Consultant – To provide management and operations support to UN Women Vanuatu Office

Consultant Leadership

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Supervisor, the Consultant will assist the MCO in taking responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions in Vanuatu. She/he will work in close collaboration with staff in the Vanuatu Country Presence Office, the programme and operations team at MCO Suva, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio. The focus will be on putting in place systems and processes to support the ongoing management of the Vanuatu office and programmes and providing guidance and coaching to office staff.

UN Women’s programming work in Vanuatu includes support for:

• preventing and responding to violence against women and girls through the Pacific Partnership to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls;
• women’s economic empowerment through the Markets for Change programme;
• gender and humanitarian action through support to the Gender and Protection Cluster and the Women’s Resilience to Disasters programme; and
• coordination and normative support.

In this regard UN Women Fiji MCO seeks to hire a consultant to support the management and operation of UN Women’s Vanuatu Country Presence Office.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the Assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to support the management and operations of the Vanuatu Country Presence Office, and delivery of UN Women’s programmes in Vanuatu. A key objective will be to put in place systems and processes that support the ongoing management of the Vanuatu office following the completion of the consultancy.

Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Fiji MCO Representative and the guidance of the Country Programme Coordinator and regional programme managers, the consultant will perform the following tasks:

1. Provide timely advice and programming support to MCO and in-country program teams in order to support coherent and well-coordinated UN Women programming in Vanuatu;
2. Support and guide the management of the UN Women Vanuatu country office and support staff to perform their duties in line with UN Women policies and procedures;
3. Contribute to normative work and UN coordination activities in Vanuatu;
4. Support MCO and in-country program teams with managing strategic partnerships, supporting resource mobilization and developing and implementing programs;
5. Support UN Women to effectively and efficiently participate and support emergency response and recovery;
6. Set up systems and processes to support the ongoing management of the Vanuatu office, including in relation to programme management, normative and coordination work, partnerships and emergency response. This will include development of standing agendas, templates for minute taking, and the establishment of file sharing systems on UN Women’s sharepoint.
7. Provide guidance and coaching to Vanuatu team to support planning and operation of the office, including on any new processes and systems that are established.

Duration of the Assignment

The duration of this assignment will be for three (3) months with 60 working days capacity between July and October 2022. The assignment will be based in Port Vila, in the UN Women Country Presence Office.

The Consultant will work closely with the Vanuatu Country Programme Coordinator / CPC, the Country Office staff, Regional Programme Managers, Fiji MCO Operations team and Fiji MCO Senior Management Team.

There is a possibility of short-term missions within Vanuatu. No international travel is expected.

Expected Deliverables

The assignment should be carried out within a period of three (3) months, not exceeding 60 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs:

• Monthly reports on major tasks performed and the results, including related to support provided to UN Women Vanuatu Country Presence office, inputs, meetings and other as per above description of tasks;
• Final report on carried out activities, achievements and challenges;
• Information, analytical work papers, relevant to the assignment.

The Consultant is expected to work and deliver the following results:

#

Tasks and Activities

Outputs

Estimated Workload

Deliverable Due Date (tentative)

1. Support for programme management:

• Together with the Vanuatu team, develop a clear workplan with the Vanuatu country team that provides the basis for implementation. The plan is to be based on achievable timelines in line with UN Women processes with clear deliverables, timeframes and responsible officers. The workplan should be based on approved Project Documents.
• Document an agreed process for monitoring and updating the workplan.
• Provision of monitoring, technical assistance and supervision of this workplan for the Vanuatu country portfolios in conjunction with the CPC and MCO supervisors
• Ensure that the country plan and project activities are well-coordinated with national priorities and key partners and implemented on-time and monitored regularly.
• All risks to project implementation are actively managed in consultation with MCO and Vanuatu team through early advice on country-level developments & recommendations for adjustments to program activities.

• Support cross-programme collaboration, including working with programme teams to identify opportunities for joint procurement.

• Vanuatu country activity plan that is aligned with project plans and is realistic; aligning with UNW processes.

• Documented process for monitoring and updating the work plan.

