Position:  Short-term Independent Consultant – India
Location: India (must already be based in India)
Employer: Vitamin Angels (VA)
Duration: May to October 2021 
Apply by: May 1^st, 2021

Background

Vitamin Angels (VA) aims to promote health and economic equity across the lifespan by ensuring nutritionally vulnerable, underserved populations have access to evidence-based nutrition interventions. VA focuses on interventions that target the first 1,000 days of life (i.e., from conception through 24 months of age) and children up to 5 years of age. These interventions currently include vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children under 5, deworming for children under 5, and multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women.

VA seeks to continue strengthening its program in India. VA is seeking a consultant to support an in-depth assessment (i.e., landscape analysis) to identify barriers, constraints, and opportunities for integrating MMS¹ for pregnant women into the antenatal care platform in India, using a participatory approach.

Scope of Work

The Consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Support a landscape analysis to (i) map the context and readiness for implementing an MMS intervention and (ii) make recommendations about how to best make investments in order to effectively introduce and scale MMS in India. The Consultant will work closely with the Vitamin Angels team in India to support the following activities:
   • Desk review of the nutrition situation for pregnant women, existing policies and guidelines related to antenatal care including prenatal supplementation, and implementation of the existing antenatal care/prenatal supplementation program
   • Gather information to support the creation of advocacy tools/policy briefs to raise awareness and build consensus among decision makers
   • Survey of MMS-related implementation experience of VA’s selected program partners
   • Stakeholder assessment to identify key stakeholders, understand their power or influence, and provide insights for communication/engagement moving forward
   • Analysis of desk review and stakeholder assessment, including a draft report summarizing findings and recommendations
   • Consensus-building workshop to share and discuss findings, and collectively identify priority actions for introduction and scale-up of MMS as part of ANC.
      
2. Conduct a supply readiness assessment to analyze the internal and external environment in India to support local, in-country, or regional procurement and production of MMS. In collaboration with Sight and Life, the consultant will assist in the following activities:

• Assess the technical feasibility for local manufacturing of MMS in the country
• Understand the procurement mechanism and assess the regulatory environment, specifically, how a new product enters the regulatory system
• Identify and validate selection of local manufacturing partners in the country and the region
• Develop a cost structure and business model for MMS in the country
• Review and provide inputs on any lab analysis result and degradation study for MMS
• Develop and share findings/recommendations with project stakeholders for next step decisions

Deliverables

The Consultant will submit the following deliverables:

• Landscape analysis report (with sections on MMS related implementation experience and supply readiness assessment) on MMS in India.
• Advocacy tools, policy briefs, etc. based on findings from the landscape analysis and supply readiness assessment.
• Monthly invoices for services and expenses incurred (to be submitted before the last Monday of the month, for payment the following Thursday).
• And, at least, monthly budget for local travel and miscellaneous expenses.
• Completed VA trip report within one week of any program travel conducted on behalf of VA.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Based in India
• Fluent in English and Hindi
• At least a master’s degree in Public Health or Nutrition or Community Medicine or equivalent professional experience
• Strong understanding of maternal and child health, and nutrition in the region
• Strong qualitative research skills and experience, proven ability to manage the collected data, write up findings, and develop recommendations
• Minimum three years of experience performing consultancies with INGOs, bilateral, or multilateral agencies
• Some exposure to marketing and manufacturing environments would be useful, but is not essential
• Computer literacy, including experience with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Willing and able to travel domestically during the consultancy
• Willing to work from home and in possession of reliable telephone/internet connectivity
• Superior written and oral communications skills
• Superior organizational skills and attention to detail