For every child, the right to immunisation.  

UNICEF South Africa - committed to realising the rights of all children to help them build a strong foundation and have the best chance of fulfilling their potential.

South Africa has made notable progress in expanding immunisation services to reach its population, including the most vulnerable. However, persistent inequities remain, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas where thousands of children have not received their childhood vaccinations. Children who have not received any vaccinations, termed zero-dose and those who have not completed the full schedule or are under-immunized. These children are at heightened risk of vaccine-preventable diseases and often face multiple vulnerabilities, including malnutrition, lack of access to other health and early childhood development programmes, absence of legal documentation, exposure to neglect and abuse. Global evidence shows that a significant proportion of zero-dose and under-immunized children live in informal settlements. The presence of zero-dose children serves as a critical indicator of health system performance and equity.
To address these gaps, UNICEF supported the National Department of Health (NDoH) to adapt and contextualize the Reaching Every District (RED) Strategy for South Africa. This adaptation included the development of national guidelines, training materials, and tools to strengthen the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) through improved microplanning, community mapping and engagement, outreach planning, and data monitoring at facility and district levels. In addition, UNICEF conducted research to establish barriers to vaccine uptake.
Through funding from the Elma Foundation, UNICEF and NDoH implemented the adapted RED Strategy in four priority metropolitan districts, Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng Province, and eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal. This multi-component intervention aimed to identify and reach zero-dose and under-immunized children, strengthen EPI systems, and improve equity in vaccine access. Health workers were trained on the five components of the RED Strategy and supported to design tailored approaches for urban contexts. Additionally, UNICEF integrated its Journey to Health framework, a human-centered design tool, to identify and address social and behavioural barriers to vaccine uptake, into the training. Formative research conducted in priority districts to understand factors affecting demand and uptake of vaccine services indicated that interaction with healthcare staff, experience of care at facilities and family dynamics are major influences on vaccine uptake across settings. Parent/caregiver levels of education, and trust in government, healthcare workers, vaccine safety and efficacy have also been found to be significant influencers, but with differences in direction and degree of influence between different districts.
While implementation of the RED Strategy appears to have contributed to slowing the increase in zero-dose children in the Elma districts, operational challenges remain. There is growing demand to replicate and scale this approach nationally, requiring deeper insights into effective practices and barriers at the district and facility levels. Additionally, there is need to ensure that immunization and community engagement systems, which are often disrupted during outbreaks and health calendar commemoration events such as Africa Vaccination Week, are sustained and integrated in all circumstances. Embedding dedicated consultants in each of the four urban priority districts will enable intensified implementation of RED microplans, strengthen facility-level quality improvement, and generate practical lessons for scale-up. This consultancy will therefore play a critical role in supporting district teams, documenting implementation experiences, and developing a replicable Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide future expansion.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide embedded, district-level technical support to accelerate the implementation of the adapted Reaching Every District (RED) Strategy including microplanning and strengthen immunisation service delivery in four high-priority urban districts, i.e., City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, City of Ekurhuleni and eThekwini. Under the supervision of the UNICEF Health Officer and in close coordination with the SBC Manager, the four consultants will work closely with district and sub-district health and health promotion teams to operationalise RED microplans for quality improvement, enhance community engagement systems, and address local barriers to reaching zero-dose and under-immunised children.

In addition, consultants will document lessons learned and develop a replicable Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for district teams, enabling scale-up of successful practices across other districts. This consultancy is therefore both implementation-focused and systems-oriented, aiming to build sustainable capacity within districts to deliver equitable immunisation services. 

Scope of work

Each consultant will be embedded in one assigned metropolitan district and will work under the supervision of the UNICEF Health Officer, with support from the Department of Health and UNICEF Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Manager, to enhance the following:

1. District-Level Planning, Coordination, and Oversight

• Work closely with the designated district core team, which will be central to developing the RED microplan at the district level.
• Ensure that health promotion and district-level stakeholders are engaged and that the microplan reflects district priorities and resources.
• Support district teams to confirm priority sub-districts and high-volume facilities, convene facility/community level microplanning teams, based on coverage, dropout, and service delivery challenges.
• Facilitate alignment between district immunisation plans, facility RED microplans, and ongoing catch-up, health calendar or outbreak response activities, through monthly meetings, ensuring coherence and avoidance of parallel processes.

