UNICEF Sierra Leone’s Health and Nutrition portfolio covers a range of technical interventions for
reducing maternal, newborn and child morbidity, mortality, and malnutrition. Health Supply Management (quality of supplies and maintenance) is one of the key pillars of system strengthening for ensuring best value for money and uninterrupted availability of life saving medicines, functional equipment, responsive infrastructure and trained human resources to manage them.
Ongoing work related to health supply strengthening is multifaceted with some key activities in oxygen
system strengthening, solarization of facilities, construction of cold chain facilities, establishment of
biomedical engineering systems, construction of O2 plants and cold chain facilities and end user
monitoring and innovations using digital solutions such as rapid-Pro for real-time stock management of essential commodities. In addition, the incumbent will collaborate with other sections in the Country Office, Regional Office, and UNICEF Supply Division to create synergy on supply-related issues.
Job Organizational Context:
To reduce the unacceptably high levels of maternal and child morbidity, mortality and malnutrition in an equitable manner, UNICEF Sierra Leone’s Health and Nutrition programmes places emphasis on a health system strengthening approach working closely with Government counterparts and departments responsible for respective programme supply chain management, which ensures sustainability of the gains made and builds systems resilience and capacity to respond to future shocks and crises.
II. SUMMARY OF KEY FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES
1. Support Forecasting and Planning including Direct Procurement Support to partners.
2. Programme Management, Monitoring and Delivery of Results with quality.
3. Technical and Operational Support to Programme Implementation in an equitable manner.
4. Networking and Partnership Building for best value for money
5. Innovation, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building.
6. Support to Supply Chain Management.
1. Support Forecasting and Planning including Direct Procurement Support to partners.
• Support and contribute to the preparation of annual supply plan (and midyear revisions) in
collaboration with section colleagues, establish a strategic plan for forecasting and procurement
(including direct procurement support) and management of health, HIV, and nutrition related
programmes.
• Keep abreast of changes in procurement policies and trends in global tendering to enhance
programme management, efficiency, and delivery.
• Supporting the implementation of the Quantification Analysis tool (QAT) for supply planning of
nutrition, MCHN, HIV and EPI commodities
• Establish specific programme goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation plans based on
results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentations for
commodity status review and approval.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and
methodologies, and to determine national priorities and competencies to ensure the achievement of
concrete and sustainable results.

Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes for health
and nutrition supply chain management to ensure integration, coherence, and harmonization of
programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and
allocated.
2. Programme Management, Monitoring and Delivery of Results with quality
• Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners such as DFN (Director Food and Nutrition),
DPS (Directorate of Pharmaceutical Supplies, & NMSA (National Medical Supplies Agency) for
planning, monitoring/tracking of supply related documents and execution of quarterly distribution of
nutrition supplies and any ad-hoc request to monitor stocks status (at all levels) in collaboration with
supply logistic section.
• Establish performance monitoring benchmarks for stock status and quality standards in line with
UNICEF/UN system to strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete
and sustainable results for the health system strengthening component of health, HIV and nutrition
programmes.
• Implement end-user monitoring including nutrition, EPI and health commodities and set a mechanism to follow up on implementation of recommendations with DHMT (district Health Management Team)
and NMSA;
• Implementation of RapidPro in selected districts (spread across each region) to inform resupply
decisions and avoid stock out status of life saving commodities
• Identify and adjust supply plan as per the progress and emerging programme needs and challenges
in the context of the Country Programme context.
• Ensure that HSS supply specific challenges and priorities are well reflected in Programme Strategic
Note and annual work plans of the health, HIV, and nutrition programme.
• Contributes to building specific model processes for forecasting, procurement, SO monitoring and
tracking, distribution. and end user monitoring in a way to get best value for money for zero stockouts
and minimize wastage at all levels.
• Assists in quality assurance and finalization of study, evaluation, research reports, incorporating
inputs/feedback from relevant stakeholders on supply related areas/challenges to meet quality
standards as outlined in UNICEF Programme Policies and Procedures and related guidelines.
• Participate in programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other
counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
3. Technical and Operational Support to Programme Implementation in an equitable manner
• Work closely with the Ministry of Health, other ministries, and partners at national and district levels
towards improving systems for quality delivery of health, HIV, and nutrition programs with a focus on
strengthening health system monitoring systems
• Actively monitor programmes/projects through field visits and exchange of information with
partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, potential problems and take timely
decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Ensures availability of a user-friendly central database or dashboard to be updated monthly and that
key annual programme supply specific indicators for health, HIV and nutrition programme are tracked
and analysed to guide programme and management decisions for equitable health and nutrition
service delivery.
• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN
system partners and other country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and
understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, quality assurance standards and best
practices and approaches to strengthen health system,
• Contribute to emergency preparedness and response of UNICEF health, HIV, and nutrition
programmes with particular focus on supply prepositioning, monitoring, and reporting.

