Consultor(a) en Salud

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established as a part of the United Nations, is dedicated to advocating for the protection of children's rights and ensuring their basic needs are met. The organization operates globally, focusing on the welfare of children and adolescents, particularly in vulnerable situations. UNICEF Panama specifically aims to enhance the well-being of children and adolescents in Panama through technical assistance, advocacy, strategic partnerships, and project implementation. The organization has a mission to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive, with a focus on early childhood development, education, and protection, particularly for those affected by emergencies. UNICEF Panama's initiatives are guided by the Country Program, which outlines strategies and action plans to address the challenges faced by children and adolescents in the country, ensuring their rights are upheld as per the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Panama in 1990.

Job Overview:
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to UNICEF Panama's Office in monitoring, following up, and ensuring the quality of interventions related to health and early childhood care services in community contexts. The consultant will play a crucial role in strengthening technical coherence, effective implementation, and generating learnings that inform adjustments and continuity in scaling these interventions nationally. The consultant will be involved in various aspects of health strategy implementation, particularly focusing on the Integrated Model of Local Services for Children and Adolescents, which aims to enhance the quality and reach of social services in vulnerable communities. This role requires collaboration with local health authorities and community partners to ensure that health services are accessible, inclusive, and of high quality, ultimately preventing morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strengthening capacities in the implementation of the Community Prevalent Childhood Diseases Prevention Strategy (AEIPI) within the Integrated Model of Local Services for Children and Adolescents. This includes providing technical support for the review and validation of the national AEIPI community guide, leading to the development of a consolidated document that includes a thorough technical review, a matrix of observations and recommendations, and records of meetings and validations with the Ministry of Health and implementing partners.
• Supporting the follow-up and development of technical and operational recommendations for the training modules of the AEIPI community strategy.
• Designing and implementing a rapid evaluation of previously developed methodologies in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Catalonia Health Consortium, identifying opportunities for improvement in the scalability of training processes for community health workers.
• Coordinating with implementing partners for the piloting of the AEIPI Community strategy and community service modalities in prioritized territories, including reviewing and providing feedback on training materials and operational tools.
• Systematizing the experience of supporting the Ministry of Health in formulating and implementing the National Family Kangaroo Plan, which involves designing methodologies to identify best practices and operational recommendations for sustainable scaling of the method nationally.
• Providing technical support for health promotion and nutrition actions in Panama, including participating in working sessions with the Ministry of Health to identify bottlenecks and opportunities related to UNICEF's priorities.

Required Qualifications:

• A university degree in health or social sciences, with specialization in areas such as pediatrics, neonatal or child nursing, maternal and child health, and child development or related fields. Additional postgraduate studies or certified training in community health, public health, primary health care, maternal-child health, and/or comprehensive early childhood development will be considered an asset.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience, with at least 2 years in designing and implementing community health strategies in development and/or emergency contexts. Experience working with communities, local authorities, and health sector personnel at the primary care level is highly valued. Demonstrated capacity to design and facilitate training processes, workshops, and technical support to institutional counterparts and field teams is essential.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a university degree in health or social sciences, with a specialization in pediatrics, neonatal or child nursing, maternal and child health, and child development or related areas. Additional qualifications such as postgraduate studies or certified training in community health, public health, primary health care, and comprehensive early childhood development are advantageous and will enhance the candidate's profile.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience, with at least 2 years specifically in the design and implementation of community health strategies in both development and emergency contexts. Experience working directly with communities, local authorities, and health sector personnel at the primary care level is crucial. The ability to facilitate participatory processes and co-creation with stakeholders is also important, along with a proven track record in designing and leading training and technical support initiatives.

Languages:
Fluency in Spanish is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset but is not required.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is remote (home-based) with a duration of 6 months, with the possibility of extension depending on program needs and funding availability. The consultant is expected to conduct a maximum of 4 missions of 3 days each to the Emberá-Wounaan region, Panama Oeste, or other areas outside Panama City. The consultant must organize their own transportation for these field missions. The contract is deliverable-based, meaning payment is contingent upon the completion of specified outputs, and no additional payments will be made for overtime, sick leave, or taxes. If residing outside Panama, the economic proposal must include the cost of round-trip airfare for the consultant. The evaluation of proposals will be based on a combination of technical and economic criteria, with a total score determining the successful candidate.