Contract Duration- 6 Months

Working arrangement: Remotely

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Solomon Islands is preparing its Gavi 6.0 Full Portfolio Planning (FPP) application for the 2026–2030 period, which will define the country’s strategic priorities, investments, and financing for immunization and health systems strengthening in alignment with Gavi requirements.

The purpose of this consultancy is to lead the development of a high-quality, evidence-based, and Gavi 6.0 holistic application for 2026–2030, for Solomon Islands. Working closely with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), UNICEF, WHO, and Gavi Alliance partners, the international consultant will act as the lead technical advisor, guiding the Full Portfolio Planning process with a strong focus on prioritization of investments, addressing equity gaps—including zero-dose children—and ensuring that proposed strategies are realistic and implementable within the country context, as well, in line with Gavi 6.0 requirements.

The international consultant will be supported by a national consultant and will guide the overall process, while leveraging dedicated in-country technical, analytical, and coordination support to ensure the application is informed by reliable data, grounded in operational realities, and appropriately contextualized to the Solomon Islands setting. This includes guiding and facilitating stakeholder engagement, integrating country-specific insights, and ensuring effective coordination, review, and validation in line with Gavi’s FPP approach.

The consultant will receive a technical debrief from UNICEF Centre of Excellence (CoE) on the Gavi 6.0 application process, including Vaccine Portfolio Optimisation and Prioritisation (VPOP) and cash prioritization approaches, to ensure alignment with global guidance and expected standards.

Scope of Work:

The international consultant will provide overall technical leadership for the Gavi 6.0 Full Portfolio Planning (FPP) process in Solomon Islands, ensuring the delivery of a high-quality, evidence-based and fully Gavi-compliant application. The consultant will be responsible for leading all analytical, strategic, and writing components of the assignment, while guiding and supervising the national consultant, and ensuring alignment and coordination across all stakeholders.

1: Inception and Situation Analysis

The consultant will:

• Conduct an inception meeting with MHMS (EPI), UNICEF, WHO, and key partners to agree on scope, deliverables, timelines, and coordination mechanisms, clearly defined roles and responsibilities

• Review key reference materials, including:

o Gavi 6.0 guidelines, tools, and requirements

o Existing national strategies (e.g., National Immunisation Strategy (NIS) including situation analysis)

o Completed assessments (EPI review, Effective Vaccine Management Assessment (EVMA), gender assessment, behavioural insights study)

o Country roadmap for Gavi 6.0 application

o Global tracker of the Gavi 6.0 country status for each phase

• Validate the adequacy of existing analyses against Gavi 6.0 requirements, by confirming relevance of available evidence for prioritization and planning, and identifying only critical gaps or outdated elements where updates are needed while avoiding duplication of existing validated analyses.

• Consolidate available evidence into a concise and decision-oriented analytical summary that highlights key system bottlenecks and constraints and that identifies priority issues related to zero-dose and underserved populations.

• Ensure that the analysis focuses on identifying high-impact and actionable constraints directly affecting immunization coverage, equity, and health system performance.

• Develop and agree on an analytical framework aligned with Gavi 6.0 FPP requirements, including:

o Vaccine Portfolio Optimisation and Prioritisation (VPOP) approach

o Approach for integrated vaccine-cash planning framework

o Key assumptions, data sources, and workflow

2: Planning and Costing of the National Immunization Strategy

The international consultant will lead the update (as necessary) and costing of the existing National Immunisation Strategy (2026-2030) in line with Gavi 6.0 requirements, ensuring alignment between national immunization priorities, VPOP outcomes, and the Gavi 6.0 Full Portfolio Planning process.

. The consultant will:

• Facilitate technical coordination among key stakeholders including MHMS, Ministry of Finance, provincial authorities, and partners

• Identify key bottlenecks, priorities, and strategic investments with the greatest potential to improve immunization coverage, equity, and sustainability.

• Facilitate a structured prioritization process (VPOP) to identify priority vaccines, strategies, and investments within available resources and document the rationale for prioritization decisions, including trade-offs and deferred investments.

• Support the country to translate VPOP outcomes into clear investment choices (scenarios) for the Gavi 6.0 application, ensuring consistency between vaccine priorities, delivery strategies, health system strengthening investments, and available financing.

• Develop a comprehensive programme plan focused on optimization of the schedule, improving coverage, equity (including zero-dose children), service delivery, supply chain, workforce, demand generation, data systems, and surveillance, while ensuring that proposed interventions are operationally feasible within the Solomon Islands context.

• Define a clear implementation sequence for priority interventions over 2026–2030, indicating what should be implemented first, what can be phased, and what should be deferred based on feasibility, financing, and expected impact.

