Consultancy - Support to the Coordination of Regional Cash Working Group and Social Policy Knowledge Management Activities, LACRO, Panama City (4 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, protection

How can you make a difference?

Background

UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is composed of 24 country offices that work in 36 countries and territories. The main role of the regional office (RO) is to provide technical assistance, build the capacity and exercise quality control to the 24 country offices.

The Social Policy Unit (SPU) at UNICEF LACRO works in the provision of technical assistance, quality assurance and evidence generation in relation to policies for the eradication of child poverty, including the strengthening of social protection systems; the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments; and the governance, decentralization, and accountability measures to increase the quality, equity and coverage of social services in support of Social Policy Officers and Specialists in UNICEF’s country offices. Efforts are aimed at UNICEF putting the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

Knowledge management, communication and coordination efforts are essential for the Social Policy Unit at LAC-RO to mobilize support and strengthen partnerships with governments, donors, other agencies of the United Nations System, civil society organizations and communities so that all children and adolescents in the region can fulfill their right to an equitable chance in life, in line with the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the SDGs 1, 10, 11 and 16. The Social Policy team at LAC-RO produces high quality and policy-relevant evidence to inform regional and country-level policy dialogue in support of strengthened social protection systems, care policies, public financing for children and child poverty measurement. It also supports knowledge exchange and coordination among regional actors working in social protection and providing cash transfers in response to emergencies. These efforts, intended fundamentally at facilitating the development of common views and plans for cash-based responses to the region’s most pressing crisis, as well as the cross-learning among countries, is done primarily through the co-leadership of the Regional Cash Working Group.

Since 2019, the Regional Cash Working Group (RCWG) has operated under the Response for Venezuelans (R4V) inter-agency coordination platform. Its primary goal is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among national groups involved in the Refugee and Migrant Response. This collaboration encompasses various areas, including assessments, targeting, delivery mechanisms, payment methods, and result monitoring. Besides that, the RCWG promotes coordination between cash-based responses and other sectors, as well as intersectoral matters within the R4V framework, in order to maximize impact and ensure efficiency. Furthermore, the RCWG acts as a liaison with humanitarian and development platforms and stakeholders, aiming to establish coherence, align visions, and integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender, age, and diversity. It also works towards raising the visibility of national cash working groups in regional and global forums and through the provision of technical guidance to national responses, thereby contributing to the strengthening of national systems and ensuring the sustainability of timely interventions.

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the guidance and supervision of the Regional Advisor for Social Policy, the purpose of this consultancy is to provide support for regional coordination efforts in social protection during emergencies, primarily focusing on coordinating the activities of the Regional Cash Working Group (hosted by the R4V platform). This entails organization of meetings, communicating with group members, disseminating information, writing notes, assisting with knowledge management and supporting regional knowledge exchange. The consultant will engage with other UN agencies and INGOs that are members of the Regional Cash Working Group as well as with UNICEF’s Emergency Team at LACRO. Besides, considering the upcoming elections for the co-leadership of the RCWG, the consultant will provide support to the process coordination, update guidelines and assist on the drafting of documents related to the transition, if needed.

Additionally, the consultant will be responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of knowledge management initiatives related to social policy and social protection within UNICEF. Given that the creation of engaging content and effective management of knowledge within LACRO needs to be integrated into an overall strategy, the consultant will collaborate with both the Communications Team and the Social Policy Team at LACRO.

Specific Tasks

Specifically, the consultant will:

1. Support to the coordination the Regional Cash Working group: (a) Schedule, organize and keep minutes of regular and ad-hoc meetings of the Cash Working Group (both coordination and thematic meetings, events and webinars); (b) hold bilateral updates with national Cash Working Groups in LAC to update information on cash initiatives being implemented at the national level; (c) provide support to the drafting of the annual workplan for the Cash Working Group, as well as the needs assessments and response plans required by the R4V platform, coordinating with other regional and national actors for this end and assuring participatory processes; (d) support monitoring of regional cash activities; (e) update of members’ list, dissemination and mailing lists and generation of communication pieces/mechanisms; (f) facilitate the organization of the elections to renew the RCWG leadership; (g) support activities related to the update of the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plans and the Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis.
2. Assist knowledge management and communication initiatives of the Social Policy Unit through: (a) the production of relevant social media messages based on the evidence produced by SPU and partners, and work on priority areas; (b) the development and management of a regular newsletter for the regional network in close collaboration with regional specialists and country offices; (c) the organization of webinars / events with internal and external audiences on behalf of UNICEF’s Social Policy Unit; (e) the publication of the Social Policy Unit’s knowledge products, as well as its organization in internal and external repositories.