• System for tracking of all contracts and deliverables for the Vanuatu team documented and Vanuatu team support to share with MCO weekly.

• Updated risk matrix for Vanuatu programmes.

Up to 10 workdays

July - October 2022

1. Support to programme teams:

• Support programme/country office staff with UNW policy & procedures, drawing on programme managers and operations team at Fji MCO and written UN Women guidance. This may include documenting processes for programme management, that could be added to the Fiji MCO “How to” series.
• Identify key training and on-the job learning needs for staff in the Vanuatu office
• Provide support, mentoring & advice to programme/country office staff, and input into staff PMD plans/reviews
• Through proactive leadership, problem solving approaches & encouragement of work-life balance ensure country office is a positive & supportive work environment
• Support the regular country team meetings. Support the CPC to lead the weekly planning meeting, and participate in all programmatic meetings.
• Develop an agenda and template for minutes of the weekly meeting.

• Support and participate in regular meetings which are to be held with donor partners. Support the CPC and programme staff to develop systems to identify priority issues for reporting to donor partners, seek input from Fiji MCO, document key points from the discussion and feedback to Fiji MCO.

• Analysis of policy support / training needed.

• Contribution to midterm performance discussions with supervisors – documented.

• Agenda for weekly team meetings and template for minutes.

• CPC supported to hold weekly team meeting– with team to produce minutes with clear action points / areas of responsibility circulated and shared with senior management team at MCO.

Up to 20 workdays

July - October 2022

1. Analysis and reporting:

• Support CPC to provide monthly reporting to Fiji MCO on political, resource mobilization, program and partnership environment and opportunities. Establish a system for input from programme teams to the monthly report.
• Ensure that requests for information from Fiji MCO are responded to quickly or a timeframe provided.
• Attend monthly Country Programme Coordinator (CPC) meetings and Fiji MCO All Staff Meetings.

• Contributions to quarterly and technical reports by country office teams are quality reviewed and submitted to MCO on time.

• Support the CPC to submit the monthly CPC report submitted on time, before the 6th of each month.

• Support teams to respond to emails within a 48-hour period – within the day for urgent emails.

• Quarterly reporting for Vanuatu AWP for Q3&Q4 completed and submitted on time by Vanuatu team.

• Technical reports submitted on time by Vanuatu team.

Up to 10 working days

July - October 2022

1. Support CPC with oversight of monthly financial reporting, asset management from all programme units:

• Financial reporting including monthly reconciliations & acquittals, & quarterly budget reviews, is completed and submitted on-time and meets UNW quality requirements
• Biannual assets verification reports are submitted on time to Fiji MCO

• Procurement planning.

• Monthly financial reports are submitted by Vanuatu team to MCO on time.

• End of year asset verification submitted by Vanuatu team on time to MCO.

• System put in place to ensure procurement planning conducted and updated monthly – clear plans shared by Vanuatu team with operations and programmes for procurement – revised quarterly procurement plans.

Up to 8 working days

July - October 2022

1. Support CPC with UN Interagency Coordination:

• Attend coordination meetings with relevant programme staff including UNCT Monthly Meetings, Spotlight meetings, Government of Vanuatu meetings and Head of Agency meetings.
• UN Women country office team is up to date on all relevant UN-wide coordination activities and developments through support for CPC participation in all relevant UN coordination meetings.
• MCO staff (SMT and Program leads/managers) are kept up to date on relevant country-level UN coordination activities.
• Support CPC to lead UN Women’s normative work at the country level including ensuring support to CEDAW, CSW, UPR and other reporting mechanisms, SDG reporting and the UN Voluntary National Review processes.
• Gender is reflected and mainstreamed in all UN Pacific Strategy (UNPS) country-level processes and reporting through the provision of quality and timely inputs by UN Women.

• Support CPC to contribute and submit feedback on time to UNPS and development of joint country action plans and other UN reporting fora.

• Suppport CPC to ensure information provided in a timely fashion through monthly CPC reports.

• Support CPC with ad hoc reporting of significant activities to Vanuatu team and Fiji MCO.

