Consultancy: Quality Assurance Consultant (Emergency Preparedness Platform plans), Office of Emergency Programmes, Home-based (125 days)

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

Since 2016, UNICEF has made preparedness planning mandatory and adopted new and more systemic ways of working through the UNICEF Procedure on Preparedness for Emergency Response and the online Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP). Preparedness, once only an issue for specialists, increasingly features in the daily work of more staff across more functions and offices. The EPP is central to this new preparedness architecture. Launched in January 2018, this practical tool is enabling country offices (COs) – in concert with regional offices (ROs) and headquarters (HQ) - to systematically analyse risks, develop response plans and identify capacity gaps, from where they launch specific steps to strengthen their preparedness. To date, all COs have uploaded their preparedness plans to the platform. The EPP and the new preparedness architecture have already led to real improvements in COs’ preparedness, including the following: many COs have produced response plans that can be quickly used at the onset of emergencies, signed stand-by agreements with partners, established long-term agreements with vendors for supplies and logistics services, and strengthened sectoral coordination agreements with interagency partners and governments.

The EPP platform was recently upgraded to support COs in developing more impactful preparedness plans and to promote their readiness to quickly launch humanitarian responses at the onset of emergencies. The new version introduces a set of preparedness benchmarks for minimum preparedness standards (depending on the country risk level) and places greater emphasis on standing response capacity, preparedness budgets and alignment with interagency and local government planning – all essential elements of UNICEF emergency preparedness.

Despite important progress, the quality of preparedness and contingency plans on the EPP needs further improvement, with some plans requiring significant work. Quality assurance of preparedness plans remains a key responsibility of UNICEF staff (specialists, focal points, others) at country, regional and HQ levels.

In close coordination with ROs, the Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) supports quality reviews of EPP plans, prioritizing high and medium risk countries, as well as countries identified as high priority for emergency preparedness through a horizon scan process. Reviews assess the quality of plans and the extent to which minimum preparedness standards are met. The reviews result in qualitative feedback aimed at improving the quality of the EPP plans and provide high-level recommendations for addressing preparedness gaps. In 2021 and beyond, EMOPS seeks to intensify and improve the quality review process for preparedness/contingency plans with the purpose of strengthening the overall quality of EPP plans, and ultimately enhancing UNICEF’s preparedness capacity.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

The consultant will work closely with EMOPS’s Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section to assess the quality of EPP plans developed by select country offices and provide feedback through quality assurance (analysis by the consultant alone) and spot checks (coordinated with other HQ divisions and ROs) in the EPP.

Planning:

Develop a work plan and methodology to meet the objectives of the consultancy.

Quality Reviews:

• Assess the quality of selected EPP plans of high and medium risk countries, as well as countries identified as high priority for emergency preparedness through a monthly horizon scan process, and provide feedback to EMOPS, ROs and COs, as appropriate.
• Revise and update the EPP Quality Assurance checklist in line with the recently upgraded EPP platform.
• Support HQ spot checks of EPP plans coordinated by EMOPS with HQ Divisions and ROs, produce qualitative feedback, and coordinate the dissemination of feedback to ROs and COs, as appropriate.
• Support the improvement of EPP user instructional materials/help files in line with the recently upgraded EPP platform.
• Document good practices, lessons learned and areas for improvement in relation to the EPP/preparedness planning.

Key Deliverables:

• Revised quality assurance checklist.
• Quality assurance and spot check reports for selected COs.
• Documentation of good practices, lessons learned and areas for improvement.
• User instructional materials/help files.
• Other functions as required.

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Due before

• Revise and update quality assurance checklist.

• Revised quality assurance checklist.

15 April 2021

• Quality assurance and spot check reports for selected COs.

• Emergency preparedness reviews and reports.

As work progresses, completion latest by 28 February 2022

• Documentation of good practices, lessons learned and areas for improvement.

• Good practices and lessons learned products.

As work progresses, completion latest by 28 February 2022

• Develop user instructional materials/help files.

• User instructional materials/help files.

As work progresses, completion latest by 28 February 2022

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in education, social sciences, public policy or related field. First level university degree with relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience mainly in emergency preparedness and/or humanitarian action. Complementary experience in international development is an advantage.
• Experience working at the regional and/or HQ level, and/or local experience in an emergency context, is an advantage.
• Experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder processes.
• Specialized training/experience in emergency preparedness/response management highly desirable.
• Prior work experience with UNICEF is a plus.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are:

• Technical knowledge: Experience in emergency preparedness and response; knowledge of relevant related IASC policies and programmes and the Transformative Agenda. Knowledge of UNICEF preparedness system, Risk Informed Programming (GRIP) and resilience approaches is an asset.
• Drive for results: Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; shows persistence when faced with difficulties.
• Analysis: Excellent analytical skills. Demonstrated ability to integrate various information sources to develop quality analytical products, with both attention to detail and the broader context.
• Teamwork: Strong inter-personal skills demonstrated by the ability to lead and gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour. Ability to build trust and develop and maintain effective work relationships in a multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Communication: Excellent communication, negotiation and listening skills. Demonstrated ability to organize and facilitate multi-stakeholder meetings and consultations.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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

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 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:

• Applicants must submit a daily rate and confirm availability.
• Rates shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR.
• Payment schedule is according to deliverable acceptance.
• 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.