Networking and Partnership Building for best value for money
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health, HIV and nutrition sector
government counterparts, national stakeholders, as well as other UN agencies, global partners, allies,
donors, and academia, through active networking, advocacy, and effective communication.
• Reporting to donors/Global Funds; HAC (Humanitarian Action for Children)/ SFF (Supplies Financing Facility) reports, proposal writing for funding.
• Management and monitoring of specific donor grants for procurement of program supplies procured
through UNICEF e.g., FHCI, IsDB, USAID, Government of Japan and other prospective donors.
5. Innovation, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building
• Build capacity and exchange knowledge and expertise to facilitate the achievement of programme
goals on child rights, social justice, and equity.
• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and
stakeholders, and to support the health and nutrition supply monitoring and evaluation of concrete
and sustainable programme results.
• Keep abreast and conduct research to provide evidence for implementation of best and cutting-edge
practices in strengthening of health system specific to supply related interventions to ensure
evidence-based planning, budgeting, and monitoring.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to
promote sustainable results on health system strengthening specific to supply.
• Enhancing the in-country capacity for evidence-based planning, budgeting, and monitoring for
equitable maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services.
6. Support to Supply Chain Management
• Oversee Health and Nutrition supply chain system strengthening initiatives across all programme
areas for health (MNCH, Nutrition, EPI, Child Health, Malaria, HIV).
• Coordinate needs determination, forecasting and quantification of supplies for nutrition, MNCH, HIV,
EMTCT, Community health, SCBU medicines, equipment, and accessories.
• Forecasting and procurement of vaccines and dry supplies and procurement of Cold Chain
equipment, installation, and maintenance.
• Manage health and nutrition supply annual planning, monitoring and mid-year revisions.
• Monitoring shipments and deliveries in collaboration with Supply and Logistics section.
• Monitor pipeline and stock out and deliver on monthly reporting and distribution.
• Track and manage end-user monitoring of key health and nutrition supplies.
• Oversee oxygen systems strengthening.
• Supervise maintenance of equipment through supervision of Biomedical Engineer & Cold Chain
Monitoring Consultants.
III. QUALIFICATIONS OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE
Education
An advanced university degree in any of the following fields is required: Public Health/Nutrition, Paediatric Health, Health Policy and/or Management, Health System Strengthening, Environmental Health Sciences, Health Education, or relevant technical field.
*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
Required Experience
▪ A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in Public Health/Nutrition
and HIV Sector Planning, Health Systems Strengthening, or Health Emergency/Humanitarian
Preparedness is required.
▪ Experience in Health and Nutrition Supply Chain Management will be given appropriate
consideration.

Ability to build cross-sectional or cross-organizational partnerships.
▪ Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
▪ Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
Language requirements
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty
station is considered as an asset.
Technical Knowledge
• Extensive knowledge of HSS and supply related theories and principles.
• Computer literacy and the ability to effectively use standard office software tools as well as good
knowledge and skill in using logistic management system tools.
• Professional technical knowledge/ expertise in Activity Monitoring & Evaluation, Evaluation Design,
Data Analysis, and Reporting.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness.