Consultancy: Consultant, Skills for Girls Manager - Gender Equality Section, PD, NYHQ/Home based - Req # 539717

The consultant will work with the Senior Advisor Gender Equality and the core HQ and regional teams working on the Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment and Well-being work with a particular focus on the Skills4Girls Portfolio that currently covers 19+ countries.

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.

Consultancy Title:                       Consultancy – Skills for Girls Manager

Section/Division/Duty Station: Gender/PD/NYHQ

Duration:                                     11.5 months (up to 230 working days with PTO between 3 May 2021 – 15 April 2022)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Purpose

A critical focus area in 2021-22 is on the targeted priority related to promoting girls’ secondary education, skills and STEM particularly overcoming gender barriers and building skills for and with adolescent girls so that they are poised to live empowered lives and transition to safe employment opportunities.  The Skills4Girls Portfolio supported by private and public sector partners, currently spans 19 countries and applies contextualized evidence-based approaches that are girl-centered in design and reach girls with skills such as STEM, digital literacy, social entrepreneurship and transferable skills with their meaningful participation.  The portfolio leverages existing investments across UNICEF, working closely with colleagues across sectors (Education, Adolescent Development and Participation, Innovations, Partnerships, Communications, etc) and the Innovations team, Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP), and Division of Communications (DoC) across HQ, regions and countries.  The Portfolio also links to existing communication, advocacy and partnership platforms and inter-agency/ global initiatives such as Reimagine Education, Generation Equality, Generation Unlimited, etc.  With Beijing +25 Commemorations and the intentional global attention on accelerating progress for adolescent girls in particular on education, learning and skills, leveraging, strengthening and promoting UNICEF’s work in this area is important to showcase programme approaches/models on various skill + bundles to advance adolescent girls’ opportunities in a world of work by intentional girl centered design; across multiple adolescent girl profiles, geographical contexts, in and out of school platforms.

UNICEF’s Gender Equality section is seeking a suitably qualified consultant to coordinate and provide technical assistance to the 19 country skills4girls portfolio with a particular focus on supporting country offices to deliver on a girl-centered approach and consolidate and share key learnings across the Portfolio. Using excellent analytical, knowledge management, organization, and communication skills, the Consultant will be responsible for working with the Gender Equality Section and our extended network to strengthen programme design and monitoring, promote south-south learning and collaboration, and consolidate the knowledge management and operationalization of what works in girl centered approaches to skills building across multiple geographies, platforms and profiles.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will work with the Senior Advisor Gender Equality and the core HQ and regional teams working on the Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment and Well-being work with a particular focus on the Skills4Girls Portfolio that currently covers 19+ countries.  S/he will collaborate and coordinate with other core members of the extended gender team serving as a liaison between countries/ regions and HQ, providing technical support, leading knowledge management efforts and contributing to strategic, partnership and technical discussions with internal and external partners. In doing so, the consultant will collaborate with relevant sectors across UNICEF (Education, Adolescent Development and Participation, etc.) and the Innovations team, Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP), and Division of Communications (DoC) across HQ, regions and countries and contribute to a community of practice and evidence-based programming.  Three overarching areas of work include

1. Support the overall coordination and management of skills4girls portfolio in particular serving as a link between HQ and RO/CO efforts, multiple global initiatives, and working closely with HQ and RO teams and working closely with the portfolio management consultant.
2. Lead knowledge management related to adolescent girls’ empowerment and well-being with a particular focus on skills4girls portfolio liaising within Gender equality team, communication consultants, PD sectors, private and public sector internal UNICEF teams, ROs, COs, Innovations and related advocacy, comms and partnership initiatives and colleagues on lessons, webinars, programme summaries, reporting to donors, guidance/tools, etc.
3. Provide technical support on strengthening gender responsive/ transformative approaches to adolescent girls’ programmes to COs including liaising and supporting countries in the skills4girls Portfolio linking with the portfolio management consultant and regional gender advisors.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Start date: 3-May-2021      End date: 15-April-2022       

I. Skills4girls portfolio updated, monitored and responsive

1. Successful implementation of the gender thematic fund and linked partnerships related to Skills4Girls Portfolio including managing portfolio, tracking results and monitoring financial progress  (55 days)                                        Due: 15  April 2022
2. Relevant annual country and global annual reports (latter linked to ARR) and PowerPoints finalized and disseminated (20 days)                   Due: 15 February 2022

II. Country offices are supported with timely and ongoing technical support

1. Country engagement, technical support and learning plan across the 19 countries and 7 regions with relevant templates and tools finalized and operationalized.  (60 Days) Due:15 December 2021
2. Coordination plan across different initiatives related to S4G developed and actioned including but not limited to Gen Unlimited, education team, etc. facilitated. (10 Days)     Due: 30 July 2021

III. S4G Knowledge management platform updated and functioning

1. Successful coordination between PFP, NatCom, country and related partners on communications and advocacy opportunities, assets, country visits, etc. (30 Days)                  Due:  31 October 2021
2. Plan for knowledge management in key areas of S4G portfolio developed and executed -including webinar series, overview powerpoint, organize teamsite and update regularly with resources such as lessons, programme summaries, guidance/tools, HIS, etc. and disseminated on yammer; active engagement with ECARO knowledge hub. (55 Days)                                 Due:  30 August 2021

TOTAL: 230 working days;   Contract end Date: 15 April 2022

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced university degree in a discipline relevant to the position such as Gender Studies, Public Health, International Development, etc.
• Eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience; especially with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the area of international development, gender equality, with a demonstrated track record in accountability and reporting for gender equality results
• Must demonstrate excellent writing skills. Work experience with UNICEF and knowledge about violence against women and girls will be considered as highly desirable.
• At least 5 years of professional work experience at national or international level
• Substantive, technical, programme or research skills in gender equality in one or more key issue area that is the focus of programme of work/ UNICEF’s Gender Action Plan;
• Demonstrated experience on programmes, etc. on adolescents/girls and education, skills, etc. an asset
• Experience in programme/project management skills, along with ability to synthesize; coordinate and connect various streams of work and to multi-task
• Ability to summarize, analyze and communicate diverse evidence and information from a wide range of sources;
• Excellent communication skills, including an ability to write succinctly and clearly in English;
• Ability to communicate effectively to varied audiences and to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment
• Strong initiative and self-motivation
• Experience working with UNICEF COs or other UN agency at country level, an asset
• Fluency in one other UN language an asset

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference 
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious and ethnic backgrounds 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.