Consultancy : High Impact Partnership Consultant, 5 months, WCARO Dakar Senegal

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, partnerships.

The West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), based in Dakar, provides strategic oversight and technical guidance to 24 Country Offices and governments in the region to advance towards the full realization of all child rights and to ensure no child is left behind. The Regional Office plays both a technical advisory and oversight role, guiding Country Offices in designing, implementing and documenting results for children.

The Partnerships Section is a reasonably new team in the region and is in its infancy. The region as a whole is investing in building a partnership workforce with a current pool of 35 dedicated partnership staff across the region, in 20 Country Offices out of 24 with five dedicated private sector partnership specialists. The region is varied and vast, with French, English, Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries and complex challenges facing children. Against this context, the region is seen as the Next Frontier with the growth of emerging economies, expansion of the private sector and new innovations developing (some markets naturally more than others). We have identified five COs to proactively support the advancement of their outreach and engagement with the private sector: Nigeria, Cote DÍvoire, Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal alongside supporting the other COs on high impact ad-hoc new business opportunities.

Africa is the World’s next economic frontier and a place of opportunity: a growing population and urbanization, a demographic dividend and innovative and new business models – it is seen by the business world more and more as the place to invest in. As business is changing, Africa and West Africa in particular, is increasingly looking at public-private partnerships, Islamic giving and multi-stakeholder partnerships’ platforms. This adds to the shift of the narrative around Africa, a vision also led by African leaders, including the African Union, that this is the time for Africa (and the World) to invest in African solutions. The massive investment in the local production of vaccines is just the premise of a fundamental shift in the way of doing things. And it is critical UNICEFF embraces these changes now.

Private fundraising is at its premises in the regional office and country offices with lots of untapped opportunities. This leaves UNICEF in the region unprepared to take advantage of the current and rapidly growing potential of corporate, foundation, major gift and membership-based giving in the region. Current research indicates that the economies of the five above-mentioned countries are large and / or growing rapidly. Half of the countries in WCAR are middle income countries with two upper middle income. In several countries, the private sector is bubbling, with an increasing middle class. In the last Forbes classification, Nigeria hosts three out of the 15 billionaires in Africa, including the first, Aliko Dangote, and the number of high-net-worth individuals is set to rise significantly in the next decade. At the same time, the majority of UNICEF programmes in the region are facing urgent financing gaps, including in humanitarian funding on the more silent but huge emergencies affecting children. Local fundraising would provide a way to minimize these gaps while also increasing UNICEF’s relevance and influence with government and the private sector.

How can you make a difference?

WCARO is exploring new, more cost-effective models of income generation within the region to help meet programme needs and increase financial sustainability across the region. Within the partnerships section, the High Impact Partnership Consultant will organically develop corporate, foundation, membership-based and High Net Worth Individual (HNWI) fundraising & partnerships, focusing on partnerships that have the potential of impact at scale, be financial (US$ 500,000 +) or non-financial.

The Partnership Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Partnership Manager and with the Senior adviser and other team members of the partnership section to develop and lead a customized approach to high impact individual, membership-based organization, corporate and foundation partnerships, working closely with the Programmes, Advocacy and Communication sections, to achieve long-term sustainable impact for UNICEF WCAR programmes. The Partnerships Consultant will also work closely with the Child-Rights &Business (CRB) and Private Sector Engagement (PSE) teams in HQ Programme Group and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships teams to fully leverage existing platforms, capacity building and support.

Under the general guidance of the Partnership Manager alongside the Senior Partnership Advisor and in close liaison with Regional Office senior management and programme staff, the post is responsible for securing new private sector partnerships in the WCAR region which maximizes results for children by leveraging financial and non financial resources.

Objectives

• Engage high value donor prospects across the WCAR region focusing in on Nigeria, Cote D’ Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and Ghana working in tandem with the CO partnership team; customizing cultivation and solicitation, including:

  • Coordinate and co-lead with COs, high value high impact prospecting for the region, developing a priority list of top new business prospects across corporate, foundation and HNWI channels based on capacity and likelihood to give and affinity to the cause.
  • Develop engagement plans to initiate partnerships with top prospects.
  • Develop a strategy to engage high value diaspora groups, top 20 HNWIs individuals and companies with interests in the region.
  • When emergencies escalate, in collaboration with the Humanitarian team, activate local and global outreach and solicitations and develop / feed into investment cases for resource mobilisation

• Pilot group acquisition and engagement opportunities, based on the interests of an identified priority prospect list. For example, virtual events to highlight content of interest from programmes; Ramadan-linked cultivation and solicitation opportunities; and/or emergency fundraising activators.

