Consultancy: T4D (Junior Individual Contractor – INVENT) WCARO, Dakar, Senegal, 11.5 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

Background:

Under UNICEF West and Central Africa's (WCA) Regional Office Management Plan (ROMP) 2022-2025, and in alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals, digital technologies and innovations are among the core accelerating strategies to achieve Key Results for Children. Specifically, UNICEF WCARO aims to support robust evidence generation and use an agenda centered on impact-level results.

However, implementation and roll-out of digital technologies in the region face several challenges, including having systems architectures that lack interoperability and are too complex for deployment and adoption. The lack of technical capacity in some COs has also directly impacted on the overall evidence collection and decision-making processes impacting the results for children.

In sectors such as health and child protection, digital transformation can catalyze necessary transformations and address persisting data challenges. This consultancy is designed with the purpose of strategically supporting the RO cross-sectoral team to meet urgent demands around digitalization and data using RapidPro, INVENT, and Sharepoint. UNICEF has been using RapidPro in different country offices to collect data via short message service (SMS) and other mobile communication channels to enable real-time data collection with civil registration agents, and frontline workers among others, and to reinforce communication, participation, and engagement of young people and empower them to voice about their opinion in the national level policy decisions that affect their lives.

This role will support the T4D regional office with the mapping of initiatives across all 24 WCAR countries with the use of INVENT. INVENT is an open, global hub of technology for development and innovation at UNICEF. Developed in early 2018, this platform has been led by UNICEF T4D Managers and field colleagues, more than 1,500 T4D and innovation initiatives have been registered in the inventory. The platform provides a searchable inventory of initiatives as well as a portfolio tool that provides a strategic view of UNICEF's priority areas for innovation. The INVENT platform provides a global inventory of Technology for Development and Innovation interventions supported by UNICEF. INVENT includes innovations of all types: data, digital, frugal, innovative finance, physical product, and programming innovations. WCAR currently has 226 initiatives and ranks second for the number of initiatives compared to all the other regions.

The WCARO sharepoint site is currently maintained by the T4D section of the RO. This role is essential in providing content management support to the Deputy Regional Director

Under the direct supervision of Regional Business Analyst (T4D/Innovation) and in coordination with WCA country offices, the individual contractor will provide expertise in mobile-driven data collection processes through RapidPro, organize real-time data from RapidPro and provide technical support to respective stakeholders to establish and operate two-way communication. S/he will also assist in scaling up the use of RapidPro by providing the day-to-day management support for coordination, content creation, promotion, and monitoring and also support the mapping of initiatives using INVENT.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

1. The consultant will assume technical expertise and operational responsibilities including the following: Provide technical support on RapidPro and U-Report by:
   • Maintaining SMS and digital channels (i.e., Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp) in coordination with RapidPro hosting company and relevant parties.
   • Carrying out frequent U-Report system tests to avoid malfunctions and taking technical actions to ensure that the system performs to optimum capabilities and that new features are created to improve the speed of real-time data analysis functions.
2. Maintenance of the INVENT platform for the regional office including:
   • Outreach to countries to map out their various initiatives.
   • Frequently updating the platform with up to date initiatives.
   • Support cross KRC collaboration on Data across programme sections.
3. Data Collection and analysis
   • Work with UNICEF Programme staff to identify advocacy priorities/subjects for polls, plus thematic groups to respond to critical unsolicited questions raised by children and young people (including helpline and referral information).
   • Monitor U-Report polling / chatbots on SMS, Facebook and WhatsApp channels on daily basis and evaluate the data and outcomes.
4. Enterprise Content Management & Other tasks as required
   • Provide hands-on support on SharePoint sites and pages to sections.
   • Provide specialized data analytics and visualization support to deploy, pilot, and scale projects.
   • Support the ICT team with customizing UNICEF PowerApps currently being used in UNICEF Ukraine on internal Staff Managemnet, ICT Inventory

Tasks/Milestone:Deliverables/Outputs:Estimate BudgetDeliverable 1RapidPro technical support

• Technical support and Knowledge Management
• Provide technical support to COs as and when the demand arises
• Develop, maintain and document RapidPro flows for U-Report Polls, programme campaigns and initiatives

U-Report Technical support

• Provide technical assistance to countries interested in adapting their U-Report programmes for vulnerable populations.
• Help countries build and maintain their U-Report sites

10%Deliverable 2Sharepoint technical support

• Support RO sections with the creation and maintenance of Sharepoint sites

Provide hands-on support on SharePoint sites and pages to sections30%Deliverable 3Mobile Data Collection and Data Analysis- Improved data quality, reporting, and visualization to facilitate using evidence for action

• Support COs in data collection efforts, including the selection of survey questions, sampling, selection of data collection methods, and data analysis.
• Build interactive dashboards on demand to present actionable insights of poll results & INVENT progress

Landscape mapping-An updated mapping of ongoing data30%Deliverable 4Support the ICT team with deployment of UNICEF PowerApps

• Build and customize the PowerApps.

Measure and learn gaps and in collaboration with ICT team improve functionality.30%To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science with a major in web applications development
• Have no immediate relatives (e.g. father, mother, brother, sister) working in any UNICEF office; and
• Have no other relatives in the line of authority which the consultant will report to.
• Mastery of techniques related to the development of web interfaces
• Be familiar with developing data collection tools and real-time monitoring using RapidPro, U-Report and Power BI
• Knowledge of current developments in the fields of documentation, infographics, professional editing. Experience
• Minimum of 3 years in Web development
• Experience in collecting data through polls and analyzing results
• Experience working with UNICEF or other UN agencies will be preferred
• Fluency in English and French required. Knowledge of one other UN working language an advantage

Other Requirements

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system /Resume
• Academic credentials/certificates
• Consultancy proposal
• Financial proposal that will include
  • Costs for each deliverable and total all-inclusive (lump sum) fees for the whole assignment
  • Travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TO
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Previously relevant consultancy products & final evaluations (if available)
• Indicate your availability
• 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.