• Gender equality programming at the country level is reflected accurately in joint country action plans and UNPS reports.

• National reports and reviews reflect UN Women’s input.

Up to 12 working days

July - October 2022

1. Develop systems and processes to enable CPC to support, create and facilitate partnerships with government, UN agencies, donors, private sector, partners:

• Support CPC to maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders including government, donors and CSOs that facilitate program development and implementation, including through actively contributing to key meetings and events.
• Support CPC and programme staff to provide regular briefing to key stakeholders regarding UN Women’s programming.
• Support CPC to proactively provide timely up to date donor and partner feedback to MCO.
• Support CPC to provide timely up to date feedback to MCO on any in country changing situations that may potentially affect UNW’s programming work.
• Support CPC to facilitate coordination and liaise with the Government in supporting the gender and protection cluster, and on work related to women’s resilience and climate change.

• Support CPC to represent UN Women in the humanitarian cluster system.

• Support CPC to ensure information provided in a timely fashion through monthly CPC reports.

• Support CPC with ad hoc reporting to Fiji MCO including meeting minutes with key partners including government, CSO and donor partner meetings.

Up to 12 working days

July - October 2022

1. Identify programming entry points and areas of cooperation in alignment with UN Women priorities:

• Ensure Project interventions are developed based on analysis of the in-country situation.
• Coach CPC and programme staff to be able to identify and determine programmatic areas of cooperation through participation in relevant development fora and coordination mechanisms.
• Ensure relevant staff at MCO are aware of funding and other partnership opportunities through regular reporting from country office.

• Support the mobilization of additional resources for programming through support from country office team including inputs into project proposals.

• Project interventions are represented in project documents, donor reports, AWPs, and proposals

• High quality, timely submissions to PMs/MCO in writing.

Up to 4 working days

July - October 2022

1. Support for advocacy and events:

• Work with Vanuatu office to support advocacy networks at national level and with international networks in country and communities of practice, including support and implement advocacy and campaigns with partners
• UNW events/advocacy in country or regionally are supported through the input & review of relevant documents including press releases, publications .

• Work with Vanuatu team to ensure in-country missions & high-level visits run smoothly, including guiding team onthe provision of quality, timely logistical support and relevant briefings.

• Support Vanuatu office to develop communication plans and implementation of the plan, including input to press releases, publications, project reports, and social media.

• Mission reports, technical advice & feedback.

Up to 6 working days

July - October 2022

1. Support UN Women to effectively and efficiently participate and support emergency response and recovery:

• Support Vanuatu country team and Fiji MCO during an emergency response.

• Support CPC in their role as security focal point to ensure Business Continuity Plans are in place for the office, including phone trees, work from home plans and other required protocols.

• Timely advice and reporting to country team and Fiji MCO

• Support CPC with BCP for Vanuatu office

Up to 8 working days

July - October 2022

TOTAL

60 working days

Final submission of deliverable, prior to final payment to be 1 week before 17th October 2022)

All the documents, including the training materials, mapping exercise, video footage and images materials and reports should be submitted in written English language.

Note that all materials, including images will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women at least within one week of submission.

Inputs

• The Consultant will be provided with a desk and computer in the UN Women office and will have access to UN Women facilities in the office including, such as printer, copier and phone.
• In the event that domestic travel is required, UN Women will cover the costs of daily subsistence allowance (DSA) as per standard UN rate, as well as the costs of in-country travel.
• The Consultant will be responsible for all administrative and travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment to be based in Port Vila.

Management Arrangements:

The Consultant is expected to work in the UN Women Country Presence Office in Port Vila, who will provide overall management and supervision. The Vanuatu CPC will review and approve all outputs by the Consultant and shall work in close coordination with the Country Team / MCO Team.

Travel

No domestic or international travel is envisaged.

Travel will be pre-approved by UN Women and paid/arranged for by UN Women in accordance with the existing UN Women travel rules, policies and procedures.

