International Consultant to Support the UNICEF GAO Programme Delivery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Contract

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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, love

The UNICEF Gulf Area Programme (2019-2023) has outlined three programmatic priorities: Early Childhood Development, Child Protection and Data for Children as result areas for advancing child rights in partnership with Government authorities. In each of these areas and under the programme of cooperation with Family Affairs Council, UNICEF has a clear set of activities that have been itemized in its annual workplan.

To mitigate the impact of recent staff turn-over and to ensure timely completion of the annual workplan, UNICEF GAO is seeking short-term support with its programmatic operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

How can you make a difference?

Given UNICEF’s limited footprint in Saudi Arabia and to compensate for recent staffing transitions, UNICEF is seeking 10 months support to support key activities in early childhood development, child protection and to support a range of new partnerships and initiatives emerging as a result of COVID-19.

Description of the assignment:

Overall support in advancing UNICEF’s engagement in the following areas of work is envisaged.

Early Childhood Development: UNICEF is working with national partners to draw attention, support services, and capacity building to ensure the first 1000 days are addressed adequately. During the period of the assignment, UNICEF will be supporting a knowledge attitudes and practices (KAP) assessment on caregiving practices to inform further work. The KAP will be completed in a hybrid format of virtual and in-person milestones and will be completed with the support of local researchers. In addition, UNICEF will be hiring an institution to develop a training of trainers package on early childhood development to be prepared in line with VISION 2030 and the sector inputs of line ministries in education, social development, and health.

Child Protection: After a number of advocacy events in 2020, adapted to the COVID-19 environment, UNICEF will be doing a stakeholder workshop with all child protections serving entities in KSA to agree on interventions to strengthen the social workforce and to improve the monitoring of child protection in the country. The assignment will be instrumental in supporting follow-up action, likely in the form of an institutional contract to undertake scoping and capacity building efforts. UNICEF is also conducting a formative evaluation of the national domestic prevention programme together with key partners in the country. The assignment will also provide technical support to this work as requested.

Partnerships: UNICEF is also engaged with partners on a number of emerging areas of work, including mental health and well-being, child rights promotion, skills building of adolescent girls, mitigating the impact of schools closures on learners, and preparing intial phase work on a child friendly cities programme in the Governorate of Riyadh. In addition, a formative evaluation on partnerships and resources mobilization is in the preparatory stage and the assignment will provide technical and related support as may be needed.

Deliverables:

More specifically, the consultant would support the programme team to ensure the following:-

- Facilitate and prepare preliminary work on a child friendly cities programme in Riyadh and in other cities in KSA;

- Provide technical support for Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) in KSA including developing and implementing a CFCI Action Plan

- Support the recruitment and day-to-day work of the institutional contract to develop a Training of Trainers package on early childhood development;

- Support the organization and roll-out of the regionally developed Teacher Preparedness Training Package (TPTP) supporting learners and teachers with adjusting learning in times of COVID-19;

- Support the follow-up action from a child protection workshop expected to outline programme interventions in social workforce strengthening and case management;

- Facilitate and support preliminary work in mental health and well-being with national partners;

- Support the emerging work plans including areas of Public Financing for Children (PF4C), climate change, etc. with key national partners in the Kingdom.

- Support in the development of national plans and strategies on social and behavioural change for the programme areas of child protection and early childhood development;

- Support in the organization of relevant webinars and events of national and international nature advancing child rights.

- Provide day-to-day support on the various urgent programmes underway during this period of staff transition.

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

-Education: A minimum of a master’s degree in social sciences, early childhood development, social work, or another relevant field.

-Experience: Demonstrable at least 10 years’ experience in child rights and/or child protection and/or early childhood education and development. Experience with the government sector as well as UN agencies would be an asset. Previous experience with the Arab/Gulf region context would be an asset.

-Skills: Demonstrable expertise in communication and presentation skills and ability to interact professionally with government officials and entities. Ability to work within an international and multicultural environment.

-Language: Fluent in written and spoken English. Arabic fluency will be a strong asset.

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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