UNDP Jobs - 57584- Junior Consultant for UNDP’s Social, Economic and

Junior Consultant for UNDP’s Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health and Health Equity Portfolio in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

03-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

10-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Up to end July 2016

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

Under its mandate to work on sustainable human development, UNDP is currently implementing hundreds of projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, mainly through its country offices and the Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH). Technically, this work is supported by the following Teams: Sustainable Development; Governance and Peace Building; Energy, Climate Change and Disaster Resilience; HIV, Health and Development, Knowledge and Innovation; and Gender, which work under the following outcome areas of its Regional Programme Document: Inclusive and sustainable growth and development; democratic governance; reduced risk of conflict and natural disasters, including from climate change; and prioritization of poverty, inequality and exclusion in the development debates and actions at all levels.

Social, economic and environmental determinants (SEEDs) of health and health inequities have been recognized as important factors that need to be addressed to achieve sustainable human development. SEEDs of health and health inequities have an impact on the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), play a critical role in the efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are playing an increasingly dominant role in the post-2015 global development and health debate as the main pillars for sustainable human development.

Following the call for global action of the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health and with reference to the UNDP Strategy Note for HIV, Health and Development underlining the critical role of SEEDs of health for UNDP’s work on inclusive growth, social justice and environmental protection, the IRH through its HIV, Health and Development (HHD) team has pro-actively engaged in an innovative strategy for addressing SEEDs of health and health inequities systematically in the future programming at UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia (RBEC) in the attempt to optimize co-benefits for health and development.

During the first phase of the project, we identified SEEDs of health and health inequities in UNDP programmes on regional and country level, identified substantial but currently untapped opportunities for realizing co-benefits for health and development and provided recommendations on how to unleash these opportunities through the integration of the SEEDs of health and health equity approach in UNDP’s programming for sustainable human development.

Following internal reviews and the very positive feedback from internal and external stakeholders, the IRH HHD team is now starting the second phase of the project: The development of a standard methodology and tools for the systematic integration of a SEEDs of health and health equity approach into routine UNDP project planning and implementation through a pilot at the UNDP Belarus country office. In addition to the findings of phase 1, this pilot will also contribute to one of RBEC’s flagship initiatives, Dialogue on Inequalities and the Chapter on Health Inequities of the upcoming Regional Human Development Report (RHDR) on Inequalities.

The pilot project will last two years and consist of the following steps:

The first three months will focus on developing a draft screening tool and on verifying its ability to screen development projects for SEEDs of health and health equity relative to the more comprehensive methodology established during Phase I (the gold standard).
After the selected projects have been screened with the draft tool, a process of potential project adjustments for impact optimization will take place within the log-framework, budget and funder requirements of the country projects under study.
Following establishment of the draft tool, indicators will be developed for monitoring how strongly the project is modifying the identified SEEDs of health and health equity and in which direction; a procedure that is suggested to take place every six months until the end of the pilot. Each monitoring point will trigger a consultation process with project managers, reviewing the rationale and feasibility of potential project adjustments to improve its impact on priority determinants and dimensions of inequity, again within the existing frameworks.
A mid-term review and a final assessment following the end of the pilot will take place to evaluate the implementation of the tool and its ability to identify and track development projects’ effects on modifying SEEDs of health and health equity. The performance of the chosen indicators will be evaluated, and recommendations for potential changes and/or adjustments to the tool and indicators will be made and disseminated in the light of the potential benefits of and next steps related to scaling up the approach across the UNDP RBEC region and beyond.

Timeline for expected milestones:

Project Period 1:

Develop SEEDs of health and health equity screening tool (3 months);
Establish monitoring indicators (1 month).

Project Period 2:

Start implementation of tool (after 5-6 months);
Semi-annual monitoring and projec review;
Mid-term screening tool review.

Project Period 3:

Final screening tool assessment and project evaluation (end of year 2);
Dissemination of results

In this context, the HHD regional team at the IRH is looking for an international Junior Consultant (JC) to collaborate with the team and other external consultants in the development of an integrated screening, monitoring and evaluation tool on SEEDs of health and health equity for UNDP’s country portfolio in Belarus as well as in the implementation process of the pilot project. The consultant will also support the team’s overall SEEDs of health and health equity portfolio, including activities linking to the environment and health, to NCDs and to Life Course Approaches (LCA) to health; this will include contributing to the development of a Health Inequities chapter of the planned RHDR on Inequalities.

The pilot is part of the work plan of the Regional Joint UN Interagency Theme Group on NCDs and Determinants of Health coordinated by WHO Europe. Close collaboration with its members is envisaged.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Regional HHD Team Leader at the IRH, the junior consultant is expected to perform the following services:

