Consultant Programme & Policy Innovation

Contract

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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.

UNICEF has a 75-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, technologies and ways of financing and working are key to building a better world for children.

For every child...innovate

The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable innovative solutions.

UNICEF's Office of Innovation does this by:

• Connecting with the youth generation as co-shapers, designers and doers for social change in their communities as well as for setting a pace of change for generations of children to come.
• Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children.
• Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the diversity of public and private sectors to collectively accelerate the delivery of results for children.

About UPSHIFT

UPSHIFT is a UNICEF global skill building solution. Based on best practices from non-formal education, experiential learning, and business education UPSHIFT is a learning journey combining workshops, mentorship, and an entrepreneurial challenge. Participants explore how to analyze and understand community challenges they deeply care about and to build products or services addressing them. At the final stage of the 25 hours course, all solutions are reviewed with the most promising ones receiving seed funding and further mentoring and learning support for their implementation. This inspires young people to keep dreaming up big ideas as they can see the chosen ones come to life.

UPSHIFT is currently being implemented in 45 countries with 3.2 million young people having completed over 65 million learning hours since UPSHIFT launched in 2014. This trend is growing exponentially and is being led one the one hand by an increase in number of countries launching UPSHIFT (one every 8 weeks over the past two years) as well as integration of UPSHIFT delivery into formal and non-formal education systems.

Of the 45 current UPSHIFT countries, 10 have already started to integrate UPSHIFT delivery into education systems, 15 are in discussions with Government counterparts to do so and a further 13 are also planning to follow suit. There is therefore a moment of opportunity for UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and Education teams to unite to support and accelerate the scale up of UPSHIFT through education systems.

As the custodian of the UPSHIFT the Office of Innovation (OoI) continues to engage daily with country offices implementing UPSHIFT and is developing subsequent tools. knowledge products and lessons learned to further support the UPSHIFT community of practice accelerate the delivery of results for children and young people globally.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of work

1. Writing 4 UPSHIFT country case studies (2000-3000 words each) documenting UPSHIFT implementation and scale into national systems.

Each case will include elements of desk research, discussions with country office staff and several rounds of document revision based on feedback from stakeholders within UNICEF. The Office of Innovation estimates between 6-8 working days will be necessary for each document.

2. Report on UPSHIFT deployment costs analysis (face to face or blended). This report will look at the current cost of deploying and sustaining the delivery of UPSHIFT integration into education systems including, but not limited to, the cost of adapting curriculum content and technology platform (where relevant) as well as facilitator / teacher training running annual cycles of the programme for the first year and how the costs evolve over time.

This report will involve desk research as well as extensive interaction with country office staff and partners and multiple rounds of revisions as well as support to fill gaps in existing documentation. The Office of Innovation estimates between 15-18 working days will be necessary to complete the report.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Writing four UPSHIFT country case studies.
• Writing a cost analysis of UPSHIFT launch and scale in education systems.
• Desk-based research to gather necessary information for writing the documents as well as, where necessary, conducting interview with stakeholders to be agreed upon with the UPSHIFT global lead.
• Clear the document with the respective UNICEF stockholders referred to or consulted during the research and/or interview phases.

Description of assignment

Tasks

End-Product/ Deliverables

Estimated Delivery Date

Percentage of Payment

1

Case study 1

Report submitted.

29 September2023

16%

2

Case study 2

Report submitted

31 October 2023

16%

3

Case study 3

Report submitted

15 December 2023

16%

4

Case study 4

Report submitted

15 February 2024

16%

5

UPSHIFT cost analysis

Report submitted

31 May 2024

36%

About you

You are passionate about skills building and youth engagement. You have an intimate knowledge of the UPSHIFT programme or human centered design approaches adapted to adolescents and young people and have a good understanding of UNICEF programming environment. You write with clarity, confidence and flair. You’ll bring proven experience in writing and editing across complex, technical subjects including integrating programming approaches in education systems and creating content strategies in at least one of the following sectors: innovation, technology, education or youth engagement. You understand the importance of building strong working relationships.

To qualify as a Climate Innovation writer/storyteller you will have…

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher*) in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, Information or another relevant field
• A minimum of 10 years of proven professional experience in writing and content development for international organizations.
• Fluency in English is essential, competence in another UN language will be considered an asset.

Specialized experience and knowledge required for the assignment

• Skilled wordsmith who can develop stories for external or internal audiences that work well across a variety of communication channels, and able to communicate technical complexity with ease and clarity.
• Previous experience in report writing on programme integration into education systems.
• A strong, proven track record of developing quality written content
• Previous experience in performing costs analysis.
• Knowledge of the UPSHIFT methodology.
• Knowledge of UNICEF programming environment.
• Capacity to prioritize and manage a diverse range of partners, projects and activities.

*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

Additional experience and knowledge that would be an advantage:

• An understanding of the role innovation plays in the development and humanitarian sectors, as well as the UN system.
• Experience working with and across different internal and external communication channels.
• Understanding of UNICEF Innovation operating environment and priority partners
• Ability to work with a diverse team in a rapidly changing work environment and adapt to unforeseen changes.

Please access the ToR and related information here UPSHIFT report writer ToR.pdf

Travel:

• Throughout the recruitment period, the consultant will not be expected to travel.

Payment details and further considerations

• Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

How to apply

• Interest applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee.

Please find attached the financial proposal template Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx

For every child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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Added 10 months ago - Updated 10 months ago - Source: unicef.org