Reporting and proposal-writing consultant (Home based)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Contexte et justification :

Niger is a landlocked Sahelian country of 21.5 million people, most of whom live in rural areas (84%). The population is young, with 58% of Nigeriens being under 18, and nearly half of the population is poor, despite reductions in the poverty rate over the past decade. The country, which ranked last on the 2018 Human Development Index, sees its development constrained by several factors: high population growth, climatic conditions that hinder rural development, vulnerability due to the absence of economic diversification, gender equality issues, low levels of literacy and education, and the size and landlocked nature of the country, which obstruct the provision of essential goods and services to the population. Social indicators are particularly alarming for women and children.

In addition, Niger is confronted to recurrent crises. For many years, the country has suffered from chronic food insecurity, and faced food and nutrition crises. It also regularly experiences epidemics, including cholera, as well as floods. Moreover, instability in the Sahel region has in recent years led to insecurity and population displacement, especially in the eastern part of the country with the armed conflict with Boko Haram, and more recently in western regions bordering with Mali and Burkina Faso.

UNICEF supports the efforts of the Government of Niger to improve the situation of women and children. The 2019-2021 country programme focuses on the following intervention axes: health, water, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, education, child protection, social policy, and adolescents and social norms.

To implement its programme, UNICEF relies on its institutional budget as well as other resources that it mobilizes. The Niger Country Office manages a large number of grants, with heavy reporting requirements. A high number of donor reports and proposals are expected to be produced in the period December 2020/May 2021 and the Country Office is experiencing a shortage of capacity in the partnership unit over the same period of time. In addition, several thematic reports will also be produced by the beginning of the year 2021. Temporary assistance is therefore needed to enable the office to maintain timely, quality reporting and resource mobilization over this period.

Objectifs :

The consultant will ensure that reports and project proposals continue to meet high quality standards and are sent on time, therefore complying with donor and internal requirements (content, language, format and schedule as well as specific visibility requirements or restrictions).

Activités :

Under the direction of the Partnership Specialist and/or the Deputy Representative Programme, in close collaboration with programme sections, the consultant will support the timely consolidation, editing and submission of high-quality donor reports, and to a lesser extent of project proposals, in adherence to set standards and donor obligations. This will include ensuring the completeness, coherence, correctness and formatting of reports and proposals, including financial verification. In addition, the consultant will ensure that high-quality thematic reports covering several sectors are produced at least ten working days in advance of the corporate deadline for clearance by the Deputy Representative Programme and Representative and are finalised with management comments by the deadline.

The following tasks will be expected:

• Conduct quality check of donor reports including conformity with original proposals, donor and reporting requirements, and compliance with results-based management.
• Conduct quality check of project proposals including compliance with results-based management.
• Write high-quality thematic reports.
• Monitor and manage deadlines for timely submission of consolidated documents under consultants’ responsibility (reports, proposals).

Reports and project proposals will have to meet quality standards and will be submitted on time. The target delivery date will be specific to each document, as the start date will depend on the availability of internal inputs and as the volume of work needed will vary with each document. The work will be carried out over 110 working days between 15 December 2020 and 31 May 2021. The number of working days will be revised if needed, depending on different factors including the quality of drafts to be passed on to the consultant or additional workload. Based on current foreseen reporting workload, it is estimated that the number of days may be approximately distributed as follows:

APPROXIMATE N DAYS BASED ON REPORTING WORKLOAD

Dec 2020 8

Jan 2021 20

Feb 2021 20

Mar 2021 22

Apr 2021 20

May 2021 20

TOTAL 110

Payments will be effected at the end of each calendar month based on an invoice presented by the consultant, accompanied by a 1-page report detailing the products delivered and the number of days worked during the previous month, which will be certified by the Partnership Specialist or, in her absence, by the Deputy Representative. Full payment will be subject to satisfactory quality, quantity and timeliness of outputs.

Methodology :

Reports: monitor reporting deadlines, solicit and receive timely inputs from relevant sections and colleagues, review and/or compile first draft (narrative and financial reporting), collaborate with programme colleagues to assure high quality, share with Deputy Representative Programme for comments, finalize document according to feedback, share with donor or other stakeholder if and when needed, share with assistant for uploading in system, archive.

Proposals: discuss resource needs and project ideas with interested sections and colleagues, receive a first draft (if one sector) or inputs from different sectors (if multisectoral), discuss with colleagues to ensure coherence (across sections as well as with strategic programme documents such CPD, KRCs, HAC), finalize draft (narrative as well as financial aspects) and share with Deputy Representative Programme for comments, finalize document according to feedback, share with donor or other stakeholder if and when needed, archive.

Qualification:

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Communications, Marketing, or other related field (English as the language of instruction is an advantage) ;
• Two years minimum of relevant work experience ;
• Strong writing and editing skills in English and French ;
• Strong logical and analytical skills ;
• Advanced MS Word and basic MS Excel skills ;
• Good time management and ability to work under tight deadlines ;
• Familiarity with/experience in international development and humanitarian affairs an asset ;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to quickly establish trusted relationships ;
• Previous experience and exposure to UNICEF programmes ;
• Previous field experience in Niger or in the Sahel region would be an advantage.

Note:

Please note that applications should include the following information. Applications without the following information will not be entertained.

• Updated CV ;
• Cover letter ;
• Diploma from highest education level ;
• Financial proposal indicating deliverable-based professional fee ;
• A technical offer detailing the methodology to be followed to achieve the deliverables.

Desk review evaluating specific professional experience. The technical offer will be graded on a scale of 70 with a pass mark of 50.

The lowest financial offer obtains the maximum financial rating. Other bids that have passed the required technical threshold will receive scores inversely proportional to the lowest bid.

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.

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.