Background

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN Volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity, as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.
The UNV organization
UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – with the majority in Bonn and some positions with different UN peacekeeping and political missions, and in other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo).

The major organizational groups within UNV are:

• The Office of the Executive Coordinator (OEC);
• The Evaluation Unit (EU);
• The Corporate Planning and Performance Unit (CPPU);
• The Volunteer Programme and Management Group (VPMG) comprising the Peace Division (PD) and the Development Division (DD), Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS), Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) and Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS);
• the Partnerships and Communications Division (PCD) comprising the Partnerships Section (PS) and the Communications Unit (CU);
• The Management Services Division (MSD) comprising the Information and Communication Technology;
• Section (ICTS), Finance Section (FS), Human Resources Section (HRS) and the Administration Unit (AU). Additionally the Common Services Unit (CSU) provides support to the UN presence in Bonn.
  

Organizational setting and background

The Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS) is responsible for the international UN Volunteer database and for outreach, registration, database management, assessment, identification and submission of candidates for international UN Volunteer assignments. Candidates are identified from a large range of professional categories, (e.g. health, human rights and protection, ICT, engineering, gender, environment, programme management, political affairs, rule of law, etc.) On average 150+ registrations from individuals interested in serving as an international UN Volunteer are received every day. Not all new registrations result in a completed fact sheet on the database, however where the registration process is completed in full and a fact sheet is produced, VRRS conducts an initial assessment and verification of the candidate’s information and credentials.

UNV is proactively diversifying and enhancing current recruitment outreach partnerships to initiate new strategic alliances with institutions, associations, universities, member states, donors and cooperating agencies. Existing and new strategic alliances are being evaluated and selected based on UNV’s five priority programme areas, the defined areas of interest and capacities of partners and the projected demand from UN entities. Enhanced collaboration will concentrate on increasing awareness and access to relevant candidate pools and potential talent to satisfy complementary workforce and programme requirements for volunteer assignments with UN entities. Existing outreach recruitment activities are tailored to cater to the specific audiences and partner demand.

As an auxiliary marketing activity UNV would like to implement a creative social media sourcing strategy and campaign to strengthen the pipeline of available candidates for 100+ professional assignments with UN host agencies. The social media sourcing strategy will support and enhance on-going outreach activities by increasing innovation, visibility and communication synergies.

Background of the Consultancy

Every year around 5,000 skilled individuals from about 153 nationalities serve as international UN Volunteers in about 130 countries (Africa, Arab States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Baltic States and CIS). Many live and work in challenging conditions. The majority of UN Volunteers are from low and middle income countries.

The rapid increased usage of social media and the global reach required by UNV are a natural combination, however UN Volunteers are not UN staff, and although they receive a generous volunteer living allowance and other significant benefits, a UN Volunteer assignment is not a job or a long-term career, nor is it an obvious entry point into the UN. Being a UN Volunteer gives insights into the UN system and international exposure in new environments and cultures, it makes use of existing professional skills and experience and builds capacity of the candidate, internal capacity of the host agency, community and/or country, which in turn makes a tangible contribution to peace and development. It can be an incredible journey of personal learning and capacity building for others.

Attracting motivated and qualified potential candidates to become part of the UNV database to be considered for future UN Volunteer assignments is similar to, and on the other hand very different from, attracting potential candidates to a new job. As indicated above, a UN Volunteer assignment is not a career, the length of time an individual can serve as an international UN Volunteer is currently eight years. Skilled and experienced professionals from all walks of life are needed, therefore potential candidates who know of UNV and may already be on the database, as well as potential candidates who are not familiar with UNV and have not considered volunteering in the past,  are both of interest to UNV. This requires that UNV’s voice is heard by active and passive potential  candidates in different professional groups and geographical regions.

The responsibility of the management of this consultancy falls under the Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS) at UNV Headquarters in Bonn, Germany. Working under the direct supervision of the Deputy Chief of the VRRS and in close collaboration with the staff of the section, an experienced social media consultant, with a strong understanding of social media and networking platforms and their application in a global recruitment context is required to define a social media strategy for UNV taking into consideration geographical trends, the need for UNV to target specific professional groups as well as female candidates, the percentage of time required for social media activities, the skill sets of existing UNV recruitment staff, priorities and internal capacity, (short and long term), and costs implications. The social media marketing specialist - global recruitment will need to understand the different job markets around the world, where the highly skilled workers are and which markets/regions/countries have relevant specializations in the various fields. The UNV communications section is also currently engaged in the review of the UNV website and UNV’s brand. They also manage the organization’s social media for external communications therefore coordination and consultation with this group will be key to the project.

In addition to understanding the external environment and identifying technology trends and relevant innovations specific to recruitment niches/networks and/or volunteering options with potential to provide UNV with candidates with relevant skills and expertise, the consultant will be expected to develop a strong understanding of UNV, its mandate and professional populations targetted, their geographical spread and access to/interest in social media, networks etc. Review of background materials relevant for this consultancy in consultation with UNV, and individual interviews with designated UNV staff, will build familiarity with UNV’s mission and the target audience required for UNV assignments.

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of expected deliverables

Research and scoping

• At the conclusion of the research and scoping a summary report detailing findings and recommendations related to potential audiences, messages, channels and tactics in order to attract talent from specific online communities will be delivered.

Following UNV internal review and discussion of the delivered report, the consultant will develop:

Planning and strategy development

• A social media recruitment strategy, aligned with UNV’s brand and communications describing recruitment objectives, innovative activities and interventions and considering risk factors including organizational capacity and support required for implementation of a comprehensive social media strategy, mitigation steps and costs;
• A detailed content calendar based on the social media recruitment strategy together with an implementation plan incorporating specific tools and methods.
  

