Senior Consultant Humanitarian Review Decentralized Models of Field Presence, 132 Working days, Humanitarian Field Support Secyion (HFSS), EMOPS, NYHQ (Remote)

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, Opportunity

The objective of the humanitarian review is to examine UNICEF’s humanitarian operations broadly and in-depth. Its results will inform an organizational rethink of UNICEF’s configuration and ability for principled humanitarian action, to improve its response. This includes how UNICEF’s humanitarian action links with its development work and how it can adapt its regular programming to better prevent and mitigate the effects of crises and prepare effective emergency responses.

While we recognize that the Humanitarian Review did not identify decentralisation of field office/country office as a key issue, risk management and the need for more clarity and accountability in scaling up field presence (decentralisation) has become a pressing priority. In particular, the Humanitarian Review recognizes that “UNICEF needs to foster a more field-level approach (in such emergencies), actively encouraging staff to be visible on the ground, ready to take on frontline roles that are usually undertaken by implementing partners in other contexts” (Humanitarian review p 78).

UNICEF’s capacity to scale-up (stay/deliver) in large-scale emergencies including complex and high-threat environments is identified as a key strategy to maintain operational independence and minimize the risk of compromising perceptions of adherence to the humanitarian principles and acceptance with local communities and stakeholders. Timely, nimble, efficient programme scale-up and consequent decentralisation of authority and flexibility in operations (implementation and management) have become even more pressing as prerequisites to empower field offices and mobile operations (Ebola/COVID Response, Ukraine, and Afghanistan).

As a key principle, decisions must be placed at the level nearest to implementation where teams have sufficient authority to respond to day-to-day challenges and programmatic exigencies that confront them as they perform their tasks. As such, the level of authority delegated at the country level to the Representative, the organization also developed various models of field presence often formalized by a Field Office under the responsibility of a Chief, Field Office (CFO).

This consultancy will examine in-depth operational as well as programmatic scopes of decentralisations. For instance, a delegation of actual budgets to FOs and their empowerment to conduct projects is inconsistent between COs, CoSs.

The Humanitarian Review aimed at assessing the organizational capacity to deliver including the coverage and quality of the UNICEF humanitarian response in complex humanitarian emergencies (CHTE) (policy, structure, accountability, systems, resources) to deliver on its commitments on coverage, quality and equity, including as the provider of last resort. The aim of the decentralisation review is also to broaden this evaluation beyond the CHTEs context to also include contexts and crises with large needs which are not CHTEs per sei.

The decentralisation reference group is established by EMOPS that includes key business owners to ensure a direct contribution to the humanitarian review recommendations and the global accountability framework exercise

How can you make a difference?

The Senior Consultant will lead, coordinate and support the tasks related to the Humanitarian Review on Direct Implementation and, in conjunction with this recommendation, review and draft Models of Decentralised field presence contributing to effective scale-up/scale-down, “stay and deliver” in large scale emergencies including complex and high threat environments.

Key tasks

1. Systematic engagement with the RO and COs on global, country-specific, inter-agency and other initiatives with a view to reinforcing UNICEF’s decentralization initial models across the organization.
2. Conduct an extensive Desk review by collecting and documenting past and current best practices on decentralisation of field offices during major crises:
3. Support 3 regional offices initiatives (MENARO, ESARO and WCARO) in the preparation and documentation of their consultations with CFOs
4. Support the revision of scale-up and scale-down benchmarks of field decentralisation.
5. Support in mapping key stakeholders (internal and external) and business owners (internal)
6. In coordination with ROs and key business owners develop the rollout strategy /workplan/key indicators and introduce a list of tools and models of field presence decentralisation as a modality where UNICEF lead on the role of implementation with sufficient technical and operational capacity.
7. Support the revision of the Emergency Procedures to include minimum benchmarks on Field presence Decentralisation in coordination with the Emergency Procedures team and key business owners

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines.
• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional work experience, including serving in complex emergencies, at the national and international levels in programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and administration.
• UNICEF and other UN/Humanitarian work experience or field work experience including leading teams in complex or large emergency settings.
• Specialized training / experience in emergency response management highly desirable.
• Fluency in English is mandatory. Fluency in French, Spanish or Arabic is mandatory as well.

For more details, the TORS can be consulted here: Terms of Reference Senior Consultancy Decentralisation REVISED 290922.pdf

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 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.