Background

UNDP is supporting Ministry of Youth Affairs (MOYA) and National Youth Commission (NAYCOM) to empower the youth to develop their potential, creativity and skills for national development through the Youth Employment and Empowerment Programme (YEEP). The Youth Employment and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) is designed to strengthen national policy, strategy and coordination frameworks for youth employment and establish, on a national basis, basic support services for youth including business development support and youth career advice all geared towards increasing the employability of youth. This support shall be done through; provision of rapid employment opportunities and income generating activities for young people; strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and National Youth Commission; promotion and of the participation of young people in decision making processes and the development of youth interest initiatives. Strengthening the youth development initiatives coordination system of MOYA and NAYCOM is one of the activities aimed at bringing better coordination, oversight and strategic leadership role of the national institutions.

General Scope of the work

The candidate will play a leading role in the formulation of the youth development initiatives coordination framework for MOYA/NAYCOM, thereof establishing a mechanism to enhance planning, reporting, reviewing and coordination of partner agencies involved in the youth development sector. Develop a comprehensive framework to better coordinate youth serving agencies in the areas of programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Duties and Responsibilities

 Functions / Key Results Expected

• Develop a comprehensive analysis and mapping of the partner agencies involved in the youth development sector in Sierra Leone in terms of a) the types of programmes/projects implemented, b) the budget and resources allocation and c) the mechanisms implemented to enable them to assess the impact of the programmes of these agencies on the lives of young people and the community as a whole;
• Develop a data base Management Information System (MIS)which would enable MoYA/NAYCOM to monitor the performance of these agencies and produce reports on their performance within the sector;
• Creation of a forum for partners agencies to meet on a quarterly basis to share strategies and best practices on youth empowerment and development;
• Organize a validation workshop to evaluate and receive feedback from key stakeholders;
• Prepare a comprehensive report of the validation workshop;
• Draw up a road map on the coordination procedures.

Deliverables/Final Products Expected:

• Strategic framework to coordinate youth development initiatives in the country;
• Information Management Database System which allows MoYA/NAYCOM to coordinate and monitor the activities/work of the range of development agencies including government, civil society, bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies involved in youth development and empowerment;
• Forum/Round-table for stakeholders/partners to meet on a quarterly basis to share strategies and best practices. 

Competencies

• Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to framework/strategy development (in the field of Youth Employment, political affairs, sustainable development policy and humanitarian action); practical experience in programme/project management and administration; good research, analytical and problem-solving skills, including ability to identify and participate in the resolution of issues/problems; familiarity with and experience in the use of various research methodologies and sources, including the internet, and other databases; ability to apply good judgment in the context of assignments given; ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities.

• Good communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to draft/edit a variety of written reports, studies and other communications and to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style.

• Ability to actively seek to improve programmes/services, offer new and different options to solve problems/meet client needs, and promote and persuade others to consider new ideas.

• Fully proficient computer skills and use of relevant software and other applications, e.g. word processing, spread sheets and other statistical applications, internet, etc.

• Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity, including gender balance.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in economics, social sciences and business administration or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related area.

Experience:

• At least 5 years progressively responsible in the specific programme area associated with this post or related fields;
• The consultant should have a strong technical background in results based management, work plan/activity schedule preparation and reporting, and at least 5 years of substantive experience in the design, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes;
• Strong organizational capacity and familiarity with UN project execution rules and regulations are essential;
• Other skills: Strong analytical and management skills applied to managing and reviewing frameworks/strategies, knowledge of current development policies and activities, ability to organize work and collaborate effectively with a wide range of teams and work with individuals of different national and cultural backgrounds, including networking across professional, thematic and organizational boundaries;
• Working experience in developing countries;
• Basic knowledge of relevant institutional mandates, policies, guidelines. Knowledge of the institutions of the UN system.

• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.

Reporting Arrangements

• The Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and the technical supervision of the Programme Manager of the YEEP of UNDP/SL as well as NAYCOM.

Duration of the consultancy

Payment Modalities

Payment to the consultant will be made in three instalments upon satisfactory completion of the following deliverables:

• 1st installment-15% upon signing of the contract;
•  2nd installment-35% upon showing progress against agreed outputs;
• 3rd installment-50% upon submission of the deliverables signed off by UNDP.

Evaluation of Criteria and Weighting

The consultant will be evaluated against a combination of technical and financial criteria. Maximum score is 100% out of a total score for technical criteria equals 70% and 30% for financial criteria. The technical evaluation will take into account the following as per the weightings provided:

•  Background and minimum educational qualification as defined in the TOR (10%);
• Practical experience in framework and strategy development in the youth sector, etc (50%);
• Quality of the technical proposal against the deliverables of the assignment (30 %);
• English language fluency (10%).

Application Procedure

Qualified and interested candidates are hereby requested to apply. The application should contain the following:

•  Brief proposal addressing the requirement (Methodology);
• Filled P11 form (Application Form P11 - UNDP);
• Detailed achievement based CV;Financial proposal (DSA, Air ticket, Daily rate and any other relevant cost).