• Prepare a multi-year costing and financing framework, including government contributions, Gavi support, funding gaps, and sustainability strategies and country priorities.

• Ensure integration between vaccine investments and health system strengthening (cash budget)

• Ensure alignment with Gavi co-financing requirements, cash budget guardrails, and sustainability considerations

• Facilitate cash prioritization to ensure that limited Gavi support is directed to the highest-impact investments required to improve coverage, equity, zero-dose reduction, and programme performance.

• Ensure alignment with national policies and Gavi Full Portfolio Planning (FPP) guidance, co-financing requirements, and long-term programme sustainability considerations.

3: Application Drafting and Results Framework

The international consultant will lead the drafting of the Gavi 6.0 application and development of the results framework, ensuring a coherent, evidence-based, and Gavi-aligned submission that clearly reflects country priorities, VPOP outcomes, cash prioritization decisions, and implementation realities.

. The consultant will:

• Draft the full Gavi 6.0 application using official templates ensuring that all required vaccine and cash investment components are fully completed and supported by evidence

• Develop a results framework with clear outputs, indicators, and targets, in alignment with the Gavi Performance and Accountability Framework (PAF) and national immunization targets

• Ensure that the results framework demonstrates a clear results chain linking priority investments to expected improvements in immunization coverage, equity, zero-dose reduction, and health system performance.

• Ensure a consistent and evidence-based narrative addressing equity, zero-dose children, and health system strengthening

• Clearly document the rationale for selected investments and deferred priorities, including expected impact, affordability considerations, and alignment with available resources.]

• Integrate validated country data, stakeholder inputs, and policy alignment into the application

• Ensure internal consistency across all sections, including narrative, data tables, indicators, and budgets, with clear alignment between VPOP outcomes, cash prioritization decisions, costing, and the results framework

• Conduct a final quality assurance review of the complete application package to ensure technical accuracy, consistency across all application components, completeness of supporting documentation, and compliance with Gavi 6.0 requirements prior to submission.

4: Review, Validation, and Finalization

The international consultant will lead the review, validation, and finalization of the Gavi 6.0 application, ensuring technical quality, internal consistency, and full compliance with Gavi requirements. The consultant will:

• Lead the overall review process and refine the application based on stakeholder inputs, ensuring that the application is fully compliant with Gavi 6.0 requirements, including integration of vaccine and cash comonents and clear documentation of prioritization decisions

• Facilitate technical reviews, stakeholder consultations, and validation workshops, incorporating feedback from national and global reviewers while ensuring alignment with MHMS priorities and Gavi guidelines.Consolidate and incorporate feedback into successive drafts

• Ensure consistency across all application components, including narrative, data tables, indicators, and budgets

• Address technical queries and provide clarifications during the finalization process

• Prepare the complete application package for submission

5: Submission of Application and Final Report

The international consultant will lead the finalization, submission of the Gavi 6.0 application, ensuring completeness, quality, and compliance with all Gavi requirements and submit final assignment report. The consultant will:

• Ensure the final application package is complete, accurate, and fully aligned with Gavi guidelines

• Lead the submission of the application to Gavi through the required platform and processes

• Address any technical queries or clarification requests from the Gavi Secretariat during submission and review

• Ensure all required supporting documents, annexes, and endorsements are included

• Facilitate the handover of all final documents, datasets, and materials to MHMS and UNICEF

• Prepare a final consultancy report summarizing the process, key outputs, and recommendations

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Term Of Reference TMC0004083.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in public health, epidemiology, health policy, health economics, health systems, or a related field.

Work Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience in immunization and health systems programming

• Demonstrated experience in development of Gavi applications, immunization strategies, or similar national health sector plans

• Experience in programme costing, financial analysis, or resource planning

• Experience with development of donor proposals, grants management; health planning or health systems strengthening

Language Requirements:

• Excellent command of written and spoken English, and knowledge of a local language.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Good understanding of service delivery challenges in Pacific Island or similarly remote settings

• Strong analytical, facilitation and writing skills

• Able to work collectively with internal and external partners

• Communicates clearly and concisely

• Excellent analytical and conceptual skills

• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports

• Proven ability to work in team and independently under difficult conditions

Desirables:

• Work experience serving in a developing country

• Work experience in the Pacific Islands region

• Experience working in UNICEF or a UN system agency

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0004083.docx

Remarks:

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Consultant for development of Gavi 6.0 Holistic Application Solomon Islands (2026– 2030), Solomon Islands, Remotely (with travel), International Consultancy, 6 months, Req#594339