Consultancy: Climate and Renewable Energy Data Consultant- WASH+CEED Section, PG, New York/Remote- Req

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.

For every child, hope

Consultancy Title: Climate and Renewable Energy Data Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: WASH+CEED/Programme Group/New York

Duration: 70 working days over 8 months (5 May – 31 December, 2022)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the biggest threats affecting the world’s children which has the potential to undermine many of the gains we have made in child survival and development. Over a billion children, nearly half the world’s children, are at extremely high risk of environmental and climate hazards including heat waves, floods, cyclones. Over 230m children go to primary schools without any electricity, and an estimated 1 billion people rely on health facilities without electricity. Electricity is an important enabler to improve the quality, accessibility and reliability of social services (particularly water/sanitation, health and education) for children and their families. Quality delivery of these social services is one of the best investments that can be made to reduce the risks from climate change for children in the countries most vulnerable to impacts.

The purpose of the assignment is to build on the CCRI, as well as evaluate the potential for UNICEF-accessible data on social sectors to contribute to understanding the market for energy services. This is intended to test the following hypothesis: One of the reasons that there is insufficient penetration of energy in the social sectors (water, health education) is that there is often insufficient information on the demand for energy services across these sectors. The lack of understanding of consolidated demand for energy across water, health and education services is hindering the ability of energy financiers and project developers (both public and private) to help serve this market. A better understanding of the market in areas poorly served by energy access can be achieved by enriching publicly avaialble data on schools, health centers and water facilities with UNICEF-accessible and survey data collected as part of its social service delivery programmes but which have not yet been used for assessing energy demand. Combining this enriched data on schools, health, facilities and water services over a geographical areas with methodologies for assessing energy demand at individual facilities can be used to gain a better understanding of the market for energy services and thus contribute to increased penetration of sustainable energy services.

This picture of energy demand would serve as an advocacy and evidence tool for incentivizing development partners and private sector players to increase their involvement based upon a clearer picture of the market. Furthermore, this could serve as the basis for additional analyses such as the prioritization of public sector facilities for electrification, technology selection, sustainability analysis for potential business models, targeting of public support to maximize private sector involvement, modeling the impact of enabling policies, and market-shaping signals for energy-efficient and renewable-energy optimized equipment.

The Data Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist – Climate, Energy, Environment and DRR (CEED) team within Programme Group in New York. The assignment will be conducted with guidance and engagement from UNICEF colleagues working in sections of Programme Group including Water/Sanitation, Health, and Education and with teams in divisions concerned with Data and Planning as well as with Supply Division. Engagement through the regional advisers to the priority countries will also be expected.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Specifically the Consultant will be expected to:

1. Update the Children’s Climate Risk Index with new data sets, in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
2. Support the development of a climate data partnership for children.
3. Consolidate multi-country datasets available at UNICEF NY as regards location and types of health care facilities, educational institutions and water supply infrastructure.
4. Provide indicative ranking/ gradation (e.g. High/medium/low) of countries in 1) above based upon suitability of data for consolidated energy demand across health, education, and water/sanitation.
5. For countries with suitable data in 2) above, provide gradation (e.g. high/medium/low) of value-add to existing energy demand assessments – e.g. how would energy demand assessments be improved by superimposing UNICEF data sets upon data sets publicly available from other sources (e.g. World Bank, WRI) in these countries.
6. For a subset of two countries selected from 3) above with positive assessment of value add: superimpose publicly-available data with a) UNICEF centrally-accessible data and b) additional data accessible to UNICEF country offices in a pre-agreed format such that it existing UNICEF methodologies for energy demand assessment can be applied.

Develop a model terms of reference for consultants to conduct surveys to enrich data quality based on assessment in 4) above.

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Masters degree in data systems, geographical information systems, knowledge management, sustainable development, climate, DRR, resilience, social policy or other related discipline.

2) Work experience

Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in data analysis on sustainable development, climate, DRR, resilience, social policy, or other related discipline. Excellent writing and communication skills; expertise in risk finance, private sector, public finance, sustainable development.

3) Competencies

• Expertise in data analysis and reporting
• Expertise in knowledge management
• Expertise in climate, environment, disaster risk reduction, social policy, child rights
• Knowledge of human resources policies, practices and procedures and ability to apply them in an
• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English.
• Good judgment, initiative, high sense of responsibility, tact and discretion.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.

Requirements****:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.