Long Term Agreement (LTA): Individual Consultants for professional writing, editing and proofreading services, New York, EMOPS, NYHQ, Home Based

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, Hope

The UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) provides strategic and coordinated support to Country Offices preparing for and responding to humanitarian crises, in accordance with UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the Core Commitments to Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs). EMOPS leads efforts to ensure that UNICEF’s role in any emergency situation – complex, protracted, or sudden-onset is clearly defined, that the Organization is properly equipped to fulfil that role, and that all levels of the Organization are prepared to deliver our mandate.​​​​​​​

EMOPS Director’s Office oversees the production of several corporate products such as the Humanitarian Action for Children appeal, the EMOPS summary narrative, the Executive Board papers, briefing and strategic notes and a set of country profiles, which require support writing, editing, copyediting, and proofreading per UNICEF’s standards and style.

UNICEF's Office of Emergency Programmes is seeking to identify a writer/editor consultant to undertake writing, editing, reviewing services of several UNICEF humanitarian products.

How can you make a difference?

This service requires the selected consultant to be able to write research/technical documents, edit specialized documents on broad range of subjects in the area of humanitarian action, such as emergency preparedness and response; humanitarian access, principled humanitarian assistance and protection for children; accountability to affected population; humanitarian coordination; and humanitarian and development nexus.

The services will involve developing technical materials such as reports, research, strategy documents, case studies, briefing notes, various knowledge products. The selected consultant will provide editorial support (editing, copy-editing, proofreading) for all these products. The selected consultant will perform the editing work after receiving raw documents, data and inputs by UNICEF Headquarters, Regional Offices or Country Offices, and writing documents according to the assigned purpose (technical document, strategic document or communication and advocacy materials). This also entails summarizing large and complex knowledge products into bite-sized products.

Under the overall coordination of the EMOPS Director Office, the selected individuals shall undertake one or all of the following tasks:

• Writing, rewriting, and editing of EMOPS humanitarian products, including:
  1. Humanitarian Action for Children ‘s appeal
  2. Executive board papers on UNICEF humanitarian action (specifically one paper for the EB first regular session in February and another one for the EB annual session in June).
  3. EMOPS Summary Narrative (Annual Report)
  4. Briefing, Strategic notes and Country profiles
  5. Presentations

MAJOR TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED

The consultant would be responsible for a range of tasks listed below. Exact deliverables will be based upon mutual agreement between UNICEF and the consultant.

Responsibilities of the Consultant: • The Consultant will use their own equipment, laptops, microphones, software and other accessories that may be required for this task. • The Consultant will not give the content/material or any part thereof, to any third party without the written permission of UNICEF. All components will be the property of UNICEF, and the Consultant will not share the same with anyone else. • The Consultant will not put their own name or logo/emblem on the content/final product. • The only organization branding will be UNICEF, if required. • When travel is required: The consultant is responsible for arranging their own travel.

Responsibilities of UNICEF: • UNICEF will provide all details pertaining to the activity and the requirements. • UNICEF will orient the Consultant on UNICEF’s branding guidelines LTA Contract July 2023. • UNICEF will describe the methods, practices, and approaches that guide the organization’s overall approach to projects of the type described in the Terms of Reference. • When travel is required: The hiring office is responsible for setting a reasonable travel budget using online research and reimbursing the consultant based on the contracted terms.

Deliverables

Tasks/Milestone:Deliverables/Outputs:1. Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal: • Edit and proofread the (50) standalone HAC appeals via HAC platform. • Edit a 40 -page printed 'Overview' summarizing global requirements and covering emerging trends, challenges, and the changing context of humanitarian action. Overview Document • Edit ppt presentation, talking points for UNICEF Executive Board.• 50 standalone HAC appeals are available for publication (approx. 4 pages each) • HAC overview document is available for the HAC launch • Ppt presentation and talking points edited for the launch2. Executive Board Papers on UNICEF Humanitarian Action (3 sessions yearly: February/ June/ September) • Support the consolidation of inputs from different EMOPS sections and UNICEF HQ divisions. • Rewrite, edit/proofread inputs and provide quality assurance (may require rewriting and restructuring text for greater readability and better logical sequence.) • Edit ppt presentation, talking points and background note for donor briefing.• Update on UNICEF Humanitarian Action is available for the Executive Board – Feb Session/ 9000 words • Annual Report on UNICEF Humanitarian Action is available for the Executive Board - June Session/ 9000 words • Ppt presentation and talking points edited for the 3 EB session / yearly3. Editing of ad-hoc humanitarian products 2024 & 2025: (10 working days/months) • Rewrite, edit drafts briefing and strategic notes, country profiles, ppt presentations for briefing.Corporate Humanitarian products such as briefing and strategic notes, country profiles, ppt presentations for briefing, edited upon requestDuration

The Long-Term Agreement will be for a duration of three years. The initial period would be for two years with an option for renewal for a subsequent year on the same rates, terms and conditions, subject to satisfactory performance evaluation and continuing need for the service.

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

• University degree in communications or journalism.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience as writer/editor; experience working with the UN or NGO required.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Experience in all forms of writing including for the web.
• Familiarity with UNICEF's programmes in emergency contexts is essential.
• Fluency in both written and spoken English
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Copyediting and proofreading per UNICEF’s standards and style.
• Experience in writing / editing UNICEF Executive Board Papers is an asset.

How to apply

The application is to be submitted through the online portal and should contain four separate attachments:

i. A Cover letter explaining suitability for position (to be uploaded online under “Cover Letter” tab) ii. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (to be uploaded online under “Resume” tab) iii. Three Work Samples – This includes three previously written human-interest stories / reports / advertising materials / content created / proposal. It is critical to submit work samples as you will observe from the advertisement that marks have been assigned to these criteria for arriving at the most suitable candidate iv. A financial proposal indicating professional fee as per the template. Please do not forget to specify your name in the file while saving. (To be uploaded under other supporting documents).

LTA_Financial Proposal template.docx v. Certificates of mandatory courses (Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF (2020 version); Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (2021 version) & Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA) (2021 version) consolidated in one single pdf.

Without all the above 5 documents your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further.

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.