UNCDF Jobs - 49873- Consultancy : Multi-media communication

Consultancy : Multi-media communication

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Various locations

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English French

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Local Cross-Border Initiative (LoBI) is a global program of UNCDF aimed at strengthening cross-border governance. The program is currently being piloted in West Africa in collaboration with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the financial support of the Government of Luxembourg. The two chosen pilot zones are IIRSahel, representing the cross-border area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and the SKBo zone, which concerns the cross-border region between Burkina Faso, Mali and Ivory Coast.

LoBI aims at strengthening cross-border governance by supporting the formulation and development of regional and national strategies on cross-border cooperation and regional integration. It also seeks to promote the implementation of local cross-border initiatives through pilot projects that enhance the local development of cross-border zones, thereby strengthening the economic stability and security of these zones. These pilot projects are also crucial for the development of tools and procedures to help local authorities in the implementation of cross-border projects. Indeed, local authorities are central to LoBI as they are the initiators and main beneficiaries of the planned cross-border investments.

LoBI will intervene by making sure that the actors involved are equipped to undertake initiatives by strengthening their capacities at the national and local levels, in particular with regard to policy-making, planning and project implementation. The program also seeks to facilitate investments into cross-border areas more broadly by creating a new cross-border financing mechanism and by helping the actors develop and use the tools necessary to implement cross-border projects. Coordination and consultation between the actors at the different levels of intervention (regional, national and local) are also an important part of the program, which will help render it more sustainable in the long-term.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the assignment

The objective of the assignment is to document and publish through high-quality print, web and audiovisual media the effectiveness of LoBI in promoting cross-border cooperation and investing in cross-border zones. The assignment will cover the existing pilot zones in West Africa but also communicate more broadly on the work of LoBI at a global scale.

Scope of the work

The multi-media consultant will be primarily responsible to develop the story lines for case studies, create templates, conduct video interviews, draft and edit communication materials and prepare them for various means of publication (website, news release, social media, brochures, etc.).

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Develop a communication strategy and action plan for LoBI, integrating the use of a broad range of media, including video, web pages and social media;
Design and develop the story line for case studies from the existing pilot zones of LoBI in West Africa and prepare their publication in form of ready-to-print materials, web pages and/or short videos suitable for download or presentation at events;
Produce content for the LoBI web page in the form of news stories, case studies, video interviews with beneficiaries of the program, photos taken during field visits;
Support and promote social media initiatives that showcase the work of LoBI and target a wide audience;
Review findings from evaluations, monitoring reports, assessments, annual reports and other similar documentation and produce communication materials that can reach a wider audience;
Identify websites dedicated to cross-border initiatives on which LoBI materials could be published and assist UNCDF in placing case studies on UNCDF and suitable non-UNCDF websites;
Carry out fieldwork including video interviews with key stakeholders including local administrators at the village, district and provincial level, community leaders, citizens in the selected communities, representatives of key donors, and UNCDF officials;
Film LoBI events and undertake video interviews with key participants at the events for website.

Duration of assignment

The assignment will cover Phase 1 and Phase 2 of LoBI and will last a total of 14 months (until 31 Dec 2015).

Duty station and expected places of travel

The assignment will be home-based with travel to countries in which LoBI is currently being implemented (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Ivory Coast) and other countries as assigned. Mission places and the time spent at those places will be agreed upon later, based on the actual need.

Final products

The deliverables of the assignment will be:

High standard of media services and products including the creation of a LoBI website in-line with the official communication and branding guidelines in place at UNCDF, illustrated news stories on progress and achievements of LoBI, promotional materials, e-newsletters, etc;
Videos (5 to 10 minutes in length) covering LoBI events, projects on the ground and interviews with local actors and beneficiaries, with subtitles where needed and suitable for downloading and presentation at conferences or events;
Three videos (5 to 10 minutes length) each presenting a case study, with subtitles where needed and suitable for downloading and presentation at conferences and events;
Up-to-date LoBI brochure and other promotional materials including findings from case studies, in two languages (French and English);
A short factual report documenting the activities carried out by the consultants and any lessons learned which may be of use to UNCDF/LoBI in undertaking similar initiatives in the future.

Monitoring and progress controls

The consultant will perform tasks in collaboration with UNCDF country teams and the regional offices, under guidance of the Partnership and Communications Specialist (UNCDF/HQ), and report to the LoBI Program Manager, based in the UNCDF headquarters in New York. The Regional Technical Advisor based in the Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, will also act as focal point and secondary supervisor.

Delivrables shall be submitted to the Program Manager.

Payment will be made after submission of products with satisfactory rating by the supervisor.

Competencies

Functional competencies:

Strong analytical skills;
Client orientation;
Uses a proactive approach to foresee obstacles and suggest solutions;
Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues and partners;
Strong editorial and writing skills;
Excellent interpersonal skills: being able to listen and collaborate with a wide range of players, being able to work independently while meeting deadlines, being pro-active and identifying threats in social media use;
Excellent editing and writing skills in English and French.

Corporate competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Post-graduate degree in a relevant subject.

Experience

At least 5 years of experience in producing and editing development communication materials using a variety of media tools;
Expertise in the production and editing of videos;
Expertise in the production of publicity materials for web page publication;
Previous experience and understanding of local development;
Knowledge and experience of the rural context in least developed countries (LDCs) and target countries preferred.

Language:

Fluency in French and English is required.

Evaluation method:

Consultants will be evaluated based on UNCDF’s cumulative analysis method. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract shall be made to the consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial (30%) criteria specific to the solicitation.

Evaluation criteria:

Competencies (30%);
Experience (30%);
Education (10%);
Daily rate (30%)

Proposal requirements:

The technical and financial proposal should contain the following information:

Offeror’s letter confirming interest and availability – form can be found here: http://uncdf.org/en/hiring-consultants;
Updated CV;
Brief description of chosen work methodology/approach.

Please upload all documents as one file under “CV”.