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International consultant in peri- & neonatal care – Neonatologist, Sukhumi, Georgia
Job Description:
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. UNICEF is a place where careers are built, offering diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.
Background/Purpose of the Assignment:
The hostilities of 1992–1993 and subsequent isolation have negatively impacted the economic and social well-being of people in Abkhazia, Georgia. The healthcare system is outdated and inpatient-oriented, with primary healthcare facilities facing shortages of qualified personnel, leading to frequent referrals. Health workers often lack access to ongoing medical education, and nurses’ skills are underutilized. Challenges include limited essential medicines, outdated equipment, deteriorated WASH infrastructure, and high out-of-pocket costs.
UNICEF supports health, education, and child protection interventions in Abkhazia, Georgia, through its Field Office. UNICEF has supported the Extended Programme on Immunization (EPI) and worked with health workers on internationally recognized maternal and child health (MCH) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) standards. Support has also been provided for clinical guidelines, neonatal transport equipment, and a network of health professionals.
Addressing maternal and child health challenges requires a lifecycle-based approach. In Abkhazia, shortages of trained personnel, limited evidence-based clinical standards, and lack of targeted interventions pose risks. Health workers need strengthened knowledge, skills, supportive supervision, and access to reliable health data.
To address these challenges, UNICEF, within an EU-funded initiative, will support the strengthening of risk-appropriate maternal and neonatal care in Abkhazia. This will involve a comprehensive assessment of neonatal and obstetric care quality using the WHO’s ‘Integrated quality of hospital care assessment and improvement tool for maternal and neonatal health’.
Scope of Work:
UNICEF is recruiting international consultants, including a Neonatologist, to assess the quality of neonatal and obstetric care in Abkhazia, Georgia, using the specified WHO tool. Consultants will complete modules at the Republican Maternity Hospital in Sukhumi and seven district hospitals, as well as seven women’s consultation clinics.
The assessment will focus on:
* **Hospital Resources:** Availability of essential resources for maternal and newborn care (infrastructure, HMIS, human resources, medicines, equipment, supplies, laboratory services).
* **Hospital-level Policies and Organization of Services:** Hospital policies, infection prevention and control, quality improvement, organization of maternal and newborn care, access to care, continuity of care, and protection of mother and newborn rights.
* **Provision of Health Care:** Evaluation of case management for common maternal and newborn conditions according to WHO standards.
* **Additional Areas to Be Assessed:** Monitoring and follow-up practices for obstetric complications and sick newborns, and patient experience of care.
* **Motivation and Perspectives of Human Resources:** Assessment of factors influencing health providers’ ability to deliver quality care.
* **Feedback and Action Planning:** Supporting a standards-based audit process and developing action plans for improvement, including referral pathways, maternal-neonatal intensive care units (ICU) requirements, discharge handover, and integration of clinical care protocols.
Tasks/Milestones for Neonatologist:
* Provide technical expertise for neonatal components of the assessment, including tool adaptation, evaluations, report contributions, protocol development, and training material creation.
* Participate in stakeholder workshops.
* Complete assigned modules of the assessment tool, focusing on referral pathways, ICU requirements, discharge handover, and clinical protocol formulation.
* Contribute to the draft and final assessment reports.
* Co-facilitate protocol development workshops.
* Finalize neonatal components of clinical protocols.
* Provide technical inputs to the final assessment report and presentation.
Minimum Requirements:
* Medical degree; at least a Master’s degree in Neonatology is required. An advanced academic degree is an asset.
* A minimum of ten years of clinical experience in neonatology.
* Proven experience in implementing assessments of neonatal and obstetric care quality using the WHO tool, with documented evidence.
* Proven experience in developing or adapting clinical care protocols in peri- and neonatal care, with supporting documentation.
* Proven experience in providing training.
* Relevant experience working with UNICEF and WHO is required.
* Experience in sensitive or protracted settings is an advantage.
* Fluency in English and Russian is required.
Competencies:
* Builds and maintains partnerships
* Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
* Drives to achieve results for impact
* Innovates and embraces change
* Manages ambiguity and complexity
* Thinks and acts strategically
* Works collaboratively with others
UNICEF promotes diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. Reasonable accommodation is provided throughout the recruitment process. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination.