Consultant, HIV/AIDS Technical Scale-up Programme Support

Terms of Reference

Programme support and monitoring of HIV/AIDS Technical Scale-up Cluster activities: Towards achieving scale around the four programmatic areas ("4 Ps") of the Global Campaign Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS and the medium-term strategic plan (MTSP), including elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (eMTCT) within the Global Fund to fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) periodic reviews

1. Background:

Both the UNICEF Medium-term Strategic Plan (2006-2013) and Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS are guided by the coverage goals of the “Four Ps” which require equity at their core for success: 1. Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV 2. Paediatric AIDS care, treatment and support 3. Prevention of HIV infections in Adolescents and Young People 4. Protection of Children Affected by AIDS

UNICEF is committed to supporting UNAIDS in achieving the goals outlined in the 2011-2015 strategy and to co-convening on elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; treatment of children living with HIV; prevention of HIV among adolescents; and care and support for children affected by AIDS. As co-convener, UNICEF is accountable to achieving the strategic goals related to the four Ps. At a global level, UNICEF supports this work through the development and issuance of programmatic and technical guidance through Global Partners Forums, Inter-Agency Task Teams (IATTs) and specific thematic and programmatic consultations, in line with the UNAIDS division of labour. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge among headquarters, regional offices and various country offices, as well as guidance and tools developed for country level use. Therefore, it is important for UNICEF to continue keep the four Ps a priority and integrate them in order to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

Endeavoring to focus efforts where the greatest burden of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) lies, UNICEF, in collaboration with WHO, UNAIDS and the GFATM, has identified 22 high priority countries (HPC), representing 88% of the 1.4 million pregnant women living with HIV. Of these priority countries, 4 had > 80% coverage of maternal ARV for eMTCT in 2009; 13 (including the 4) of 22 had > 50% coverage of maternal anti-retrovirals (ARV) for eMTCT. In February 2011, the IATT on Prevention of HIV Infection in Pregnant Women, Mothers and their Children, co-led by UNICEF and WHO, laid out a Global Action Framework on elimination of MTCT. Global attention is now focused on eMTCT as an essential and cost-effective means of making progress towards improving maternal and child health and survival, and curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS – three Millennium Development Goals (MDG 4, 5 and 6).

The intensifying work of the Technical Scale-up Cluster, including the programmatic thrust of the 4 Ps, has been coordinated by the Cluster Team Leader with limited programme and administrative support. In order to meet the competing priorities of each technical key results area (KRA) in the Technical Scale-up Cluster that supplements the current staffing of the HIV/AIDS Section, a matching support capacity must be put in place in order for UNICEF to demonstrate and fulfill its commitment to ensure implementation of activities, much more quickly and intensively. Although clerical in nature, the position will encapsulate an amalgam of skills and knowledge related to areas such as administration and coordination, as well as data entry, recording and archiving, to sustain efforts towards the effective performance of partnerships and grants, such as GFATM, US PEPFAR, UNITAID, in addition to enhanced UNICEF-government cooperative agreements spanning across UNICEF’s mandate.

1. Objectives and targets

Under the supervision of the Senior Adviser, Technical Scale-up Cluster Team Leader, and with guidance from other Senior Advisers, the consultant will provide programme support to monitoring of HIV/AIDS Technical Scale-up Cluster activities towards achieving scale around the four programmatic areas ("4 Ps") of the Global Campaign and the MTSP, including eMTCT in particular within the GFATM periodic reviews; as well as organization of materials to aid bottleneck analysis toward identifying key barriers to addressing scale-up and disparities. General scope of work will include handling updates to automated communication, processing templates, carrying out smooth transfer of data and/or hard-copy documentation for use in data reporting and records maintenance.

By assisting with the coordination of the workplan implementation, and assisting the programme and financial monitoring and reporting (of each KRA), the consultant will carry out duties to put together presentations for meetings and events to include using presentation software programs (such as Microsoft PowerPoint and InDesign). Also the consultant may copy-edit material and provide basic trouble-shooting on how to use a particular program; revise the draft template for M&E and reporting on project implementation prepared based on the agreement and extensive consultation with monitoring and evaluation (M&E) colleagues, UNICEF Supply Division and HIV/AIDS teams.