2. Facility‑Level RED Microplans & Tailored Implementation

• In collaboration with six to eight priority RED microplans facility/community teams identified by the district, the consultant will guide each facility through the development and implementation of a RED microplans that functions as the facility’s evidence(data) informed Quality Improvement Plan (QIP).
• Ensure that the developed microplans are actively monitored and used to drive improvement, including identifying and reaching missed populations, defaulter tracing, interpersonal communication (IPC), and strengthening data management.
• This includes hands-on mentorship and support to:
  • Complete RED tools from the National RED Strategy guideline (Annex 1) (i.e., Situation Analysis, Operational Map, Social Mapping, Stakeholder Assessment, Problem Identification & Root Cause Analysis, Activity Plan, Session Plan, Monitoring Chart) and the complementary tools from the UNICEF/WHO guide to  Human-centred design for Tailoring Immunization Programmes (HCD-TIP)
  • Define clear roles for facility staff, and WBPHCOTs, community stakeholders and health promoters in implementing planned activities.
  • Establish or adapt a simple data capture tool/system to record children identified and vaccinated during outreach sessions.
  • Strengthen facility-level defaulter tracking and tracing systems for missed immunizations by ensuring consistent use of guidelines, generating and updating defaulter lists, and implementing follow-up actions through WBPHCOTs and community structures.
  • Improve point of service experience by circulating existing resources on effective interpersonal communication (IPC) by health workers and ensuring interventions to address barriers to IPC are included in the microplans.
  • Provide structured mentorship to facility/community teams to institutionalize the use of microplans as dynamic management tools, ensuring concrete outreach schedules, tailored community engagement activities, service delivery improvements, regular review, data-driven adaptation, and continuous quality improvement.

3. Community Engagement and Defaulter Tracking

• Provide hands-on mentorship to facility/community teams to map stakeholders and establish or revitalize regular engagement with community structures (e.g., clinic committees, community health or ECD/child protection forums, faith and/or traditional leaders, community leaders) as part of the microplanning process
• Support the facility/community team to identify which end-user group/s to prioritise, to understand the problems/barriers they face, and to prioritise which barriers or drivers of vaccine uptake to address, using the complementary HCD-TIP process and tools, e.g., end user personas and the Journey to Health and Immunisation Framework
• Support the facility/community team to include end users in generating, prioritising and implementing solutions, through concrete outreach schedules, focused community engagement activities, community defaulter tracing, and service delivery improvements.
• Guide the facility/community team to identify short- and medium-term indicators and, as part of ongoing mentorship, monitor and review implementation and identify improvements.

4. Documentation and Knowledge Sharing

• Document implementation methods, barriers, facilitators, and adaptations throughout the assignment.
• Document key successes and lessons learned from the district, health facilities, and community
• Contribute to the development of a replicable Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for scaling facility-level RED implementation in other districts.

Assignment overview

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: a Master's degree in Public Health, Community Health, Health Systems Management, Epidemiology, or another relevant technical field
• Work Experience: 
  • At least10 years’ proven experience and expertise in South Africa related to public health, health systems strengthening and health workforce capacity strengthening.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and implement microplanning and quality improvement processes.
  • Previous experience with the EPI Programme, and health district and community interventions will be an advantage.
  • Previous experience with community engagement, health promotion/risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) and social and behaviour change interventions is an advantage.
• Skills:  Qualitative and quantitative research; Community engagement and participatory process management is an advantage
• Language Requirements: English and another official local language

Please indicate your ability and availability; and attach a technical proposal and financial proposal in ZAR to undertake the terms of reference above (including admin and travel costs if applicable). Applications submitted without a detailed financial proposal aligned to the assignment will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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.

Remarks:  

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable South African nationals are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

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.