Background

As Cambodia transitions to Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC) status, Cambodia will increasingly have to contend with emerging “second generation” development challenges integral to that transition, as a Least Developed Country. The ability of Cambodia to realise its commitments to the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will depend on how the country manages key transitions:

  • As extreme poverty declines, addressing vulnerability, exclusion, and unequal access to markets and public services will become more relevant, from a human development perspective.  While the per capita GNI of Cambodia might cross the Middle Income Country threshold, Cambodia will have to contend with the consequences of a continued economic vulnerability as reflected in the Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI). In particular, in the face of climate change, efforts to transform an agricultural sector that is dominated by subsistence farming and dependent on the continued viability of critical ecosystems, will have to be strengthened;
  • The challenge shifts from creating jobs and livelihood activities, to creating decent employment improving skills in the context of integration with regional and global value chains. To exploit the opportunity offered by the demographic dividend, Cambodia will have to address the widespread underinvestment in human capital;
  • Development financing will transition from managing ODA grants to relying on domestic revenues and managing different flows from loans, foreign direct investments, remittances, etc. to  facilitating public-private partnerships for market provisioning or delivery of public services. The current reliance on project-based institutional arrangements will eventually have to give way to more durable public institutions that rely on domestic resources and expertise;
  • The predominantly rural society will increasingly become city-based in light of urbanisation. Political institutions will have to contend with rising aspirations of young urban citizens with aspirations and seeking voice.

From a human development perspective, if the Royal Government Cambodia (RGC) and other development partners are to sustain the gains from inclusive growth, policies and institutional arrangements to address these development concerns must either strengthened or established. In recognition of these changes, UNDP in Cambodia has been reconsidering its approach to engaging the RGC.

Project Description

The 2014 Mid-term Review of the Country Programme Action Plan recommended that UNDP consider a policy-based approach to programming: programme and projects that were linked to the policy cycle, and relying on evidence-based policy research, policy or national programme reviews, and policy dialogue, within a larger human development framework.

This redefining UNDP as donor to a partner. This meant expanding UNDP’s value proposition from sole reliance on programme management to a source of policy ideas. The proposed Policy Programming Partnerships Facility, which should come on stream before the end of 2015, is an institutional response to responding to these second-generation development challenge.

The shift to policy-based programming requires revisiting the way communications and partnerships are done by UNDP Cambodia. The reality is that policies ultimately reflect the quality of public discourse. In this regard, a communication strategy is critical to fostering a human development perspective to the public discourse, and is integral to fostering the sustainability of all UNDP assistance.

Objective and Scope of the Assignment:

As the current Country Programme ends in 2015, UNDP Cambodia is recruiting an international communications consultant to assist in building up the capacity of the UNDP national communications staff to design and implement a communications strategy, in line with the policy-based approach to programming. To these ends, through the application of a “learn-as-you-do” methodology, the consultant is expected to help build the capacity of UNDP communications staff to undertake the following:

  • Conduct a multi-media content analysis and establish a baseline;
  • Undertake a gap analysis – to assess the extent UNDP’s technical assessment is in line with the public discourse across selected multi-media outlets and platforms;
  • Develop a “core story” for each of the priority development issue;
  • Translate the core story into a communication and multi-media strategy and plan;
  • Organize a knowledge-based partnership research network;
  • Prepare a system for monitoring and evaluating impact of the communications strategy.

This assumes that UNDP policy and result staff would have prepared a summary of UNDP’s technical assessment of the four development issues, namely: building resilience, upgrading value chains, financing development sustainably, and fostering voice and participation. A copy of the draft 2016-2018 Country Programme Document for Cambodia is available at http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/executive_board/documents_for_sessions/adv2015-second.html

Duties and Responsibilities

Outputs and Deliverables:

Baseline Capacity assessment and development plan

  • Conduct a capacity assessment of the communications staff to identify capacity development requirements and baseline;
  • Propose a capacity development plan: what can realistically be achieved within one year.
     

Multi-media content analysis

  • Prepare a roadmap for the conduct of a multi-media content analysis in collaboration with the communications staff;
  • upport the communications staff in the organization and implementation of the multi-media content analysis, thru technical advice. Deliverable: Content Analysis completed.

A gap analysis

  • Prepare a roadmap for the conduct of a gap analysis with the communications staff;
  • Support the communications staff in the organization and implementation of the gap analysis. Deliverable: Completed gap analysis.

The drafting of a “core story”

  • Prepare a roadmap for the preparation of a “core story” for each priority issue, with the communications staff;
  • Support the communications staff in the preparation of the “core story” in collaboration with policy and development results teams. Deliverable: completed core story for each portfolio.

Translating the core story into a communication and multi-media strategy and plan

  • Prepare a roadmap for the preparation & rollout of a communications and multi-media strategy and plan based on the core story, with the communications staff. Including for the preparation of guidelines for annual report, media events, story and photo bank, newsletters;
  • Design a system for monitoring and evaluation of the communication and multi-media strategy and plan, in collaboration with the communications staff.

Support the preparation and rollout of the multimedia communications strategy, and monitoring & evaluation system.

  • Provide mentoring support to the communications staff in the preparation and rollout of a communication and multi-media strategy and plan – Deliverable: completed communications and multi-media strategy; contractual/institutional arrangements for rollout of communication and multi-media plan in place;
  • Support the communications staff in the rollout of the M&E system. Deliverable: contractual/institutional arrangements for multi-media monitoring operational; draft TOR for evaluation ready for implementation.

Capacity Assessment

  • Conduct an evaluation of the capacity development to-date relative to the baseline;
  • Provide recommendations on how best to move forward in terms of future investments in communications staff and Country Office capacity.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
  • Excellent English written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for the preparation of quality project reports;
  • Ability to speak, read and write technical and conversational English;
  • Ability to understand new terminology and concepts easily and to synthesize information from different sources into a coherent project document;
  • Skill in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations;
  • Skill in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others;
  • Skill in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise;
  • Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high-ranking members of international, regional and national institutions;
  • Displays sensitivity and adaptability to different cultures, genders, religions, races, nationalities and age groups;
  • Good oral communication skills and conflict resolution competency to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors;
  • Good team player, self-starter, has ability to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationships.

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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;
  • Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • At least a Master’s Degree, in the communications & media studies, social sciences, policy studies, and other relevant disciplines. This requirement can be waived in lieu of the required degree with a first degree combined with the relevant 10 year work experience.

Experience:

  • At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating policy-oriented communications, advocacy, and media programs based on social science research, in the context of international development organizations or non-governmental organizations;
  • Prior experience in policy-oriented communications, advocacy, and media programs in the areas of poverty reduction, climate change, natural resource management, and/or voice & participation would be an consideration;
  • Prior work experience in Cambodia, or in other countries in South-East Asia is not required but will be an asset;
  • Experience in mentoring and training, and conducting workshops and seminars.

Language:

  • Excellent proficiency in the English language, and proven report writing skills.

Important note:

Interested offeror is strongly advised to read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=24532 for more detail about term of references, instructions to offeror, and documents to be included when submitting offer.

Documents to be included when submitting the application:

Interested offeror/individual must submit the following documents/information.

UNDP reserves right to reject any applications that is incomplete.

Please be informed that we don’t accept application submitted via email.

Interested Offerors are required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system, because the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email dalis.heng@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org. While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 5 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice.