Consultancy for Review of UNICEF Field Presence in LAC- Panama (HOME-BASED - 5 months)

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

The UNICEF Latin-American and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO) in Panama oversees 23 Country Offices and one Multi-Country Office for the Caribbean sub-region. UNICEF’s presence in the region includes 37 Field Offices (FO).

UNICEF has had a sub-national presence in LAC for more than 30 years. The modalities of territorial presence vary in the region depending on particular programmatic contexts, both development, and humanitarian response. In 2011 LACRO undertook an evaluation of UNICEF programming at the sub-national level. The evaluation concluded that while recognizing the relevance of the sub-national presence to advance the equity agenda in certain countries, there was no generally accepted criteria for establishing a sub-national presence. The report highlighted differences in decentralization levels, staff seniority and management approaches.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this Review is to examine the different approaches of UNICEF’s field presence in the LAC region and provide practical recommendations to guide and enhance the Regional Office Management Team’s ability to make informed strategic decisions about how to optimize its operating model, considering current and future needs.

Specific Tasks:

The Review will explore UNICEF’s models of field presence across the region, the rational for the establishment of field offices, the efficacy and efficiency of interfaces between field and country offices. Four dimensions will be used to analyze efficacy and efficiency:

1. Roles and Accountabilities: the allocation of functional responsibilities and authorities between the Country Office and FO, and agreed content and methods for accountability;
2. Programme Planning, Delivery and Results Management: the range of regular country programme implementation and humanitarian interventions carried out by, or through, the FO, and how these are monitored and reported;
3. Resources and Management Systems: human and financial resources and management systems (tools, procedures and mechanisms). In UNICEF, this includes Matrix Management.
4. Strategic Leadership: where capable leaders at both CO and FO levels ensure the strategic balancing and use of the dimensions of Roles and Accountabilities, Programme Delivery and Results Management, and Resources and Management Systems.

Three phases are suggested for this Review

1. Desk review:

2. Compile all existing documentation (Country Programme Document, Country Programme Management Plan, Annual Reports, Country Programme Evaluations, Audit reports and related documentation) and best practices including existing models of decentralization of field presence.

3. Benchmark with similar CO context and characteristics in other regions.

4. Liaise with relevant units of LAC regional office (planning, operations, evaluation) divisions for technical guidance.

5. Interviews: Deputy representative (programme and operation), operation manager-officer, chief of field offices, relevant staff in central and field offices.

6. Preparation and discussion of relevant tools for field offices management

7. Check list for opening field offices

8. Field office structure
9. Accountability framework
10. Standard Operating Procedure
11. Matrix Management

Expected Results:

The report will include at least the following content:

1. Acronyms
2. Executive summary
3. Introduction
   1. Context and purpose of the review
   2. Methodology
4. Inquiry framework

5. Findings

6. Context and programme rationale

7. Strategic leadership
8. Roles and accountabilities
9. Programme planning and delivery: the range of regular country programme technical/ sectoral and advocacy activities and humanitarian interventions carried out by, or through, the FO, programme planning, implementation modalities, model of the decentralized partnership with government and CSO, results oriented monitoring and reporting, knowledge management.

10. Resources and management systems: budget and finance, human resources (level, capacity, internal communication, matrix management)

11. Conclusions

12. Recommendations

13. Country profiles (for the following country offices)

14. Bolivia

15. Brazil
16. Colombia
17. Eastern Caribbean Area
18. Guyana and Suriname
19. Haiti
20. Mexico
21. Panama
22. Peru

23. Venezuela

24. Annexes

25. Interview tools

26. Map of field offices localization
27. Accountability framework example
28. Standard Operating Procedure for field offices

Deliverables

Description

Duration

[in days]

Expected deadline

Desk review - report

15

2 December

Country profiles

20

30 January

First draft Review report

15

27 February

Final Review report

10

27 March

Annexes (map, accountability framework, SOP)

10

17 April

TOTAL

70

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

• Education: University degree in business administration, public administration, social sciences, or international relations. Advanced degree (master or PhD) in public administration, international development, or another related technical field is required.
• Work Experience:
  • 10 years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and administration.
  • UNICEF and other UN work experience or field work experience including leading teams in complex or large country programme settings.
  • At least 10 years’ experience in developing similar consultancies (prior work experience required).
  • Proven experience in leading organizational change.
• Languages: Fluency English. Working knowledge in Spanish. Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be considered an asset. Excellent written communications in English.
• Technical Knowledge:
  • Organizational development
  • Leading change in context of complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty
  • Programme management and programme delivery
• Other Skills:
  • Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships with national partners;
  • Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory ability;
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and remotely
  • Ability and willingness to travel to all countries across LAC.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically and works collaboratively with others.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Administrative details:

Supervision: The Regional Planning Specialist will provide quality assurance and oversight for the consultant’s work with substantial feedback on the quality of the work. The Regional Chief of Programme Planning and the Regional Chief of Operations will also provide quality assurance to the consultant’s work.

Workplace: Home-based. No travels involved.

How to Apply? Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter, University Diploma and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily fees in their financial proposal.

Payment of professional fees will be based on 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.

Duration of contract: Estimated start date of this consultancy is the end of November for a period of 5 months.

Insurance: The selected contractor must demonstrate a proof of medical insurance prior to the beginning of the consultancy and must be valid for the entire duration of the contract. In duty stations where UNICEF provides medical evacuation, the medical insurance that the contractor holds should include provisions for medical evacuation.

Vacancy Announcement Remarks:

Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted. UNICEF reserves the right to make additional assessment of the pre-selected candidates.

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

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.