Consultant; Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Emergencies - Mapping Req

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, LOVE

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Emergencies - Mapping Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Nutrition and Child Development Section, - PG - NYHQ

Duration: 1 October 2023 - 1 April 2024

Home/ office Based: REMOTE

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:

This assignment seeks to document results and emerging best practices in humanitarian response to protect, promote and integrate early childhood development actions. This activity will build on previous documentation undertaken by a few of the seven regional offices of UNICEF, to build a compendium of best practices and case studies on the current situation of Early Childhood Development implementation in emergencies.

Humanitarian action is framed under the Core Commitments for Children (CCC)[1] which is a UNICEF tool that is broadly used in the field, and it was the results of extensive consultations internally but also with partners. Recently, the Core Commitments for Children in emergencies included commitments in crosscutting and thematic areas and, in particularly it articulates the investment in the early years of life axed around three commitments pertaining the need to prioritize early childhood development (ECD) in emergencies:

• Quality services to young children
• Availability of sufficient capacity of the workforce and community workers around ECD
• Support to parents (fathers and mothers) and caregivers to provide nurturing care – much related to their wellbeing and mental health.

Nevertheless, implementation gaps remain, and humanitarian action within UNICEF remains unsystematic and, on many occasions, delayed. The humanitarian infrastructure and the cluster system as part of it, requires changes and adaptation to prioritize ECD. The needs of young children and their caregivers are not being addressed in a systematic way during emergencies and humanitarian crises. The purpose of this consultancy to establish a clearer picture of implementation status of ECD response in emergencies, identify emerging best practices, gaps and opportunities and some critical challenges to scaling up actions.

Using desk review of humanitarian appeals, annual reports, and budgets as well as interviews with UNICEF staff and partners across key countries, the consultant will be responsible for the following outputs:

1. 20-page report providing an updated picture of the situation of implementation of ECD in emergencies.
2. 4 case studies that provide examples of ECDiE across a range of contexts (for example Ukraine and Afghanistan)- in fast and slow onset emergencies, conflict setting, integrated with Nutrition, Health or protection etc.
3. A comprehensive list and network analysis of UNICEF partners and ECD stakeholders.
4. An analysis of gaps and their causes, as well as challenges and potential reasons resulting in lack of prioritization of ECD in emergencies.
5. A compendium of recommendations and solutions to address existing gaps and challenges.

Scope of Work:

The aim of this consultancy is to develop a global mapping on early childhood development in emergencies, including an analysis of gaps and challenges, recommendations for solutions, partners, and other stakeholders across various regions/contexts, to inform a global strategy to systematically implement early childhood development in emergencies. The exact scope of work will be developed with the consultant during the inception phase.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. Short document explaining the used methodology and detailed record of consultations. Final scope of consultancy. - By 01 November 2023
2. Record of documentation and first analysis. – By 20 November 2023
3. 2-3-page outline – By 04 December 2023
4. Records of the consultation. – By 02 February 2024
5. Short presentation. – By 19 February 2024
6. Records of the consultation – By 06 March 2024
7. Draft Mapping and stakeholders report. Recorded workshop. By 15 March 2024
8. Final Mapping and stakeholders report. Recorded presentation. By 31 March 2024

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s or PhD degree in public health, global health, early childhood development (ECD), international development, education, or related field

Work experience:

• 8+ years professional/research experience in ECD, public health, global health, international development, education, or related field
• Consultancies on mapping exercises a plus.

Competencies:

• Knowledge of and experience working on ECD projects
• Strong research and communication skills
• Fluency in English required. Intermediate/working proficiency in other languages an asset.
• Work experience in emergencies an asset.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum 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, and living costs 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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:

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.