Expected Results [measurable]

Expected outputs:

1. Draft of Cash and Voucher Assistance narrative inputs for the Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA) of the R4V Platform, by means of collective brainstorming and decision making (gather inputs from Group members, share and validate updated version).
2. Draft of Cash and Voucher Assistance narrative inputs for the Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) of the R4V Platform, by means of collective brainstorming and decision making (gather inputs from Group members, share and validate updated version).
3. Organization of at least three thematic (webinars) and coordination meetings of the Regional Cash Working Group.
4. Updated guideline for the 2023 elections of the Regional Cash Working Group, in coordination with partners and by means of collective brainstorming and decision making (gather inputs from Group members, share and validate updated version).
5. Successful implementation of 2023 elections of the Regional Cash Working Group (virtually).
6. Two draft regional UNICEF Social Policy newsletters (third and fourth editions of 2023, by means of gathering inputs from country and regional offices; compiling events, publications, programming and staff news; drafting and editing final newsletter and publishing via online software).
7. Organization of three social policy webinars on behalf of LACRO Social Policy Unit.
8. Supported the SP Unit and RCWG Members in drafting the 2024 annual workplan for the Regional Cash Working Group.
9. Updated table with UNICEF cash initiatives being implemented at the national levels
10. Updated information on the RCWG website

Deliverables

Description

Expected deadline and payment schedule

1. Organization of one coordination meetings of the Regional Cash Working Group (recording and minutes of the meeting)
2. Organization of one social policy webinar (recording and meeting summary)
3. Draft of Cash and Voucher Assistance narrative inputs for the Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA) of the R4V Platform
4. Updated guideline for the 2023 elections of the Regional Cash Working Group

September 15th, 2023

(30%)

1. Draft of Cash and Voucher Assistance narrative inputs for the Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) of the R4V Platform
2. Updated table with cash initiatives being implemented at the national levels
3. Report on the elections of the Regional Cash Working Group
4. Draft of the third edition of the regional UNICEF Social Policy newsletter

October 15th, 2023

(30%)

1. Updated information on the RCWG website
2. Organization of one social policy webinar (recording and meeting summary)
3. Organization of one thematic meeting of the Regional Cash Working Group (recording and meeting summary)
4. Organization of one social policy webinar (recording and meeting summary)
5. Draft of the fourth edition of the regional UNICEF Social Policy newsletter

November 28th, 2023

(40%)

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

Education

• At least a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Economics, International Relations, or other Social Sciences’ related fields. Holding a graduate degree (e.g., master’s) in these fields, obtained within the past one to two years, will be considered an asset.

Work Experience

• At least 2 years of experience in the Social Policy sector, such as: professional work in the design, implementation, management or monitoring public policies/social sector interventions; academic/research experience on analysis or evaluation of public policies or poverty measurement.
• Experience within the Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela will be considered a strong asset
• Experience working in public policy and/or humanitarian responses within Latin America and the Caribbean is required
• Experience with emergencies and/or humanitarian context will be considered an asset
• Experience with UNICEF or other International Organization will be considered an asset
• Experience in the fields of communications, public relations, management of social media, print/web/social media content creation, event organization will be considered an asset.

Languages

• Proficiency in English and Spanish required. Portuguese and/or French would be an asset.

Technical knowledge (if applicable)

• Excellent writing skills, both in English and Spanish.
• Demonstrated ability to collect relevant information, undertake research, capture key messages and present findings in a well- structured and engaging way.
• Ability to coordinate the work of multiple partners to achieve common goals

Other skills and attributes (optional)

• Able to work effectively in a multicultural environment
• Sets high levels of quality and productivity for self
• Ability to seek and quickly absorb new information
• Ability to clearly defined objectives and plan activities
• Ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines
• Must be detail oriented and creative and possess strong communication skills
• Candidate should be able to work during LACRO`s working hours (GMT-5)

Administrative details

Supervision

The contractor will report to the Social Policy Regional Advisor, and work closely with the Social Policy specialist.

Workplace

This is home-based consultancy

Duration

This consultancy will have an estimated duration of 4 months.

How to Apply

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

Is travel involved

No travel is foreseen for this consultancy. Should travel be included, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy:

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.
• UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)
• For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

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.