Social Impact Partnerships Consultant, Pretoria, South Africa, 8 months (remote)

Consultant Communications & PR Programme & Policy Innovation

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.

UNICEF South Africa

UNICEF South Africa works to protect the rights of and improve the wellbeing of children across South Africa. This includes data and evidence generation and thought leadership work, alongside programme implementation working with the Government and relevant partners. The Innovations and Communication and Partnerships Sections require the support of a Social Impact Partnerships Consultant who will focus on managing and leading on U-Report and IoGT platforms.

The two platforms deliver vital youth focused information and content to provide support on critical issues such as online violence, mental wellbeing, and education, among others. In addition, the platforms provide children and young people to feedback information and opinions to UNICEF and partners. This work would also involve emergency response as and when relevant to engage quickly with children and young people affected. The information shared and received through the consultant’s work will be used to inform programming and external engagement with media and on multimedia platforms.

How can you make a difference?

The Consultant will work closely with the Innovations and Communication and Partnerships Sections and with a specific focus on online safety, education, mental health and other sectors and issues, including emergency response when necessary. The U-Report / IoGT platforms are critical tools for UNICEF SA to engage with children and young people, as well as Government and partners providing inputs from children and youth, as well as sharing critical information back.

The Consultant will work across UNICEF sections and closely with Innovations and Communications to engage the relevant platforms on priority areas of work and strategic moments for maximum impact. The Consultant will be expected to have the necessary skills to engage with Government partners and civil society, as well as with UNICEF colleagues at a national, regional and global level. The Consultant will also use their technical skills to manage the relevant platforms and to analyse results to share the findings back to all stakeholders, including children and youth themselves.

Outputs/Deliverables:

This is an 8-month consultancy that is expected to approximately follow the timeline below, as also reflected under the Tasks section.

November and December 2023

• U-Report campaigns run on nutrition and results collated on sexual and reproductive health polls.
• Engagements with Department of Basic Education to maximize use of U-Report among learners and educators.
• Finalise the strategy and workplan for U-Report and IoGT in 2024.

January – March 2024

• Insights gathered through digital platforms with young persons on online safety, as well as collation of data, analysis and generation of a solid report for online safety related work.
• Design and pilot online safety mental health chatbot inclusive of interactive support services, including existing helplines on online safety component.
• Document and distribute online safety assets (tips and information packs).
• Start the implementation of the partnership with the Department of Basic Education.
• Identify potential U-Report user Ambassadors to provide inputs into U-Report content and to promote the platform and engage in other polls as necessary.

April – July 2024

• Impact analysis and reporting (data and narrative) on online safety related work.
• Ongoing polls and analysis as well as partnership management.
• Draft mid-year report on results achieved and recommendations on way forward.

Tasks

Deliverable/output

Timeline/deadline

U-Report Workplan and Implementation Strategy: reflecting U-Report integration to programme sections.

Workplan up to date and updated on a continuous basis

Strategy overview linking to key section work is signed off for 2024.

Month 1 (ongoing)

Institutionalization of Online Safety: Provide support to the child protection team, government, and partners to institutionalize online child safety, setting up polls, providing resources and coordinating with U-Reporters and partners on the issue.

Meeting with child protection to set clear plan and document drafted

At least one poll related to the CP issues

Meeting with partners and engaging partners on polls / resources

Month 2

Mental Health and psychosocial support: Provide technical support in setting up a referral system on U-Report to enable case management including linking young people with Tele-Health services and mental health professionals.

Referral system is agreed on and activated through the platform

Months 3 & 4

U-Report Safeguarding Mechanism: Working with Section colleagues in setting up a safeguarding mechanism to include Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, PSEA, and violence against children for information and referrals.

Safeguarding plan drafted and relevant components activated

Months 3 & 4

Parent Text: Work closely with Parenting for Lifelong Health together with Oxford University towards the implementation and roll-out of The Parent Text 2.0 initiative.

Meeting with relevant stakeholders

Parent Text goes live

Months 3 & 4

U-Report on The Move: Coordinate with Child Protection section and Implementing Partners such as UNHCR, CORMSA, to strengthen the ‘Children On the Move’ component of U-Report.