On general instructions of the Senior Adviser(s), the consultant will prioritize and batch material for data entry. Consultant will also collect and compile information for the team’s reports. This requires consultant to understand basic programme material yet be capable of high volume data entry. On supervision of KRA team leads, consultant would also be required to update country factsheets on 22 UNICEF priority countries. These existing factsheets, based on a comprehensive brief available for each country, summarize the character of the HIV epidemic, the programmatic response (priorities, scope, scale and quality of programme), financial investments, as needed, and appropriate data reporting. These factsheets, validated by the country team, will also help to establish a consolidated information resource to inform and help guide the IATT in its response and strategic engagement with each of these countries. The countries for which briefs have been developed each have generalized epidemics.

1. Expected results: (measurable results)

a) In MS PowerPoint, PPT presentations, as required, and/or a repository of revised/updated presentations (for uploading onto appropriate IATT websites, as necessary). b) In Word, updated matrix summary of planning status of eMTCT scale-up in the 22 MTCT high-burden countries and their technical assistance (TA) needs c) In Excel, roster of contacts of HIV/AIDS partners and 4 Ps collaborators, collected from KRA teams d) In Excel, revised draft template for M&E and reporting on project implementation based on agreement and extensive consultation with M&E colleagues and UNICEF SD and the HIV/AIDS teams. The updated matrices include 6 worksheets: -Worksheet 1: general information on the country report, reporting period and the key contact persons. -Worksheet 2: project progress including 4 sections on A. Supply procurement and distribution; B. Progress in programming and coordination; C. Future plans; D. Lessons and recommendations from the country. -Worksheets 3, 4 & 5 will represent the core M&E framework with agreed-upon 17 indicators (facility, pregnant women, and exposed infants) as harmonized with the PMTCT report card. -Worksheet 6: additional guidance to the countries on calculating coverage for annual reporting only. e) In Section shared drive, and for ease of access and reference, sorted/indexed, scanned and archived documents from hard-copy documentation of KRA files from past two years.

1. Start date: 1 February 2012 End date: 31 December 2012

2. Activities 1) Receive and record material for processing or data input from the 22 UNICEF priority country offices for inclusion in draft template and update fact sheets. This involves high-volume data entry. 2) Revise, update and monitor all KRAs agreements and contracts, with annotations, including the work on young people with MTV on Shuga Initiative II; the HIV-sensitive social protection research; and the generation of evidence in relation to children living with HIV in residential care. 3) After verification and confirmation by Strategic Information Unit, and using InDesign, copy-edit, finalize and update estimates in the draft country-specific fact sheets. Also using PPT, prepare or edit presentations for use by Senior Advisers. 4) Monitor logistics and coordination activities in support of technical consultation, discussions and meetings on the the performance of partnerships and grants, and scale up efforts, e.g. eMTCT. 5) Office-based clerical and administration tasks.

d. Key competences, technical background, and experience required: a) Academic qualification: Secondary school graduation required. b) Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, in particular Excel and PowerPoint. Knowledgeable in basic database management. Strong design and formatting experience (preferably in Adobe InDesign, Dreamweaver, MS Publisher and Word)- at least 2 years of experience InDesign & layout c) A minimum of five years of relevant work experience. Working experience with electronic documentation systems, and knowledge of other related computer application, are desired assets. Experience of document imaging/scanning hardware and software, and experience maintaining electronic copies of documents an advantage. Strong computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office and document creation software such as Adobe Acrobat, are required. d) Proficiency in English; some knowledge of Spanish and French is desirable. e) Rapid turnaround of work

How to apply:

How to Apply: Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter with subject line: “Consultant, HIV/AIDS Technical Scale-up Programme Support”, CV and P11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html to pdconsultants@unicef.org by 13 January 2012. Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.