Organizes an inception workshop for key staff members of Belarus country office;
As part of the technical project team steered by the regional HHD Team Leader, supports the Senior Consulting Service (SCS) in developing an easy-to-use, routine screening tool for SEEDs of health and health inequity in select development projects at the UNDP country office in Belarus. The thematic focus of the selected projects will lie on environment and health. This work will include a participatory process with project staff at the country office as well as a background literature research and a review of relevant UN (with focus on UNDP) project planning and screening tools;
Supports the SCS in the evaluation of the screening tool against the ‘gold standard’ used during phase 1 of the project;
Together with the SCS and the UNDP country and regional teams, develops and analyses routine M&E indicators, which will measure in intervals of 6 months the modifying effect the projects have had on the main SEEDs of health and dimensions of health equity identified during the initial screening process. To the best extent possible, these indicators should be standardized across projects or thematically grouped projects, be in line with existing indicators from UNDP’s Resources and Results Framework or log-frame indicators agreed with external project funders, and reflect indicator and reporting frameworks of the Sustainable Development Goals expected to be agreed on after September 2015;
Participates and assists in organizing project review meetings aiming to adapt project work plans according to the 6-monthly SEEDs of health monitoring findings within existing project budgets and approved log-frames together with the UNDP regional and country teams;
Drafts a mid-term review report in cooperation with the external consultants and technical project leads at the UNDP regional and country offices;
Drafts interim knowledge products such as power point presentations and technical briefings;
Drafts a chapter on Health Inequities in UNDP’s RHDR on Inequalities in collaboration with the SCS, summarizing available data and literature on health inequities in the EECA region as well as key findings from UNDP’s phase 1 SEEDs of health and health equity report and drawing on work from tasks 2-4 above as much as findings are available at the time of expected finalization of the RHDR (Q1 2016);
Supports any other occurring activities related to implementation of the SEEDs of health and health equity pilot project in Belarus as well as to the HHD team’s SEEDs of health and health inequities portfolio. This will include links to the environment and health (inter alia through the work of the secretariat of the UN Inter-Agency Task Team on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (SPHS)), to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and to UNDP’s cooperation with WHO Europe on Life Course Approaches (LCA) to health.

The junior consultant may be expected to contribute to blog posts and articles on the UNDP website, to comment on draft knowledge products in the relevant field, to participate in meetings, seminars, discussions and to prepare/make presentations.

The consultant will be based at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub with envisaged travel/missions within the EECA region (4 missions within the EECA region – including 2 to Minsk, Belarus of 3 working days each).

Deliverables:

Organization of and content input provided to inception workshop for Belarus country office;
Background literature research on SEEDS of health and health equity tools and review of relevant UN (with focus on UNDP) project planning and screening tools as support to the SCS in the development of a SEEDs of health and health equity screening tool (up to 20 pages);
Evaluation report of the screening tool using a gold standard methodology and final prototype screening tool fit for purpose during the pilot period (10-15 pages);
Review of project specific, thematic and SDG M&E indicators for establishment of indicators for monitoring the modifying effect on SEEDs of health and health inequity in selected projects;
6-monthly (as applicable) analysis of the agreed M&E indicators per select project;
Project review meetings with UNDP regional and country offices following the first 6-monthly SEEDs of health and health equity monitoring point;
Knowledge products (power point presentations, briefings, articles etc.);
Input/comments provided to approximately 10 page chapter on Health Inequities for UNDP’s Regional Human Development Report on Inequalities;
General support to the pilot implementation of the SEEDs of health and health equity approach in UNDP Belarus country office;
Support to other ad hoc tasks related to the HHD SEEDs of health and health equity portfolio, including activities linking to the environment and health, to NCDs, and to life-course approaches to health;

Payment arrangements:

Payments will be made upon submitted certification of payments and acceptance by the Supervisor.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies:

Commitment to the principles set forth in the UN High Level Declarations on HIV and AIDS, High Level Declaration on NCDs and the Report of the Global Commission on the Social Determinants of Health;
A strong background in and understanding of the Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health and Health Equity;
Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently, strict adherence to completing assigned tasks in a timely manner;
Quality-oriented professional, constructive approach to obstacles and delays in planned performance;
Excellent research and drafting skills;
Excellent communication and presentation skills, oral and written;
Advanced user of virtual communication tools.
Ability to prepare complex reports.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced degree (masters) in public/global health, international relations, or other relevant field.

Experience:

At least 6 months of experience in public health or health policy work/research;
Demonstrated knowledge and working experience in the areas of Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health and Health Equity;
Working Experience with UNDP and with UNDP’s SEEDs of health and health equity approach is an advantage.

Language skills:

Fluency in written and spoken English.
Knowledge of Russian would be an advantage.

Evaluation Criteria:

Technical Criteria -70% of total evaluation.

Relevant education: 5 points;
At least 6 months of relevant in public health or health policy work/research: 15 points;
Demonstrated knowledge and working experience in the areas of Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health and Health Equity: 15 points;
Working experience with UNDP and with UNDP’s SEEDs of health and health equity approach is an advantage: 10 points;
Excellent research and drafting skills (submitted writing sample): 5 points.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation.

Application Procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain the following documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

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.
Writing sample in English, not edited by others and a filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Please combine these documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a lump sum in USD and breakdown, including all consultant’s costs for the consultancy (e.g. communication, office costs, travel to join duty station/repatriation, travel costs related to 2 missions to Minsk, Belarus (3working days each)). 2 additional mission costs will be covered separately as per the UNDP rules and regulations. Specific timeline for deliverables (listed above in Section II) and payment schedule will be agreed upon with the Supervisor and will become part of the contract.
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, travel to join duty station/repatriation travel health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). 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.

Terms and Conditions:

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/rbec/en/home/about_us/jobs/general-terms-and-conditions/?utm_source=@OurTweets

Important:

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

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