  • Collaborate with PFP philanthropy team on developing partnerships with local faith-based groups and remain up-to-date on organisational discussion around faith-based giving, so as to be able to incorporate this into engagement strategies where possible.

Support country offices with high value fundraising: Where Country Offices have local partnership staff, provide technical support, capacity-building, and strategic oversight for their high value fundraising, including acting as a knowledge management hub to collect local learning and to connect to global engagements and offerings (e.g. African Philanthropy Forum, World Economic Forum, United Nations General Assembly).

Scope of work

Under this contract and with the guidance of the Partnership Manager, the selected consultant will oversee and conduct the prospecting approach and strategy for the private sector, build a WCAR pipeline of $500K prospects, research latest trends to giving and partnerships, work with COs, NatComs and RO Sections to develop the highest impact, creative proposals and target the most appropriate partner with the best engagement tactics using high class senior stakeholder communications.

The work will require constant communications, dialogue and engagement between the consultant, partnership team, national committee and other sections in the regional office, and partnerships sections and at country level.

Deliverables

• Monthly one -page reports on progress outlining the no. of COs engaged, the number of outreach contact directly or indirectly done to prospects, the number of external facing initiatives you are working on and the number and value of prospect strategies and proposals in preparation and / or submitted
• At the end of consultancy, the expectation is to:
  • Work closely with the 5x priority COs on executing their resource mobilization strategies with the private sector focusing on $500K+ and multi-year opportunities
  • Secure a minimum of two new $500K+, multi-year private sector partnerships, ideally multi-year
  • Be in positive, high value, high impact discussions with a minimum of 10 new $500K+, multi-year prospects
  • Support the execution of any resource mobilization work relating to emergencies in WCAR
  • Continue to add to and develop a WCARO private sector pipeline
  • Put in place a new business WCARO system and process to ensure the robust reporting of progress and activities done using UNISON as our global customer database of relationships

What does success in this position look like?

• Working collaboratively with the Partnerships Team as well as Country Leadership Teams, Communication, Fundraising, and Programme teams for seamless, effective, and efficient engagement of high value donors.
• New high value partners in active conversation with UNICEF around forming strategic, multi-year partnerships and up to 10 high value, high impact proposals submitted in consultation with the Cos and in positive conversations with
• Soliciting and securing new partnerships with high value donors at a regional and local level across multiple channels and leveraging all available accelerators (e.g. diaspora communities, Islamic giving, emergency responses, etc.)

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

Education:

• An university degree in international human rights, international development, social sciences, business administration, management, marketing or fundraising. Or other relevant education, appropriate for this position

Experience:

• At least 8 years relevant and progressively responsible professional work experience in high value private sector fundraising and partnerships.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in securing new multi-country private sector partnerships is an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in both corporate and philanthropic partnerships is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting the teams on the ground and developing capacity-building plans for the teams/Country Offices to deliver results is a strong asset.

• Work experience with middle-income countries and in developing countries is a strong asset. Familiarity with and a knowledge of West and Central Africa is an asset.

• An understanding of child rights and related technical terms and language

• Familiarity with UNICEF Private Sector Fundraising is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is a must and an intermediate command of written and spoken French is highly desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

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

Administrative details:

The consultant will work inside the UNICEF office with some options of home-working within the duty station. Travel may be required for meetings with donors and COs.. UNICEF will make available to the provider the necessary documentation and information to produce the expected supports. The Partnership unit will liaise with the concerned countries. The necessary equipment for carrying out the productions (laptop, publishing software, and other accessories) is dependent on the provider.

Submission of page summary of experience for the role alongside an updated CV and a financial offer.

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 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 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.

Submission of page summary of experience for the role alongside an updated CV and a financial offer.

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.

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.