Performance Evaluation

Contractor’s performance will be evaluated based on: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangement

Payment will be disbursed on a monthly basis, upon submission and approval of deliverables and timesheets with actual days worked and certification by the Representative, UN Women Fiji MCO (or her nominated delegate) that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Payment will be made within 30 (thirty) days after receipt and acceptance of the specified deliverable and corresponding invoice but only after UN Women have certified that the services have been satisfactorily performed by the Consultant.

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Functional Competencies

• Ability to think conceptually, strategically and analytically;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Results oriented, flexible and problem-solving skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Experience and Qualifications

The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:

Education

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in international development, gender, human rights, applied anthropology, or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree with two (2) additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience and skills

• At least 5 years (Masters Degree) or 7 years (Bachelors Degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments, preferably in the field of gender and human rights of women.
• Advanced understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights.
• Experience working with diverse group of people with sensitivity and inclusivity.
• Experience with project management, report writing, and documentation is an asset.
• experience in working with international organizations (successful experience in working with UN agencies is an asset).

Language and other skills

• Good command of English both written and oral
• Ability to communicate in Bislama would be an added advantage
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email.

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in international development, gender, human rights, applied anthropology, or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree with two (2) additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.
• At least 5 years (Masters Degree) or 7 years (Bachelors Degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments, preferably in the field of gender and human rights of women.

The shortlisted individual consultant will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis process, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.

Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

T

is the total technical score awarded to the evaluated proposal (only to those proposals that pass 70% of 70 points obtainable under technical evaluation);

C

is the price of the evaluated proposal;

Clow

is the lowest of all evaluated proposal prices among responsive proposals; and

X

is the maximum financial points obtainable (30 points)

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated based on its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

No.

Criteria

Maximum points

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in international development, gender, human rights, applied anthropology, or other related fields is required.
  • A first-level university degree with two (2) additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

First-level university degree – 8 pts, Masters’ or equivalent of 15 pts

15

1. • At least 5 years (Masters Degree) or 7 years (Bachelors Degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments, preferably in the field of gender and human rights of women.

*5 years (**Masters’* *Degree) or 7 years (first-level university degree) – 10 pts, each year over 5 (or 7) years - 1 pts up to a max 15 pts*

15

1. • Advanced understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights.

10

1. • Experience working with diverse group of people with sensitivity and inclusivity.

5

1. • Experience with project management, report writing, and documentation is an asset.

5

1. • Experience in working with international organizations (successful experience in working with UN agencies is an asset).

5

1. • Good command of English both written and oral.

5

1. • Ability to communicate in Bislama would be an added advantage.

5

1. • Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email.

5

Maximum Total Technical Scoring

70

Financial Qualification Evaluation Criteria: In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site.

Submission Package:

1. Cover letter explaining the suitability of the consultant: applicants are encouraged to address experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
2. Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Consultant including records of experience in similar assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
3. Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate and number of anticipate working days and any other possible costs).
4. Please read, use and complete ANNEX I and ANNEX II below to provide your financial proposal.

Applications without a complete financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid.

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

UN Women Statement on Diversity and Inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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).

Deadline of all submission: 10th July 2022.

Annex I

Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Contractor should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1.Lump Sum Amount

The daily price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Individual Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

Contract price is fixed to activities/deliverables indicated in the ToR, regardless of the changes in the cost components (such as days invested for completion of the deliverables.)

2.Travel costs

No travel is envisaged for the implementation of the current assignments.

3.Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

4.Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in VATU.

In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into VATU using the official UN exchange rate for currency conversion at the date of applications’ submission deadline.

Annex II

Price Proposal Submission Form

[ Mandatory document for the Consultant to complete and submit]

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref: Consultant – To provide management and operations support to UN Women Vanuatu Office

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment. Having examined, understood, and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

Estimated Costs (in VATU$)

Unit of Measure (e.g., Day, Month, etc)

Unit Price

(VATU$)

No. of Units

Total Price

(VATU$)

Consultancy Fee

Daily Fee

$

Other Related Costs (please specify)

$

Total VATU$

$

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 60 working days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

[ Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone / Fax:

Email:

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org