Consultant – Regional Manufacturing for Equitable Access

Position description

The consultant will support the RMEA team in project planning and execution, including stakeholder engagement. Key responsibilities include coordinating activities, finalizing technical reports, and contributing to deliverables outlined below.

Background  

Unitaid, a partnership hosted by the World Health Organization, is focused on accelerating the introduction and adoption of key health products primarily for HIV and co-infections, tuberculosis, malaria and women and children’s health. It creates systemic conditions for sustainable and equitable access and aims to foster inclusive and demand-driven partnerships for innovation. It designs and invests in innovative approaches to make quality health products available and affordable in low- and middle-income countries. It promotes collective efforts with partners, countries and communities, unlocking access to the tools, services and care than can deliver the best results, improve health and address global health priorities.

 

Access to affordable, quality-assured health products is crucial for sustainable health systems, yet many low- and middle-income countries face challenges due to dependence on imports, leaving them vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. This was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to strengthen regional manufacturing. Unitaid, a key player in global health, focuses on identifying and investing in innovative solutions to address these challenges. In particular, Unitaid’s Regional Manufacturing for Equitable Access (RMEA) prioritizes Africa in its first phase of implementation, aiming to contribute to a sustainable manufacturing industry for essential health products as an enabler of equitable access. Fostering collaboration through platforms like the Industry Engagement Forum (IEF), Unitaid facilitates dialogue among stakeholders, including manufacturers, to drive innovation and address market realities. Looking ahead, Unitaid aims to expand its RMEA efforts to Latin America (Phase 2)  and other underserved regions, emphasizing the importance of collective action to enhance access to vital health commodities worldwide. 

Deliverables

• Deliverable 1: Inception Phase to implementation phase transition support to be concluded by January 2026. 
• Deliverable 2: Event Coordination: three events coordinated by the end of the contract.
• Deliverable 3: Stakeholder Relationship Management: Develop a stakeholder management  and implemented a stakeholder management tool by the end of the contract.
• Deliverable 4: Operational Partnership Development: One partnership agreement is operationalized.  
• Deliverable 5: Develop and implemented an internal team coordination tool by the end of the contract. 
• Deliverable 6: Complete three technical reports by the end of the contract.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:   

Essential:

• University degree in one of the following areas: engineering, pharmacy, life sciences, business/public administration, project management or public health.

Desirable:

• Advanced degree or training in development/manufacturing of health product

Experience  

Essential: 

• At least 5 years’ experience in supporting various aspects of project/grant management, including proposal development, risk and feasibility assessment, document review and implementation.
• Work experience in multi-stakeholder LMIC (regional and/or county level) environments and across multi-functional and dynamic teams.
• Work experience along the manufacturing value chain for health products research and development to manufacturing and commercialization.
• Experience in healthcare manufacturing processes, supply chain management, and regulatory requirements. 

Desirable:

• Experience in project management, including in supply chain, product development, market access/regulatory, quality assurance, and/or intellectual property.
• Experience in health products access in LMICs. 

Skills/Knowledge

Essential:

• Good project management skills.
• Stakeholder engagement.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of grant development, implementation, financing and budgets in public health or development-related projects.

Languages and level required 

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English
• Intermediate knowledge of French 

Location 

Off site: Home-based 

Travel 

The consultant will be expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)

Remuneration: 

Band level B – USD 7’000 – USD 9’980 per month

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:   

11 months 

Application instructions

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