UNDP Jobs - 53112- International Consultant: Research Assistant

International Consultant: Research Assistant

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

29-Jan-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Estimated February 2015 – December 2015

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Approximately 100 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

Within the framework of the Regional Programme 2014-2017, the UNDP RBEC Partnerships Team seeks to hire an international consultant to undertake the responsibilities of a Research Assistant. The consultant will support the team and selected UNDP Country Offices in mapping partnership opportunities (including donor portfolios) and providing on-demand support to information gathering for resource mobilization.

The Regional Programme Output 4.3 “Partnerships” aims to broaden the scope of activities of UNDP with emerging donors with the focus on: enhancing strategic partnerships with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Turkey, and development of a regional partnerships platform to facilitate and scale up existing and new East-East cooperation linkages. It also provides support to innovative partnerships models and to official development assistance (ODA) delivery mechanisms, including capacity building and awareness raising.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Team Leader, New Partnerships and Emerging Donors, UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, and in close collaboration with the Partnership Development Consultant working in the same Team, the Research Assistant will conduct high quality desk research, contribute to donor intelligence, and support resource mobilization and partnership development activities of the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub and selected UNDP Country Offices.

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Assessment of opportunities for resource mobilization and mapping of current and potential traditional and non-traditional donors;
Monitoring and provision of regular updates on the international development landscape in the RBEC region for UNDP Country Offices and thematic teams at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub;
Identification of emerging sources of funding and assessment of their potential for the future;
Direct on-demand information gathering support in the area of resource mobilization for several selected Country Offices and/or initiatives;
Other research and information collection tasks related to partnership building and resource mobilization as required by the RBEC Partnerships Team.

Deliverables:

Matrix of donors and their priorities in RBEC regularly updated throughout the contract period;
Semi-monthly updates on changes in the international development landscape in the RBEC region, including changes in donor policies and priorities;
On-demand briefs on emerging sources of funding with assessment of their potential;
4-5 donor intelligence reports for selected Country Offices / initiatives.

Timeframe:

Approximately 100 working days over estimated period of 10 months from the start of the assignment.

Payments:

Will be made in monthly installments upon completion of deliverables set in writing at the beginning of each month. The completion of deliverables must be confirmed in the progress report against deliverables accepted by the Certifying Officer. All deliverables should be submitted by the consultant in English.

Competencies

Strong research and excellent writing skills in English;
Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
Solid expertise in development cooperation, strategic partnerships, or resource mobilization;
Excellent client orientation and inter-personal skills;
Ability to work under minimum supervision;
Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in International Development, Political Science, Social Sciences, Journalism, Communications or other relevant fields. (Criteria A)

Experience:

At least 2 years of relevant work experience (consulting experience applicable) for an international organization, non-governmental organization or a business, with demonstrated ability to carry out strategic research and prepare reports for different audiences. (Criteria B);
Demonstrated understanding of international development cooperation landscape with specific focus on strategic partnerships and resource mobilization.(Criteria C).

Language:

Outstanding written skills in English required (proven by writing sample). (Criteria D)

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ technical qualifications and the 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 (P11 desk reviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who are found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation – max 35 points:
Criteria A – max 5 points;
Criteria B – max 10 points;
Criteria C – max 10 points;
Criteria D – max 10 points.

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 briefly 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;
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;
At least 1 writing sample from a relevant and recent professional experience;
Financial Proposal* - total lump sum amount in USD for tasks specified in this announcement and lump sum for travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. Exact content and timing of each deliverable will be agreed upon with the Certifying Officer at the beginning of each month. Payments will be made in monthly installments upon submitted progress report against deliverables and upon its acceptance by the Supervisor;
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.
Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

*Please note that the financial proposal 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 and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).

Payments will be made 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.