Writing and editing communication materials consultant

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, an advocate.

The UNICEF Guinea Bissau Country Programme is highly reliant on a few donors and UNICEF core resource allocation. As such, there is a need to diversify the pool of funding that the country office relies on and to fundraise from new and emerging partners in order to fully meet the ambitions of the country programme. A diversified portfolio will serve to reduce the risks associated with heavy reliance on a few major donors, and working with a variety of partners will allow UNICEF Guinea-Bissau to harness opportunities where they exist and respond to new funding challenges that emerge. It is in this regard that building strong and lasting public, bilateral and multilateral partnerships is critical to the long-term investments and commitment needed for the realisation of child rights and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Support in preparing quality documentation will provide an important springboard for engagement towards improving the resource base of the country programme.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

Prepare the public version of the annual report of UNICEF Guinea Bissau’s actions in 2022 on the basis of the internally produced country office annual report (COAR).

1. Develop concept notes and funding proposals which highlight areas with financial gaps as well as areas for innovation either uniquely for the UNICEF programme or in concert with other agencies, including for nutrition, maternal and newborn health, supply chain management, early childhood development and sports for development.
2. Review and edit donor reports, to meet donor requirements and ensure that they reflect comprehensively UNICEF’s engagement and value addition at the strategic as well as service delivery levels and effects on populations being served. Finalise with staff the workflow processes for the development of funding proposals and donor reports.
3. Undertake capacity development of staff and technical support in the preparation of proposals, donor reports and other visibility materials.
4. Undertake capacity development of staff and technical support in the preparation of proposals, donor reports and other visibility materials.

Methodology:

Discuss resource needs and project ideas with sections and colleagues, receive a first draft or inputs from different sectors, discuss with colleagues to ensure coherence and share with Deputy Representative Programme for comments, finalize document according to feedback.

• Reports: monitor reporting deadlines, solicit and receive timely inputs from relevant sections and colleagues, review first draft from responsible sections (narrative and financial reporting), collaborate with programme colleagues to assure high quality, share with Deputy Representative (Programmes) for comments, finalize document according to feedback.
• Be available for feedback and inputs on submitted drafts of written communication products as per the requirement of the office. Be available for up to a maximum of three rounds of writing and editing of all products before final approval by UNICEF.
• Propose a training programme for staff on the basis of needs with regards to preparing concept notes for resource mobilisation, using simplified formats.

Modalities and fees:

1. Candidates are requested to submit their technical, financial proposal and a portfolio with similar documentation, as per the Terms of Reference.
2. The financial proposal will include all costs related to this consultancy (travel, consultancy fees, insurance and Daily Subsistence Allowance - DSA) at a monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above and indication of availability.
3. Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to request withholding of payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Work Assignments Overview

Public version of the annual report of UNICEF Guinea Bissau’s actions in 2022 prepared on the basis of the internally produced country office annual report (COAR).

Proposal of format for the public version of external looking Annual Report

Draft public version of the annual report of UNICEF’s action in 2022 available.

Agreement with key staff/stakeholders on concept notes to be prepared and other visibility materials

Donor reports reviewed and finalized

February - March

Finalized version of external annual report

Concept notes and funding proposals developed

Revised draft of annual report prepared, and layout agreed upon, including pictures, graphics and other visuals

Template for concept note developed and agreed upon

Concept notes and funding proposals for nutrition developed.

Donor reports reviewed and finalized, and workflows reviewed

Other visibility products to be agreed upon developed

April

Concept notes and funding proposals developed

Donor reports reviewed and finalized.

Concept notes and funding proposals to be agreed upon developed for maternal and new-born health and early childhood development.

Workflow for donor reports and funding proposals finalized

Donor reports reviewed and finalized.

Training and technical support provided.

May

Concept notes and funding proposals developed

Donor reports reviewed and finalized.

Concept notes and funding proposals to be agreed upon developed for maternal and new-born health and early childhood development.

Workflow for donor reports and funding proposals finalized

Donor reports reviewed and finalized.

Training and technical support provided.

June

Concept notes and funding proposals developed

Donor reports reviewed and finalized.

Concept notes and funding proposals to be agreed upon developed, including supply chain management and Sport for Development.

Donor reports reviewed.

Training and technical support provided.

Briefing notes for key donors revised/updated or prepared as needed.

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

• Bachelor's degree in communication, journalism, creative writing or similar discipline is required, as well as 8 years of relevant experience working in journalism at a reputable media organization.

  Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

  1) Demonstrated ability to produce high quality, creative communication materials

  2) Experience and quality of work demonstrably meet the highest international standards.

  3) Familiarity with UNICEF’s work and children’s issues, and UNICEF’s reporting, writing and story-telling guidelines.

  4) Ability to synthesize complex documents into key messages and experience in drafting advocacy documents from research studies.

  5) Excellent interpersonal skills and flexible attitude.

  6) Good time management and ability to work under tight deadlines

  7) High level proficiency in standard computer software, in particular, Microsoft word.

  8) Advanced proficiency in English (Oral & Written) required. Fluency in Portuguese is an asset.

  9) Proven experience in writing, copy-editing and fact-checking communication materials and editorial processes.

  10) Experience in writing for UNICEF particularly reports, concept notes, donor proposals, human interest stories, in development and humanitarian contexts etc.

  11) Previous results report and proposals writing experience; Knowledgeable in results-based management and results oriented approach to project implementation.

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.