Gender-based Violence User Research Consultant

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF is directly involved in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in some of the world’s most intense and complex conflicts and disasters. GBV in its various forms constitutes a global crisis which undermines social and economic progress; as one of the world’s greatest human rights violations, GBV must be addressed to ensure universal rights and principles regarding equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of human beings. Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE) is recognized as a life-saving measure and an essential component of humanitarian action.

Virtual Safe Spaces (VSS)

Safe spaces for women and girls have been established as a key approach of reaching adolescent girls and providing them with key information, links to services, skills-building, peer connection, and support. Yet, access to physical safe spaces is often limited for adolescent girls because of security concerns, gender norms, and domestic responsibilities. UNICEF has been developing a platform to act as a virtual safe space for adolescent girls to access gender-based violence information. The virtual safe space model is designed to facilitate access to information and services in a way that is safe, culturally appropriate and accessible to adolescent girls, particularly those who face higher levels of marginalization, such as girls with disabilities and married girls. Piloting of the virtual safe space platform has taken place in Venezuela with adolescent girls, their female parents/caregivers and female staff working at traditional (“static”) safe spaces. Adolescent girls provided feedback throughout the piloting phase, and UNICEF is now ready to disseminate the platform and to pilot the incorporation of a User Forum and a Chatbot.

The VSS pilot in Iraq and Lebanon in 2018, and in Venezuela in 2023, originally aimed to provide adolescent girls in- formation on sexual and reproductive health (SRH). It became apparent that adolescent girls and women also lacked information on GBV and required an interactive platform where they have a voice.

Using the feedback from the pilot, UNICEF is now working on new features for it. This version of the VSS used human-centered design (HCD) methodology to delve into the needs, desires of women and girls to design an accessible and secure platform.

The key outcome of the VSS is to facilitate access to information and services in a way that is safe, culturally appropriate, and accessible to adolescent girls and women, particularly those who face higher levels of marginalization, such as girls with disabilities and married girls.

UNICEF aims to:

• Create a digital space that enables women and adolescent girls to seek support, ask questions, know where to go to seek for help, and in time, replicate the sense of a safe social network on the platform.
• Reduce isolation, building safe spheres of support for adolescent girls.

To account for the low connectivity, limited levels of literacy, and safety aspect, there are several technical aspects that have been considered:

• For accessibility purposes, the content was designed as light as possible and offered in a variety of modes to make the information more accessible for learners of determination and learners with low reading and/or low ICT literacy.
• To ensure simple navigation in order to account for varying levels of literacy, WCA- Gand Material Design guidelines have been strictly followed.
• Highly interactive content designed with limited text based on requests by women and girls (e.g., TikTok-like videos, podcasts and quizzes).
• Highly customizable content editor to localize for each context.
• Platform is language agnostic and support any language supported by UTF-8.
• An exit button is present that allows for a quick exit from the site and clears the cache.
• Strict adherence to UNICEF’s data security and privacy standards.
• As VSS expands in Venezuela, we are looking for local user research consultants to develop and implement a dissemination strategy within UNICEF staff, Implementing Partners, NGOs and local and national authorities, as well as to pilot the integration of a user forum and chatbot.

Scope Of Work:

• Under the guidance of the UNICEF GBV Specialist at the Venezuela Country Office and the GBViE Tech Team, the User Research consultant will be responsible for designing and implementing a dissemination strategy and pilot the user forum and chatbot of the platform. The User Research consultant will be responsible for all aspects of piloting (planning, recruiting, moderation, analysis, reporting) for both generative (participatory design) and evaluative (usability testing) research. They will be using a variety of user testing methodologies to reveal actionable participant insights.
• Develop budget and the dissemination roadmap for the platform in Venezuela
• Implement the dissemination strategy within UNICEF staff, IPs, NGOs and local authorities through workshops, courses, trainings, ToTs, and awareness activities during public events of UNICEF Venezuela.
• Lead the human centered design process to effectively derive insights from women and girls who will be using the user forum and the chatbot.
• Combine qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., conducting interviews, focus groups, survey sampling and design, and experimental design).
• Translate research findings into clear insights, durable frameworks, and actionable recommendations to guide product development.
• Result / Expected results
• Project plan with activities, delivery and review dates; stakeholder map with focal points.
• Dissemination Strategy, including PPTs and communication materials.
• Conduct training for UNICEF staff, IP, NGOs and local authorities on the use and dissemination of the VSS platform.
• Usability testing with users of the user forum and chatbot.

