Consultancy - Communication Manager, Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), London, UK, 11.5 months, 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, education . . .

There are few greater challenges faced by the global community than the twin crises of learning poverty and youth unemployment. In response, the Education Commission (chaired by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister, and UN Special Envoy for Global Education) and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen) came together to create EOF. We aim to improve the education and employment outcomes of 10 million children and youth by supporting governments to utilize a range of innovative finance instruments at scale, including outcomes funds and other results-based financing (RBF) instruments.

EOF supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on girls and underserved populations, including those in the hardest to reach rural areas. It measures (and pays for) what matters – both core skills like literacy and numeracy, but also critical 21st Century skills such as socio-emotional skills, ICT skills, and other broader fundamentals of a quality education. It helps close the persistent gap between the skills needed by employers and those attained by today's youth.

For all the above, EOF pays primarily on the basis of the results achieved, ensuring that taxpayer-funded domestic resources, aid, and philanthropic funds are only used to pay for what works. This is a game-changing way to finance results in education. It is more than just a fund – it is a powerful new set of partnerships and way of working.

Together with our supporters, we believe this is the early stages of a much larger movement. Our approach is at the cutting edge of development finance, shifting risk to the private sector, crowding in private capital, and harnessing the capacity and capability of non-state actors, with huge potential to achieve better outcomes for children and youth around the world.

Since our inception in 2018, EOF has:

• Partnered with governments in Ghana and Sierra Leone to establish the two largest outcomes funds to date in developing countries, mobilising ~$50M for these programs.
• Established itself as a leading global player in Results Based Financing (RBF), and the only dedicated center of expertise for RBF in education and skills.
• Become the first outcomes fund hosted by the United Nations within UNICEF, as a scalable platform to partner with governments around the world.
• Established a major partnership with the LEGO Foundation, to develop a scale portfolio of RBF programs in early childhood across a diverse range of countries, as well as to amplify the movement and ecosystem of partners around this approach.
  • Had our innovative approach featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, FT, Economist, Brookings, and more.
  • Built institutional capacity to contract and implement large-scale outcomes funds more efficiently and effectively than historic impact bonds.
  • Established a strong culture of performance and an active focus on ongoing professional development for all our team.

The next chapter of EOF’s growth is particularly exciting, as we look to build on this foundation in the coming years. We will shift focus towards implementation of our first large scale programs, developing public goods and policy insights on ‘what works’ both in education and RBF. We will develop new RBF models that can be replicated and scaled across regions, as well as continuing to roll out our existing models. Ultimately, we want to improve the way governments and donors fund and implement education programs around the world.

How can you make a difference?

We are seeking to recruit an exceptional Communications Manager to take a leading role in EOF's communications, in close coordination with the leadership team and program managers.

The Communications Manager will report directly to the Chief Partnerships Officer. They will also collaborate with all members of the EOF team.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (TASKS, SMART DELIVERABLES, DEADLINES):

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic communications planning: develop EOF's communications strategy for the central organization and each of our programs, and hold overall responsibility for successful implementation
• Thought leadership development: Write, and support others in writing, content across a variety of formats, including blog posts, articles, newsletters, op-eds and reports
• Act as a custodian for EOF's brand: work across formats and media to improve our brand, including active quality control for all externally published content
• Lead the communications function: this could include managing junior team members (researchers, analysts, and associates), external consultants and agencies
• Manage EOF's social media: oversee the development of relevant and engaging content for Twitter and LinkedIn, which responds to our operating environment
• Manage the EOF website: proactively improve the structure, content and navigation of our website, to ensure it effectively communicates EOF and our work
• Secure speaking opportunities: identify valuable opportunities for external engagement which will raise EOF's profile and support our programmatic and partnership goals
• Build the EOF team's communication skills: develop standard messaging, draft talking points and train the team on effective communication

EOF is an entrepreneurial environment, and this will be our first dedicated communications role; this is a hugely exciting opportunity, but it does mean the successful candidate must be comfortable being hands-on and holding the pen themselves.

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

• An advanced degree (Masters) in communications, public relations, marketing, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of 6 years of relevant, professional experience in communications, public relations, marketing or a closely related field.
• A track record in developing and implementing communication strategies in complex and political environments
• Experience leading international communication activities (such as a program launch), which include traditional and digital media
• Experience in directly leading people, projects and teams
• Excellent written skills. Able to convey complex ideas clearly and engagingly and can adjust you style to reach a variety of different audiences.
• Experience working in a start-up/ scale-up environment; comfort and ability to thrive amidst ambiguity and to quickly (re-)adjust to new circumstances
• Experience or an interest in international development, the global education sector, and international aid
• Experience working in or with low- and/or middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, the Middle East or South America
• Experience in innovative financing, in particular with RBF instruments or incentive structures.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Spanish, French or Arabic is preferred. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, or Russian) is an asset.

Duty Station

London, United Kingdom.

Duration 11.5 months contract with possibility of extension

Proposed Payment Schedule

Payments will be made monthly. The proposed rate should inclusive of all professional fees, daily allowances, living allowances, and other administrative costs and should assume a full-time commitment.

Insurance: Consultants and individual contractors are fully responsible for arranging, at their own expense, all insurance, such as life, health and other forms of insurance, covering the period of their services as they consider appropriate. They are required to certify that they are covered by medical/health insurance.

How to Apply:

Qualified candidates are requested to upload a cover letter, resume/cv, and their proposed fees (monthly rate in British Sterling) by 03 May 2022. Please also indicate your availability in your cover letter.

Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be accepted.

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.

• Think and act strategically
• Nurture, lead and manage people
• Innovate and embrace change
• Manage ambiguity and complexity
• Demonstrate self-awareness and ethical awareness

To view our competency framework, please visit 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 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.