International Consultancy: Consultant for Business Operations Strategy (BOS) to support the BOS 2.0 agenda

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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 Champion

Title: International Consultant for Business Operations Strategy (BOS) to support the BOS 2.0 agenda, notably to carry out the 2023 BOS reporting and 2024 Planning and dynamize the cost-efficiency agenda in the UNCT Iran.

duration: 3 months

BACKGROUND

A core element of implementation of the UN General Assembly resolutions in relation to the repositioned UN development system is the Secretary-General’s efficiency agenda. The agenda aims to achieve improvements in the coherence, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of the UN development system with a focus on both the Headquarters and country level. On this basis, the Business Operation Strategy (BOS) as one of the strategic elements is a joint, common approach for a select range of operational support services to harmonize and/or provide jointly services as a group of agencies, rather than providing these services as individual agencies to improve programme and business operations at country level.

The BOS facilitates strategic planning, management, and monitoring by eliminating duplicate processes in business operations, utilizing UN joint purchasing opportunities, and enhancing the quality of services to achieve effectively as well as sustainable results through the following six possible joint service lines:

1) common procurement services;

2) common information and communication technology (ICT) services;

3) common human resources (HR) services;

4) common logistics services;

5) common finance services, and;

6) common facility services including common premises as an important component of the UN

Reform Programme to build closer ties among United Nations staff and promote a more unified presence at the country level in a cost-effective manner.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United Nations is represented by 20 resident and non-resident entities that carry out their respective activities. The UN Country Team (UNCT) is made up of representatives of the agencies, funds and specialized programmes. As the head of the country team (UNCT), the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) guides and supports the work of the UNCT, ensuring effective coordination and cooperation within the mandates of each UN entity.

The UN Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) is the main support structure for the activities of the RC and the UNCT, to help strengthen the joint activities of the United Nations system in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its mission is to maximize, in a coordinated manner, the work of the United Nations to ensure that the system provides a collective, coherent and integrated assistance to national priorities and needs, within the framework of the Global Goals and other international commitments.

Against this backdrop, the Operations Management Team provides leadership on the implementation of a coordinated, efficient, and effective common operational support agenda at the country level. As an accountable entity to the UNCT, the OMT is responsible for identification, assessment, prioritization and planning for common operations in support of programme delivery. Since 2020, the OMT worked to develop the Business Operations Strategy 2.0, which the UNCT endorsed annually.

This position will support the RCO and the OMT in implementing the critical work areas.

Under the leadership of the OMT, the Business Operations Strategy (BOS). BOS is a mandatory framework that focuses on joint business operations with the purpose of business process harmonization for improved delivery efficiency and reduced transaction cost. It allows UNCTs to take a strategic and results-oriented approach to planning, management and implementation of harmonized business operations at a country level aligning operational activities to programme activities as outlined within the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

How can you make a difference?

OBJECTIVE / SCOPE OF WORK

The key objectives for this consultancy are:

1. Review the 2023 common services implementation status

2. Ensure the completion of Quality Analysis (QA) and CBA

3. Prepare end year report

4. Organize planning meetings with 6 WGs and prepare 2024 planning activities, and contribute to boost cost-efficiency and further harmonise shared services.

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

Qualification #1- A master’s degree with 5 years' work experience in Operations, finance, Human Resources, Procurement.

(A bachelor’s degree with 8 years of experience in lieu of advanced university degree. This can be combined with other relevant academic qualifications and experience).

Qualification #2 - Minimum 3 years of experience in the implementation of BOS to provide the guidance required to the Operations Management Team (OMT)

Fluency in English is required

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.