Consultancy : Analytical Review of Governance Innovations In Public Service Delivery for Children during COVID-19, 50 days, Remote

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, innovate

The COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through governance systems, disrupting normal operations and practices, and rapidly creating a “new normal.” Existing government plans were dropped or postponed. Targets were revised and pushed back. Governments turned to developing strategies to fight the spread of the virus and to mitigate its impact, combining in the response the crucial components of public health, social protection, protection, and economic stimulus and support.

Governments faced numerous fiscal and human resource constraints throughout the crisis as well as the need to develop and implement new safety regulations. They needed to find novel ways to deliver public services and address new expectations and demands, while facing these constraints.

Some social services also shifted from being delivered in person to being offered remotely via digital platforms. Digitization of government service saw rapid acceleration in many countries because of the conditions imposed by the pandemic. Mental health counselling was conducted online, new chatbots were created to provide information to the public on a range of topics, and education was adapted to digital platforms.

Even before the crisis, many governments were unable to deliver public services on their own, instead depending on range of partners to do so. During the pandemic, they again turned to broader networks to work together to support communities. Civil society organizations (CSOs), as part of networks or independently, often working directly with local administrations made strong contributions to the delivery of public service through formal and informal arrangements with those governments. In the early months of the crisis, however, many CSOs felt acutely the sudden shift in focus. Those depending on funding from their government, from international donors, and/or from local contributions found themselves struggling to cover operational costs, while sometimes also being asked to do even more by the communities they served and the government. In some countries, government lockdowns and restrictions on movement further disrupted CSO operations, especially if they did not play a recognized role in the response that would have permitted them to operate more freely.

CSOs that could do so adapted their programming and utilized their funding for pandemic response and to change their methods of operation. They performed as frontline workers monitoring the situation in their communities, distributing personal protective equipment, reinforcing protective and welfare services, and circulating communication material around personal care for prevention.

The formal and informal network models to public service delivery were also forced to adapt. Some CSOs initiated action on their own. Others worked more closely and formally with government. Some participated as members of local coordinating mechanisms for crisis response. Governments may have provided budget support to some CSOs through different agreements and mechanisms.

Questions remain however on whether these crisis arrangement initiatives will prove durable and impact approaches to public service delivery and governance models at the national, sub-national and local administrative levels. Some of those adaptations may prove temporary, as part of response and recovery packages, but others may lead to lasting reform, including a change in course away from pre-pandemic public sector reform initiatives and paradigms. Ongoing expectations and demand from society, pace of economic recovery, trust in institutions, and fiscal space can all play important roles in any future governance configuration.

UNICEF, as an organization that supports development of services for children, will benefit from a deeper understanding of governance innovations during COVID-19; how some of those may translate into lasting public sector reforms; and, the implications they hold for designing systems-based approaches with government and other partners.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is seeking a consultant to produce an analytical review of governance innovations in public service delivery across different fields and sectors that benefited children. The review should explore how those changes may impact longer term trends on public service delivery models at national and local levels. The review will be used internally to inform UNICEF’s systems-based work and guide future research and analysis by OGIP specifically.

The consultant would be expected to address five main questions in the review:

• What were the key drivers of governance innovation since the pandemic started, including challenges that governments were trying to solve with those?
• What are the key aspects of governance innovations for public service delivery for children, including to improve responsiveness, efficiency, accountability, and participation?
• How have governments approached institutionalization of innovations for integration into their long-term governance models?
• What areas of this topic would benefit from additional research?
• How should UNICEF concretely integrate these findings into its work?

Methodology

Research and analysis will be based primarily on desk review of studies and grey literature/ reports on developments in low, middle and high income countries and key informant interviews with specialists in academia, think tanks, NGOs, and other UN agencies. A limited number of interviews may also be conducted with UNICEF staff in country and regional offices and headquarters. The consultant will be home based with no travel required.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher), or equivalent relevant research experience, in public administration, public policy, social or political sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of research and analysis experience in public administration, governance, public policy, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of global trends in public sector governance and in different country contexts.
• Skill and experience in developing policy analysis and/or policy briefs.
• Fluency in English with strong professional writing skills is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Payment details and further considerations

• Payment based on number of days and satisfactory completion of deliverables
• Consultant is responsible for his/her own health and travel insurance

Application procedure

Applicants are requested to include:

1. A recent CV
2. A cover letter explaining how their knowledge and experience match the requirements
3. A writing sample (a published report or article where the applicant was first author)
4. Proposed daily consultancy rate

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.