Individual contractor to support the Child Rights Monitoring Specialist in evaluation, research, data collection activities (Kazakhstan)

Contract

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Type of contract: Individual contractor Duration: 11 months from August 2021 to June 2022 Workplace: home-based

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, a fair chance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=E1xkXZs0cAQ

Background

For more than two decades, UNICEF has been working closely with the national government, local representatives and civil society to improve the situation of children in Kazakhstan, ensuring equal access to quality social services, and primarily, healthcare and education. The Government of Kazakhstan and UNICEF are currently implementing another five-year program of cooperation. Along with those national priorities and strategies, however, the country has also taken its international obligations, including attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, into account.

How can you make a difference?

This assignment requires specific skills and activities with grass roots organizations in the area of participatory evaluation

Purpose of the Assignment:

- To support the work of Child Rights Monitoring Section in daily duties and activities: - Supporting Evaluation, Research, Studies component; - Supporting the ongoing initiatives implemented in the section: Child Wellbeing Index development project, regular data collection and solicitation of necessary information from the state partners; - Providing support for delivering technical assistance to the state partners and necessary actions: defining directions, drafting concepts and plans; - Providing technical, logistical, administrative and other support, including the work progress monitoring; - Supporting UNICEF Kazakhstan’s work on building evaluation capacity among national actors in theory and practice: participating in internal and external meetings, taking records and providing minutes of the meetings, tracing the work schedule and milestones, assisting in establishing contacts monitoring the grants and contracts’ status; - Supporting the project (-s) aimed at developing child wellbeing measurements, evaluation capacity among local actors, help in advancing the national agenda for evaluation ownership for projects implemented jointly with the Government, and evaluation follow-ups and action plans, terms of references for new evaluations as Inclusive Education, researches and surveys; - Supporting other evidence generation activities in the country office

Scope of Work: Timeline for Implementation: August 2021 – June 2022 The aim of the contract is to provide assistance in carrying out the planned evaluations, research, studies; providing support with logistics; assisting with preparing ToRs; liaising with the national counterparts and state bodies at the central and local levels; supporting the currently implemented projects and initiatives on data collection, child-related topics, disseminating and analyzing data and evidence.

The job responsibilities include: - Proof-reading and commenting the program documents (reports, deliverables, toolkits, any other work / knowledge products in various forms); - Developing technical assignments, terms of reference for the planned evaluation and research activities in the area of education, social/child protection, developing concepts and proposals, reviewing international research and evaluation protocols and similar studies; - Support in convening the meetings with the national partners, compiling list of participants, proofreading of materials, drafting letters to stakeholders, arranging quality translations, making inquiries and monitoring results; - Providing support with access to online tools and portals to the local partners and experts; - Support in preparing presentations, brainstorming, discussions of research subjects with the research pool; - Support in data analysis, formatting and editing qualitative and quantitative data analysis outputs, and preparing the documents for final use in the ongoing and planned evaluations, researches and analysis; - Assistance in preparing tabular information, lists for various databases for the ongoing and planned evaluations, researches and analysis; - Providing other support to participating organizations in strengthening their capacity for monitoring and evaluation; - Support exchange of data and knowledge at each key stage with participants at the national and regional levels; - Participate in discussions and preparations of common actions, management response plans, developing joint work plans, etc. - Other daily assistance to UNICEF CRM Program including support with correspondence, translation, minutes taking, other upon demand.

Work Assignment Overview

1. Tasks/Milestones: 1. a) Assistance in carrying out evaluation, research and studies, supporting timely IMERP implementation. b) Other daily assistance with communicating partners, drafting the correspondence, proof-reading. Deliverables/Outputs: • Brief report provided on activities for a bi-monthly period based on assignments received from Supervisor • The list of activities to be carried out and against which to report will be provided. Date: on a monthly basis

2. Tasks/Milestones: a) Assistance in preparing plans for the completed evaluations follow-up, dissemination and action plans’ implementation at the national and local level. b) Assistance with indicators tracing, reporting and collecting information. c) Assistance in filling various tabular forms, reformatting lists and datasets, to support the section’s daily work. d) Other daily assistance. Deliverables/Outputs: • Brief report provided on activities for a bi-monthly period based on assignments received from Supervisor • The list of completed evaluations in the area of health, social protection, child protection and against which to report will be provided. • The list of ongoing data collection activities and against which to report will be provided Date: on a monthly basis

3. Tasks/Milestones: Assistance provided on: a) Organizing various collaborative events, meetings for the program delivery and evaluations’ completion. b) Preparing drafts of documents. c) Monitoring indicators’ status. d) Assistance in drafting outlines and content of visual materials, brochures, leaflets and booklets for dissemination to the broader public proposed. e) Other daily assistance. Deliverables/Outputs: • Brief report provided on activities for a bi-monthly period based on assignments received from Supervisor • The plan of event will be provided Date: on a monthly basis

4. Tasks/Milestones: Support to the planned Sector evaluation of the inclusive education in KZ: a) in drafting of the TOR and announcing the call. b) Technical review of Inception Report prepared. c) Assembling Evaluation Reference Group. d) Technical inputs during 5 Consultations with evaluation team and Evaluation Reference Group during the course of the evaluation (Inception report and methodology discussion, data collection discussion, Theory of Change session, draft report discussion, Evaluation report validation session, other as necessary). e) Supporting data collection process, correspondence and communication with national stakeholders for organizing access to respondents. f) Technical review (for correctness of facts, data, figures, appropriateness of findings and recommendations) and comments to the Draft Evaluation report. g) support for a Final Report preparation. Deliverables/Outputs: • Support to 5 Consultations with evaluation team and Evaluation Reference Group • Support during field works and reach out to key informants • Comments to the draft report • Performance Evaluation and Feedback provided by Supervisor Date: 1. November 2021 2. December 2021 3. January 2022 4. January – March 2022 5. February 2022 6. March 2022 7. April 2022

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

• Bachelor’s / Master’s / PhD Degree in Education, Public Administration, Public Policy, Political/Social Science, Statistics, Medicine, Demography, Economics, or other related field • Have good understanding of organizations working in development issues, data collection and monitoring systems in the government in any of the fields: preschool/school education, health, child/ social protection, public finance, IT and DB systems, etc. • Analytical, methodical and precise style of writing, experience in preparing reports, presentations and analyses • Good analytical, communication skills, including interactions with stakeholders from various sectors • Good knowledge in English (oral/written); Knowledge of Russian at native/ fluent level; Knowledge of Kazakh is a strong asset • To be able to work effectively on multiple assignments simultaneously and adapt to changing demands and circumstances. • Competencies: 1. Conceptualizing and guiding in the development of Evaluations, Research, Studies’ component 2. Correspondence with partners and monitoring the current projects, initiatives, workplans 3. Reviewing budget documentation, developing proposals and monitoring implementation 4. Collecting, analyzing data on child wellbeing issues

For every Child, you demonstrate… UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (https://www.unicef.org/about/unicef-culture) View our functional competencies framework

Remarks: • Completion of the UN/UNICEF mandatory trainings is obligatory upon commencement of the contract. • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. • 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. • 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. • All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future. • The Individual contractor or Consultant will perform his/her duties in line with UNICEF standards and procedures. • The successful candidate will be required to have medical insurance (at his/her own cost), covering the whole period of contract, including travel. • 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. • Payment upon completion of each deliverable according to schedule. 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.