Consultancy - Programme Implementation Monitoring Consultant, Programme Effectiveness Team (PET), DAPM NYHQ (remote-based)

Contract

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Consultancy Title: Programme Implementation Monitoring Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Programme Effectiveness Team (PET), DAPM NYHQ (remote-based)

Duration: 15 November 2023- 31 December 2024 (13.5 months)

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:

The Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) was established in 2019 to drive decision making and organizational learning, improve effectiveness and achievement of results of UNICEF and its partners to realize the rights and improve the life of every child. DAPM promotes the use of data and monitoring to achieve transformative impact on lives of children.

The Division is responsible for driving, shaping and guiding UNICEF’s evidence-informed analysis, strategic planning, programme monitoring and organizational performance management. As such, DAPM enables the organization to deliver on results in a more coherent manner, based on agile and contextualized programming process, and on data, evidence, and analysis, as well as the application of human-rights based and results-based management approaches.

Within DAPM, the Programme Effectiveness Team (PET) leads, regulates and coordinates the development and issuance of organization-wide procedures, policies, standards, guidance, and tools to strengthen programme effectiveness across all contexts, including programme planning, implementation, monitoring, organizational performance management, knowledge management and organizational learning, at all levels. It liaises with UN agencies, funds and programmes, specialized agencies, other technical organizations and the UN Development Coordination Office in the development and application of programme planning, monitoring, and reporting policies and procedures; and coordinates with the Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS), Programme Group and regional offices on provision of direct planning, monitoring and programme implementation support to countries responding to humanitarian contexts.

DAPM led initiatives are developed and managed by different units/sections in DAPM but highly interconnected to each other. Currently each initiative is supported by relevant technical staff within DAPM, Information, Communication and Technology Division (ICTD) and other divisions/offices formally as well as informally, with substantial overlap amongst them. The goal of these systems is to achieve end-to-end digitization journey.

The purpose of this role is to help drive demand and provide direct support to Country Offices in the effective adoption and use of UNICEF’s digital programme implementation and field monitoring modules for the purposes of practicing adaptive programming. The consultant will work hand-in-hand with Regional Office teams to build sustained capacities and leadership in realizing the full potential of end-to-end digitalization through real-time analytics, evidence-based decision-support, and outcomes-focused programme reviews.

Scope of Work:

Under the joint supervision of the DAPM/PIU Programme Specialist (Rollout and Adoption) and the DAPM/MU Monitoring Specialist, the consultant will:

1. Support global rollout plans for DAPM tech solutions for field monitoring, partner monitoring and reporting, and work plan adjustment

The consultant will help refine and tailor the rollout communications/training packages to specific country and regional contexts; and help plan, prepare for and support coordination of solution scale-up activities. This will include delivering training of trainers and training of users at all levels of the organization, covering the principles of good field monitoring and programme adaptation as well the use of UNICEF digital solutions to practice these principles. Taking a purpose-focused approach to the training, the consultant will curate and share a library of real world case studies and examples of how the digital solutions have been used by frontline teams to deliver good quality programme implementation monitoring.

2. Work with Regional stakeholders to strengthen the progress and quality of Country Office adoption, including use of programme implementation and monitoring analytics in programme adjustment

Taking a tailored approach to the circumstances of each region, the consultant will coordinate with HQ and Regional rollout support resources to accompany the successful transition of COs to effective and efficient use of digital tools for programme implementation monitoring, especially field monitoring and CSO partner monitoring and reporting. This may include regional or sub-regional ‘field schools’ to support practice-based learning; remote supervisory monitoring of the use of tools by COs in practice; and development of regionalised user support materials in collaboration with technical leads and with other Knowledge Management stakeholders. The consultant will provide technical cooperation to RO teams with a focus on building sustainable knowledge for effective use of UNICEF digital solutions in quality field monitoring and adaptive programming.

3. Support troubleshooting, testing bug fixes and enhancements, and identifying improvements

The consultant will help to identify and address requests for enhancements and bug fixes, including troubleshooting user support tickets, testing enhancements/fixes, and informing users about solution updates.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

• Support global rollout plans for DAPM tech solutions for field monitoring, partner monitoring and reporting, and work plan adjustment

Deliverables/Outputs:

• • Tailored rollout communications/training package for each region

Delivery deadline****: 29 December 2023

• • Demand-led support to delivery of remote ‘training of trainers’ and/or ‘training of users’ based on agreed roll-out plan (deliverable 1)

Delivery deadline****: 29 February 2024

• • Curated library of at least eight real-world case studies and examples of effective use of tools covering a range of country office sizes and contexts

Delivery deadline****: 28 June 2024

• Work with Regional stakeholders to strengthen the progress and quality of Country Office adoption, including use of programme implementation and monitoring analytics in programme adjustment

Deliverables/Outputs:

• • Development and delivery of up to 7 regional or sub-regional in person ‘field schools’

Delivery deadline****: 30 August 2024

• • Remote supervisory monitoring of the use of tools for agreed 10-12 priority COs, with a focus on fragile contexts

Delivery deadline****: 28 June 2024

• • Development of regionalised user support materials and technical support to RO teams

Delivery deadline****: 31 May 2024

• Support troubleshooting, testing bug fixes and enhancements, and identifying improvements

Deliverables/Outputs:

• • Troubleshoot user support tickets and test enhancements/fixes

Delivery deadline****: 31 December 2024

• • Regular participation/contribution in UNICEF Yammer/Viva-Engage knowledge communities on programme monitoring and implementation

Delivery deadline****: 31 December 2024

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Bachelors degree/University degree in Management, Business Administration, International Development, Humanitarian, Social Sciences, Engineering, Monitoring and Evaluation, Human Rights, or similar areas.
• Expertise in information management and analysis

2) Work experience

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in the implementation and/or monitoring of development and/or humanitarian programmes
• Experience conducting in-person and virtual trainings on digital solutions
• Experience working with global and cross functional teams and stakeholders
• Familiarity with UNICEF's country programme cycle partnership management and associated processes will be considered an asset
• Field experience in humanitarian contexts is considered an advantage

3) Competencies

• Familiarity with good field monitoring and adaptive programming practices
• Strong Microsoft Office Skills preferred (SharePoint, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PowerBI)
• Fluency in English is required. Ability to work in French or Spanish is considered an advantage

Requirements****:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system
• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• the costs per each deliverable and the total all-inclusive (lump-sum) fees for the whole assignment (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, 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.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 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.

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.