Consultancy: Consultant for adapting content of DeLoG tutored training for UNICEF e-learning on Decentralization and Subnational and Local Governance, Social Policy Section, Programme Group

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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: Consultant for adapting content of DeLoG tutored training for UNICEF e-learning on Decentralization and Subnational and Local Governance

Section/Division/Duty Station: Social Policy Team/ Programme Group/ NYHQ

Duration: 32 – 40 Billable days

Home-office Based: Remote

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

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

Within the context of expanding decentralization and growing urbanization over the past two decades, UNICEF has steadily been expanding its programming at the subnational level and with local governments and other local stakeholders. In 2019, UNICEF launched its broader Local Governance Programming approach which outlines a set of approaches and priority areas for engaging with the subnational and local governance systems aimed at strengthening the results for children. The new UNICEF Subnational and Local Governance Programming Framework for UNICEF Country Offices and National Committees developed in 2022 places emphasis on the role of the subnational and urban governance context for enabling an effective and better targeted UNICEF programming for achieving results at the subnational and local level. As part of UNICEF programming it recommends that the country situation analysis that informs UNICEF country programmes should include a comprehensive analysis of the political economy and the governance system of the country to outline the distribution of power and resources, the governance structures and the degree and type of decentralization, and how fiscal and political decentralization have shifted the responsibility and authority for social services delivery from central ministries to subnational and local governments.

Decentralization has been an important part of political and public sector management reforms in many countries, for several decades. International development partners also supported decentralization as a pathway to improving governance and enabling more efficient service delivery, advancing democratic reform, promoting economic development and poverty reduction. Understanding decentralization is therefore important for achieving results for children in the context of UNICEF programming.

To support development partners in their efforts to understand decentralization and its importance for development programming, DeLoG have developed a tutored e-Learning Course on “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Decentralization and Local Governance Reforms”. The training has been attended by many UNICEF staff and found to be very useful for UNICEF’s work.

To expand the access to training on decentralization for UNICEF staff and enable staff to adequately make strategic decisions for their programming and develop adequate interventions at the subnational and local levels, UNICEF is planning to develop an online self-paced e-learning training course on Decentralization and Subnational and Local Governance tailored to UNICEF’s priorities. The course will build on the existing training course developed by DeLoG for a tutored e-learning training, and will use other relevant resources and examples, cases, guidance and lessons learned from UNICEF country engagements as part of the e-learning material in order to adapt the content to UNICEF programming needs.

The existing DeLoG course contains 6 modules:

Module 1: Decentralization and Local Governance – A Conceptual Introduction

Module 2: Modalities and Dimensions of Decentralization

Module 3: Sector Decentralization and Functional Assignment

Module 4: Monitoring and Evaluation of DLG Reforms – Measuring Performance and Promoting Accountability

Module 5: Conceptualizing and Implementing DLG Reforms — Road Maps, Implementation Strategies and Development Partner Support

Module 6: Localization of the SDGs – Using the potential of decentralization for implementation of the 2030 Agenda

The course also contains a number of additional resources, tests and exercises to support the learning process.

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision and guidance of the Local Governance Specialist and in collaboration with the Urban Lead and the e-course developer, the consultant/s will assume the following role and responsibilities:

• The Consultant/s will work with the Local Governance Specialist and Urban Lead to identify the learning needs, scope and focus for the training based on UNICEF Local Governance Programming Approach, the Urban Strategic note and the UNICEF Subnational and Local Governance Programming Framework for UNICEF Country Offices and National Committees. Based on these considerations, they will discuss and agree the adapted text and best approach for presenting the e-learning content.
• The Consultant/s will review and analyze the existing training curricula and resources from the tutored training material on “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Decentralization and Local Governance Reforms”, developed for and owned by DeLog to select and adapt to UNICEF context and strategies on programming at the subnational and local level and add relevant material, resources, using UNICEF relevant cases, examples and exercises for the e-learning course.
• The Consultant/s will develop two new modules on:
• Urban Programming, reflecting the content and building on the new Urban Strategic Note
• A Module on working with Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings
• The consultant will ensure all modules are gender sensitive and mainstream gender related issues throughout the course content
• The Consultant/s will develop the content of the e-learning course (breakdown in modules, “storyline/storyboard”, and based on the agreed approach of presenting the content suggest possible voice over, presentation of cases and exercises, delivery modalities, e.g. texts, videos (animations, interactive exercises, etc.) that will serve as the foundation for the design and development of the e-learning course. Develop an assessment for each module and an overall final assessment, adapting the existing assessment modules to the content. The relevant documents that should be used to inform the process of content adaptation and development are listed in Annex 1.
• The Consultant/s will work with UNICEF Local Governance Specialist and Urban Lead as well as with the e-developer for the duration of the development of the e-learning course to ensure that the e-learning design accurately reflects the content and meets the learning needs of users, as well as to adapt and/or integrate any additional substantial content, text, examples/cases as needed during the development and design of the e-learning.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

• Defined learning objectives and agreed presentation mode
• Draft content outline based on literature review
• Detailed (full) content of the e-learning based on selection and adaptation of existing curricula and training material (breakdown in modules, “storyline/storyboard”, text and/or possible voice over, presentation of cases and exercises, tests, delivery modalities) presented in a format that will be easily adapted by the e-developer for online format

Qualifications

Education:

Master's in Child rights/programme management/M&E

Work experience:

• Advanced university degree in public administration development studies, political sciences, international relations, social sciences or related discipline
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in public administration, Local Governance, local economic development and community development programme/project design, implementation and evaluation,
• Experience developing capacity building / training programmes for development practitioners, preferably in the fled of governance, local governance, decentralization.
• Experience and knowledge of adult learning methodologies is an asset.

• Previous experience with UN and other development partners systems and processes is an asset

  Language Proficiency:

• Proficiency in English is required

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.
  • 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, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, 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.