Consultancy: Education Communications & Advocacy Consultant - Education Section, Programme Group –HQ New York (Home based, remote position) - Req

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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: Education Communications & Advocacy Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Education Section, Programme Group – HQ New York (Home based, Remote position)

Duration: 11.5 months (250 days Full Time)

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

The Management, Advocacy and Partnerships (MAP) team in the Education Section provides the Education programme section as a whole with management, advocacy and partnerships support to implement the Education work plan and effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Education Section has embarked on a number of key initiatives, particularly in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen partnerships, advocacy, and resource mobilization, that have led to a high demand for dedicated capacity to manage communications and advocacy within the education section.

The consultant will support external communications and advocacy for education to enhance visibility and strengthen resource mobilization and donor engagement. In this capacity, the consultant will provide strategic guidance and support to the development of external and internal communication and knowledge products, prepare donor meetings, manage social media engagement, and support high-level advocacy through management of events including in-person, virtual and hybrid. The consultant will bridge the gap with the global advocacy work for education provided by the Division of Communications and Global Advocacy (DCGA).

Scope of Work:

1. External Communications and Advocacy:

• Support the generation and/or re-purposing knowledge products, communications, and advocacy material, with tailored focus on UNICEF resource partners and networks.
• Support development and dissemination of advocacy messages and strategies to enhance UNICEF’s visibility
• Provide guidance and support on UNICEF branding, production and publishing policies and processes
• Keep track of key global events/ advocacy opportunities to inform and follow-up with colleagues and partners.
• Coordinate and support development of blogs, Op-Eds, external newsletters, case studies, human interest stories, academic journals, etc. in support of technical leads in various education thematic areas, and manage the process for publication in internal (e.g., ICON) and external channels
• Prepare interviews with key education stakeholders (partners, donors, teachers, researchers) and disseminate for enhanced visibility of UNICEF’s work at global and country level (e.g., newsletter items, podcast, ICON stories, etc.)

2. Support to resource mobilization and donor engagement:

• Work in close collaboration with the Lead on Advocacy and Partnerships to initiative and sustain relations with donors – including private sector – to diversify funding channels; keep close contact to PFP
• Maintain and nurture relations with a selected number of foundations
• Work closely with Natcoms to attract additional funding and streamline joint ODA advocacy with Natcoms
• Support the HQ education teams in the preparation of pitch documents and keep them updated
• Support the preparation of 12 months advocacy plans for priority donor (e.g., Norway, Sweden, EU)

3. Strategic and sustained Social Media engagement:

• Lead on UNICEF education social media engagement, including management of UNICEF Education twitter and the Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development Twitter handles, as well as amplification through key senior management handles, regional and country offices and Natcoms.
• Draft social media messages and engage donors and partners around key priorities/events.
• Develop event-specific social media packages with a distribution strategy to amplify key messages.
• Work in close collaboration with the Lead on Advocacy and Partnerships on donor visibility and donor engagement via social media channels.

4. Support to design and delivery of major events:

• Support MAP team in the design and delivery of virtual, in person and hybrid events focused on key global education priorities, with particular focus on the Transforming Education Summit (September 2022) and RewirEd Summit (December 2022).
• Support the overall process for speaker/partner engagement around key events.
• Support oversight of service providers including event management and other related procurement.
• Support Education Partner Group meetings in the organization of virtual visits.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

In close collaboration and working with the Management, Advocacy and Partnerships (MAP) team members, the incumbent is responsible for managing the communications and advocacy function, as follows:

• Inception report outlining more detailed tasks and deliverables

Status report # 1 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 31 March 2022

• Status report # 2 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 29 April 2022

• Status report # 3 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 31 May 2022

• Status report # 4 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 30 June 2022

• Status report # 5 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 31 July 2022

• Status report # 6 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 30 August 2022

• Status report # 7 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 30 September 2022

• Status report # 8 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work - 30 October 2022

• Status report # 9 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 30 November 2022

• Status report # 10 providing overview of status of deliverables

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 31 December 2022

• Status report # 11 providing overview of status of deliverables

Concise final report including handover notes, documentation and

Ongoing deliverables in the 3 main areas of work – 10 February 2022

Qualifications

(1) Education

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in the area of education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field is required.
• The individual should be highly proficient in English. Fluency in another UN language is an asset.

2) Work experience

• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience with some experience in the 4 main areas of the assignment
• Thorough understanding of Education programming and/or relevant technical fields
• Expertise in developing communications plans, advocacy strategies, and event management with international organizations including the United Nations funds and programmes is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Experience with the use of social media for development is required.
• Excellent writing skills for a wide variety of purposes is required.
• Extensive knowledge and experience in Excel, PowerPoint, and basic skills in design and styling of documents is required..

3) Competencies

• Innovates and embraces change (Level 1)
• Builds and maintains partnerships (Level 1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (Level 1)
• Works collaboratively with others (Level 1)

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.