levels and geographies to undertake basic to advanced capacity strengthening for HCWM initiatives.

Deliverables And Activities:

• HCWM Training package: Design the training package and consolidate content for training modules.
• Regional HCWM capacity strengthening workshops: In collaboration with Regional and Country Offices, facilitate 2 regional workshops (regions TBC). Prepare materials in line with regional expectations.
• HCWM Technical Brief: Update technical brief for version 3.0.

Workstream 3: Targeted Technical Assistance (TA) to countries on needs’ basis. Following country planning for HCWM activities, there should be targeted TA to train country stakeholders on plans, technologies, guidelines, etc.

Deliverables And Activities:

• In-country training program on HCWM: Facilitate 3-days in-country training programs based on country needs in 2 countries.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Workstream 1: Zambia and Namibia HCWM Situational analysis, action plan, and capacity strengthening

• HCWM assessment for Zambia conducted and final report prepared. – 1 April 2025
• HCWM assessment for Namibia conducted and final report prepared. – 1 April 2025

Workstream 2: Global HCWM Capacity Strengthening

• HCWM Training package developed. – 1 April 2025
• Two Regional HCWM capacity strengthening workshops conducted. – 1 April 2025
• HCWM Technical Brief prepared. – 30 December 2025

Workstream 3: Targeted Technical Assistance (TA) to countries on needs’ basis

• In-country training program on HCWM for 2 countries delivered. – 30 December 2025

Qualifications

• Education
• Master’s degree in in either of the following: Business Management, Public Health, Engineering, Research and Evaluation, and other relevant disciplines
• Language Proficiency:

Proficiency in spoken and written English is necessary.

Knowledge of another UN languages is an asset

• Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:
• At least 5 years’ relevant experience and product knowledge on health care waste management, waste systems and technologies.
• Knowledge and experience with collecting data through fieldwork and using HCWM tools.
• Expertise producing improvement plans and communicating recommendations across diverse stakeholder audience.
• Proven experience in working with Government and planning and coordination in developing country context; and the experience in Zambia would be as asset.
• Strong project management and coordination skills.
• Strong communication skills in English (spoken and written).
• Proven ability to work effectively in cross-cultural and multi-cultural settings and teams, and to deliver high-quality results within expected time frames.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

Upload copy of academic credentials

Financial Proposal That Will Include/ Reflect :

• the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
• travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
• Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
• Indicate your availability

Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa Information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.