Content development

• Five different examples of impactful, professional, and appropriately written recruitment stories/messages/communication and/or discussion topics designed to for optimize UNV social media usage for  usage  promoting assignments, distributing content, sharing information to draw candidates’ attention, (determine what candidates care about) etc.;
• Written guidelines detailing required steps in building a strong internal network of contributors, including participants from VRRS and across the house.

Capacity building

• A practical social media compendium and delivery of a two day training course to increase confidence and skill of VRRS staff in using social media and dynamic content effectively to build, engage and maintain relationships with people UNV wants to attract. Content could include providing guidance/advice to recruiters in joining talent communities, creating effective blogs, planning virtual career fairs, etc. Improved sourcing and social media skills of VRRS staff at the conclusion of the training is expected.

On-going measurement of effectives

• Guidelines to support on-going analysis and measurement of the impact of sourcing strategies through social media channels such as a monthly/quarterly dashboard of metrics, utilizing a variety of analytical tools to perform statistical analysis measures to evaluate effectiveness of sourcing strategies.
  

Competencies

Core Values & Ethics:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the substantive areas of work;
• Demonstrates the ability to remain objective, neutral and independent vis-à-vis all parties involved.
  

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Management and Leadership:

• Capacity to engage with a wide audience and to maintain good working relationships in multicultural environments.

Task Management Skills:

• Produces timely, quality outputs;
• Develops creative solutions.

Communications:

• Speaks clearly and convincingly;
• Listens actively and responds effectively.
  

Functional Competencies:

• Thorough understanding of popular social networks and an active participant in a wide variety of social media activities;
• At the cutting edge of trends and innovative recruiting techniques, state-of-the-art recruiting practices and on-line marketing affinity;
• Highly developed research and analytical skills to interpret and evaluate results, and create reports and/or presentations;
• In depth knowledge in online user behaviour and online user analytics;
• Advanced knowledge of trends and new developments in the field of technology;
• Strong facilitation and training skills to guide others to develop new skills or knowledge that will enhance their work;
• Global mindset and proven record of managing complex processes and/or projects;
• An ability to work remotely and under minimal direction and an understanding of the complexities of working with a global team.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree preferably in marketing, communications, public relations, advertising, media studies, human resources, psychology or related fields.

Experience:
Required:

• At least 3 years of professional experience with digital marketing and/or social media/networks and new technology;
• Thorough knowledge of global recruiting trends and sourcing, including internet sourcing/advertising, social media, direct sourcing, professional journal/newspaper advertising, employee referral campaigns, job fairs etc.;
• Successful track record of developing innovative and effective social media marketing strategies and campaigns, including writing, editing and crafting content;
•  Past history of adjusting and realigning talent acquisition strategies to maximize new media tools and best practices, to fully utilize recruiting/networking tools in social media;
• Proven past record of competence in conducting research and analysis;
• Prior experience developing metrics to measure and communicate the impact of social community management/social attraction strategies and tactics;
• Strong communicator with a track record of presenting, training and educating in social media in the global recruitment context.
  

Desirable:

• Hands on experience with applicant tracking systems;
• Previous experience in Humanitarian affairs, NGO or volunteer initiatives and/or knowledge of UN agencies.
  

Language requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is an absolute requirement;
• Knowledge of French and/or Spanish is an asset

Application procedure:

Applicants have to provide a technical and financial proposal. The technical proposal shall describe the methodology and the approach how to fulfill the required deliverables as well as outline the major components of its implementation.

The financial proposal shall consist of all-inclusive lump sum for the whole duration of the contract period, which shall include the consultancy fee, costs of living, costs for insurance, and cost of travel to and from Bonn, Germany. The financial proposal shall contain a breakdown of these costs and indicate the number of off-days the consultant wants to take during the contract period (if any).

The lump sum/contract price is fixed regardless of subsequent changes in the cost components.

For the full information, including the evaluation criteria, please follow the link below:

http://www.unv.org/fileadmin/docdb/pdf/2014/procurement/ToR_Social_Media_Strategy_Specialist_Global_Recruitment.pdf.

Interested candidates are advised to carefully review the terms of reference (ToR) above and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described above.

Applications should contain: A brief cover letter, a short summary of relevant qualifications. A technical proposal (not more than 1000 words).Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.A current completed and signed P11 form/ UN Personal History Form in English.

Blank form can be downloaded from www.sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc. Please also include your CV. Contact details for 3 references. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you provide all requested materials. All documents should be scanned and attached in one PDF format document.

Important
 
Financial proposal:

The technical part of the proposal must not contain any pricing information whatsoever on the services offered. Pricing information shall be submitted separately. UNV expects a lump sum financial proposal; the Offeror is expected to show the total cost and breakdown by key milestone dates within each phase of work. Daily rates and number of working days required by each milestone date must be provided. The offer must cover all costs, including any expected travel costs, per diem costs and any other direct or indirect costs. The financial proposal should be submitted in a separate e-mail to procurement@unv.org with ‘Social Media Consultant Ref. No. 62961 ‘Your Name’ Financial Offer’ before the deadline

For any queries, please send an e-mail to procurement@unv.org, att.: Marc Wharton with ‘Social Media Consultant Ref. No. 62961 in the subject line.

By applying for this consultancy, UNV expects you have read and agree with the TOR (at the link above) and the UNV Terms and Conditions.
http://www.unv.org/fileadmin/docdb/pdf/2011/procurement/UNV-IC_Terms%20%20Conditions.pdf.