UNDP Jobs - 51072- Project Results Publication Writer

Project Results Publication Writer

Location :

Home-based with possible travels in the region

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

12-Nov-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Estimated November – 31 December 2014

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Approximately 22 working days

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

There is a long and rich experience that the Slovak Republic as donor and UNDP have accumulated over the course of the past decade, and this experience is worth sharing. Since early 2000s, UNDP’s partnership with the Slovak Republic has been the largest initiative with an emerging donor in the region, consisting of two elements: supporting ODA delivery and capacity building through the Slovak-UNDP Trust Fund; and supporting public finance management reforms in partner countries through the Public Finance for Development Programme.

In 2014, the parties launched a new project Slovak Republic – UNDP Partnership for Results in the International Development Cooperation, which is a continuation of UNDP’s partnership with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA SR) and the Ministry of Finance (MF SR) in support of the Slovak ODA priorities, specifically leading to two key outputs a) Effective development cooperation tools and mechanisms enhanced and strengthened; b) National capacities in partner countries enhanced and strengthened through effective provision of the Slovak transition knowledge and experience. The latter will include the continuation of the Public Finance for Development Programme and the revamped activities of the former Slovak-UNDP Trust Fund, now focused on strategic programming for Moldova. The achievement of these outputs will be guided by the new Medium-Term Strategy for Development Cooperation of the Slovak Republic for 2014-2018. Among geographic priorities in the region, the focus will continue primarily on Moldova, gaining a more prominent status of a programme country.

As the new phase of the cooperation is being launched, time has come to summarize and publicize the key results of the past five years. To do so, the Slovak government partners and UNDP have agreed to prepare a small publication, which presents the key results and achievements of the partnership, and targets a wide audience in Slovak Republic and more broadly. A publication had already been prepared on the results of the Slovak UNDP Trust Fund work in 2004-2008, thus only the period 2009-2014 will be covered by this assignment.d

Location:

Home-based, any travel necessary for the completion of the assignment will be covered separately in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the UNDP project team to research, write and edit a ca. 20 page text of the final project publication based on the results of the second phase of the Slovak-UNDP Trust Fund (2009-2014) and of the first phase of the Public Finance for Development programme (2009-2014) – the two projects representing the part of Slovak Official Development Assistance, managed in cooperation with UNDP.

The report will include at least 4 beneficiary case studies / success stories from the programmes described in detail based on available documentation and interviews with government / CSO counterparts (from Slovak Republic and beneficiary countries – Moldova and Montenegro) and contractors.

Specific tasks under this assignment include:

Drafting an outline of the publication (ca. 3 pages) based on review of available documentation (to be provided by UNDP);
Identification and write-up of beneficiary case studies / success stories in line with the approved outline;
Interviews with UNDP project staff, representatives of beneficiary countries (Moldova and Montenegro) and government / CSO counterparts from Slovak Republic, and selected contractors;
Drafting and finalizing the text of the publication in English (ca. 20 pages) incorporating revisions to the outline and the draft text by UNDP project staff, Slovak Government and beneficiary country representatives (Moldova and Montenegro);
Liaising with the graphic designer to review the layout for digital publishing and/or printing, including proofreading the texts as they are laid out by the designer.

The text of the publication will adhere to branding standards for language and presentation provided to the consultant by UNDP.

Deliverables

Outline of the publication (3 pages) – 3 days after receipt of background documents.
Draft and final text as a Word document, including case studies, executive summary and table of contents (ca. 20 pages excluding table of contents and executive summary). – Draft to be submitted within 14 days of the start date of the assignment; comments to draft will be provided within 7 days of the submission of the draft; final document to be submitted within max 5 days from the receipt of comments.

Payment will be made in one installment only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Competencies

Strong research and excellent writing skills in English;
Excellent organizational skills;
Experience in producing publications and reports on developmen issues;
Ability to be flexible and respond to changes to text as part of the review and feedback process;
Strong interpersonal skills;
Able to communicate and work with diverse people;
Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in International Development, Political Science, Social Sciences, Journalism, Communications or other relevant fields.

Experience:

At least 4 years of experience in communications, publication and report writing, including research and data collection for publications and reports;
Demonstrated experience in publication writing and analytical writing in English (proven by 2 writing samples of published documents – please submit links in the Motivation section);
Strong understanding of development cooperation in Europe and the CIS (particularly in Moldova and Montenegro) and of the role of Slovak Republic as a donor;
Experience in producing publications and reports on development issues;
Demonstrated regional experience in similar assignments will be an asset.

Language:

Excellent English report writing and communication skills are required;
Knowledge of Slovak and beneficiary countries’ languages (Russian, Romanian, Montenegrin) will be an asset.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual 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 and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation – max 35 points:

Criteria A (Academic background specified in the announcement) – max 5 points;
Criteria B (At least 4 years of experience in communications, publication and report writing, including research and data collection for publications and reports) – max 10 points;
Criteria C (Demonstrated experience in publication writing and analytical writing in English in international settings proven by writing samples) – max 10 points;
Criteria D (Strong understanding of development cooperation in Europe and the CIS and of the role of Slovak Republic as a donor) – max 10 points.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points

Application procedure

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
2 writing samples of published documents – please submit links in the “Resume and Motivation” section along with the cover letter;
Filled and duly signed P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees; please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount is U.S. dollars for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days, daily rate, and any other possible costs) with the exception of travel expenses. Travel expenses will be paid by UNDP in accordance to UNDP rules and regulations.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

*Please note that the financial proposal (USD) is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination or any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).

Travel costs to beneficiary countries, if required, will be covered separately in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations.

Payment will be made in one installment only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.