Nutrition Information System Strengthening Consultant, Suva, Fiji, 6 Months, OfficeBased with field trips. (Open for International Candidates Only) Req#596479
Salary not disclosedPosted today
Closes in 5 days
About the company
UNICEF is the United Nations agency that works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfil their potential from early childhood through adolescence. In Fiji, UNICEF partners with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) to strengthen health and nutrition systems.
About the role
This is a 6-month, office-based consultancy with field trips, supporting MHMS to strengthen the consistency, quality, linkage and use of priority nutrition information from community to national level. The consultant will work closely with MHMS, UNICEF and relevant partners, building on existing government structures rather than creating a separate reporting mechanism. The work centres on a rapid, practical assessment of how nutrition data is recorded, reported, linked and used across community, primary health care, outpatient, inpatient and national levels. Outputs include agreement on a minimum nutrition dataset with standard definitions and responsibilities, a short prioritised improvement plan covering immediate and medium-term actions, and a small set of priority tools such as reporting templates, referral and feedback forms, data-quality checks or standard operating procedures. The consultancy explicitly excludes designing a parallel information system, major software development, national rollout or large-scale training.
Key responsibilities
- Review key nutrition policies, guidelines, registers, reporting tools and relevant health information system documents.
- Consult a focused sample of national, divisional, facility and community stakeholders and map how priority nutrition information is recorded, reported, linked and used.
- Identify the most important gaps affecting data quality, referral completion, inpatient and outpatient continuity, discharge follow-up, reporting burden and use of data.
- Agree with MHMS a concise minimum nutrition dataset, standard definitions and clear responsibilities for recording, reporting, validation and feedback.
- Develop a short, prioritised improvement plan covering immediate actions within existing systems and a limited number of medium-term actions requiring additional resources.
- Prepare or refine a small set of priority tools, such as reporting templates, referral and feedback forms, data-quality checks, standard operating procedures or a simple routine reporting format.
- Facilitate validation, incorporate consolidated feedback, orient designated MHMS personnel and provide all final products in editable format.
About the successful candidate
- An advanced university degree in nutrition, public health, epidemiology, health informatics, health information systems, monitoring and evaluation, biostatistics or another directly relevant field (a first degree plus two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu).
- At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in nutrition information, routine health information systems, public health monitoring, health data or related health-system strengthening.
- Demonstrated experience conducting data-flow mapping, indicator and data-element review, data-quality assessment and analysis of routine reporting arrangements.
- Demonstrated experience developing practical data dictionaries, reporting tools, referral or follow-up tools, standard operating procedures, data-quality checks or implementation plans.
- Experience consulting with government counterparts and facilitating technical review or validation processes.
- Strong understanding of individual-level and aggregate health information, data governance, confidentiality, reporting burden, data use and continuity of care.
- Strong analytical, facilitation and technical writing skills, including preparation of concise reports and editable operational tools.
- Fluency in written and spoken English is required; knowledge of iTaukei, Fiji Hindi or another Pacific language is an asset.