Identify and implement plan with multiple partners

Months 5 & 6

Liaise closely with U-Report global coordination team to align its strategy in delivering programmes to benefit refugees and migrants, as well as broader work.

Produce regular analytical reports of the month’s online engagements, key findings, and important human interest stories and ensure that information collected from U-Report is available and IoGT is available to programme sections to guide their activities.

Regular feedback and attendance at monthly U-Report meetings

Ongoing

Department of Basic Education Partnership: Work closely with Education and other relevant sections and partners together with the Department of Basic Education to roll out U-Report and other digital platforms across all schools in SACO.

Finalize concept note

Test U-Report with learners

Implement first phase of school based system

From month 1 ongoing

Learning Passport and other digital initiatives: Provide support to the education section in the revitalization, strengthening, and promotion of the Learning Passport

Meeting with education section to agree on support to digital initiatives

Links to digital platforms shared and maximized through U-Report and other platforms

Months 3 – 8

Manage the U-Report website by: providing regular updates with required content including poll response data, chatbots, and publishing human interest stories

Website updated at least 3times a month with relevant content

Ongoing

Social Media: Coordinate with communications and partnerships to manage U-Report social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to continue the discussion and engagement of U-Reporters beyond polls.

Analysis of poll results shared

Polls content shared and agreed on pre posting

U-Report platforms are live and active

Ongoing

SBC Nutrition Campaign: Support the Nutrition section to integrate the SBC Campaign for Prevention of NCDs onto U-Report and IoGT. Plan for polls, quizzes, and chatbot content to be published on both platforms

Polls conducted

At least one quiz and chatbot disseminated and reported back on

Months 3-6

IoGT User-Generated Content: Provide technical support and coordination to facilitate the process of young people developing content on IoGT and be rewarded with incentives for the work accomplished.

Young people identified and produce relevant content

Incentives approach agreed on and distributed

Months 3 – 8

Strengthen UN Collaborations: Engagement with UN Agencies (UNFPA, UN WOMEN, UNHCR) focal points to identify key programmatic areas of interest for possible U-Report and IoGT interventions.

Meetings held with all relevant departments

Meeting reports finalized and shared

Action points following up on

Ongoing

Government Collaboration and Buy-in: Provide technical support to the government (DSD, DBE, DoH) including capacity building and support the advancement of U-Report and IoGT initiatives

Meetings held with all relevant departments

Meeting reports finalized and shared

Action points following up on

Ongoing

Liaising closely with UNICEF implementing partners (CSOs, FBOs, and other NGOs) to provide capacity-building and technical support in the use of U-Report to deliver on programme and advocacy priorities.

At least two partners trainings conducted

Ongoing

Vendors/U-Report and IoGT service providers: Work closely with procurement, innovations, and finance to manage vendor contracts and payments

Day-to-day management and monitoring of the Rapidpro and IoGT systems to ensure that there are no technical issues interfering with its optimal performance

Vendor contracts finalized and platforms live at all times

Ongoing

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

• A university degree in marketing and communications / Public Relations / Social and Behaviour Change / Media / Development / Humanitarian / Advocacy / Foreign Policy
• A minimum of five (5)of relevant professional experience in marketing, communications, PR, SBC, media, development , humanitarian work, advocacy, foreign policy, journalism
• Specialised skills and/or training if needed: - The consultant should have skills and experience in management of digital platforms including U-Report and Rapid Pro. The consultant should have some experience in social behaviour change approaches and broader advocacy. Strategic communication experience is also an asset
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset
• Fluency in English is required

Technical evaluation:

• demonstrable experience managing and delivering digital platforms
• demonstrable experience on youth-led social behaviour change campaigns
• demonstrable experience engaging with government and civil society on digital and youth engagement work
• previous experience with UN / UNICEF

Financial evaluation:

• Fee/rate
• Monthly cost is required given the expected full-time role of the position

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.

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Added 5 months ago - Updated 5 months ago - Source: unicef.org