Work Assignments Overview****Deliverables/Outputs****Delivery deadline****Estimated Budget- Project plan with activities, delivery and review dates; stakeholder map with focal points.

Research roadmap for user experience research in across specified regions based on available resources5 DaysIn the Financial Proposal- Dissemination Strategy, including PPTs and communication materials.

Lead the design of the Dissemination Strategy in close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office. Develop PPTs and communication materials and a proposal of workshops schedule.

10 daysIn the Financial Proposal- Conduct training for UNICEF staff, IP, NGOs and local authorities on the use and dissemination of the VSS platform.

Trainings will aim at ensuring partners know how to use the VSS platform application and can train women and girls if needed.

35 daysIn the Financial Proposal- Usability testing with users of the forum and chatbot.

Support developers in testing of the platform by providing user insights. Translate research findings into clear insights, durable frameworks, and actionable recommendations to guide product iterations in collaboration with the software developers.

15 daysIn the Financial Proposal

Working conditionsThe consultant should be based in Caracas, he/she should telework from home, UNICEF will not provide office space and equipment to develop the expected products but will ensure that he/she meets with the GBViE specialist in the UNICEF VCO at least one day per week to provide updates. S/he will make two field visits to UNICEF field offices to be determined.

Consultant Responsibilities

• Deliver 100% of the expected products within the agreed times and with the quality expected by UNICEF in accordance with the work plan prepared with the advice of the GBViE specialist.
• Use procedures that ensure the quality of the information presented and are framed in the indicators established by Unicef.
• Attend follow-up meetings with UNICEF at the corresponding Central Office.
• Maintain close communication and coordination with the GBViE specialist.
• Maintain close communication and coordination with counterparts identified by the GBViE specialist.
• Inform UNICEF in a timely manner in the event of any situation that makes it difficult to comply with the proposed plan of activities.

UNICEF Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance on the work to be developed, as well as review and approve the work plan and the expected products.
• Provide information and any other complementary material required for the exercise of the contract.

• Provide physical spaces and logistics (contracting refreshment services and transportation services for participants if this is required) to arrange and develop meetings and workshops related to the products in the consultancy.

  Supervision

• The technical assistance consultant will report to the GBViE specialist in close technical coordination with the New York GBViE team.

The following criteria will be used for the final evaluation of technical assistance:

• Quality of all products according to their technical content.
• Punctuality in the delivery of all products.
• All products are in accordance with the principles emanating from the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• In addition to the products delivered, the evaluation will take into consideration other elements such as: performance, technical and professional competence, including behavior.

Selection process:

The selection of the consultant will be made on the basis of a competitive process in which academic background, professional experience and technical and financial proposal will be taken into account. A detailed technical proposal, the estimated time and value of each product based on the activities proposed by the candidate will be required.

To qualify for the position you must meet the following requirements:

• A Bachelor's degree, preferably in anthropology, human-computer interaction, psychology, sociology or a related field, or equivalent work experience is desirable. A Master's degree is considered an advantage.
• 4-5 years consumer researcher experience, including end-to-end research experience with various methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups, usability testing, contextual inquiry, survey), with experience conducting both qualitative and quantitative research.
• Strong understanding of user-centered design principles and UX best practices.
• Prior experience working on GBV and/or gender projects.
• Strong understanding of confidentiality, safety and ethical concerns related to working with women, girls and GBV survivors in line with international standards (e.g., GBV Minimum standards).
• Familiarity with UX concepts such as user journey, persona, user-centered design, etc.
• Experience applying user research to digital products.
• Exposure to international professional contexts and/or multicultural environments within the United Nations Systems, preferably in UNICEF.
• Prior experience working in projects focused on women and girls preferred.
• Prior hands-on experience in innovating and using modern technologies and methodologies to support UNICEF's learning initiatives is desirable.
• Attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, ability to work well with others.
• Ability to work with virtual teams.
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills.
• Excels in collaboration and is team-oriented.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

How to apply

• Fully complete the online application form on our website.
• Letter of interest indicating how you meet the requirements and highlighting your strengths to meet the objectives of this consultancy.
• Technical and economic proposal (Professional fees detailed for each product/hour).
• Curriculum vitae (updated) with link to relevant documents that serve as evidence of previous experience in similar consultancies (documents, publications, etc).
• Copy of certificates of studies that endorse your preparation according to the required profile.
• Three updated relevant professional references.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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:

Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable with their application for each Work Assignment Task.

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

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 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.