International Consultant (Political Economy Analyst), Dhaka, Bangladesh (Not for Bangladeshi)

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.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF seeks a political economy analysis (PEA) consultant to conduct an education sector political economy analysis and integrate the findings into the management and implementation of the two FCDO grants as an ongoing iterative process. The PEA, among other things, aims to provide an in-depth of analysis of the sector with a view to shaping the current work, informing the programme decision-making, identifying entry points for further technical assistance, informing risk management, and enabling the partners to respond to the context more effectively.

The PEA will specifically look at the following areas[1]:

• Where are we now? (This includes structural factors and analysis of the current political economy features of the education sector; actors, roles, and responsibilities; ways of working (e.g., rent-seeking and patronage politics); and ways of thinking.
• How did we get here? (This includes political economic pressures/formal and informal rules and institutions governance behaviour (e.g., interests and incentives that shape the structure and performance of the education sector).
• What does it mean for improved education quality? [e.g., identify key relationships/ actors and agents (e.g., by mapping of stakeholder interest/influence) and how their behaviour affects the education sector.
• Where can we go now? [This includes identifying routes towards tangible reforms considering the analysis such as implications for UNICEF, FCDO and other partners]

The scope of the PEA consultancy will include the provision of hands-on support to UNICEF on implementing the analysis, developing the capacity of staff to integrate thinking and working politically into programme implementation, and developing respective tools. The consultant will also ensure the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender, disability, and inclusion/exclusion into the analysis to enable UNICEF, FCDO and other implementing partners to better understand the power dynamics and resource distribution in the education sector. With a useful evidence base to inform the programmes' Theory of Change and the Implementation Strategies, the political economy analysis will give a greater understanding of context, including barriers to change and how power and decision-making is exercised within the education system. It will identify key political economy risks, and how they can be addressed during procurement, implementation, and monitoring of the programmes including technical assistance.

[1] Adapted from WaterAid Political Economy Analysis Toolkit.

Major Tasks:

Brief ToR-International Consultant.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Social sciences, International Relations, Economics, international development, Education, or related fields.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience.
• Proven experience in conducting political economy analysis, preferably in the education sector in Bangladesh or developing countries.- Demonstrated experience in training, facilitation, and capacity building
• Extensive knowledge and skills in education and social sectors in a developing country context.
• High analytical skills using diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources.
• Demonstrates, applies, and shares technical knowledge.
• Extensive experience in multi-sectoral collaboration and stakeholder coordination in education
• Proven experience in drafting and developing multi-stakeholder planning documents
• Fluent in English (spoken and written)

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.