UNDP Jobs - 83704- LTA, Community of Practice Facilitator on South-So

LTA, Community of Practice Facilitator on South-South Cooperation

Location :

Home based and office based, New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Apr-2019

Application Deadline :

21-Mar-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

LTA (3 years period) Maximum number of consultants to be engaged: Up to 3 consultants.

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

LTA (3 years period). Estimated number of working days per year and consultant: max 180 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

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), hosted by UNDP since 1974, was established by the UN General Assembly with a mandate to advocate for and coordinate South-South and triangular cooperation on a global and UN system-wide basis.

Under the strategic framework (2018-2021), UNOSSC focuses its work, on three strategic outcomes targeting:

the advancement of policy choices for South-South and triangular cooperation and coordinated United Nations system support to such cooperation;
capacity development through the sharing of knowledge and experiences; and
the forging of strategic South-South and triangular partnerships to support demand-driven programmes.

In order to achieve the outcomes, especially outcome 2, the UNOSSC aims to serve as a global knowledge hub on South-South cooperation, fosters research and analysis on South-South cooperation as well as knowledge exchanges.

UNOSSC engages with Member States globally, regionally, as well as within the UN system to facilitate practical expressions of Southern solidarity towards the achievement of internationally agreed development goals. UNOSSC works with a wide range of partners including global centres of excellence to intensively explore how building endogenous capacity can be encouraged, how broadening and sharing technological advances within the global South will systematically occur, and how emerging innovative financing mechanisms can be harnessed through South-South and triangular cooperation. UNOSSC ensures that our southern constituencies have timely access to high quality analytical planning, mapping, programming, and reporting on data, trends and opportunities that will propel South-South and triangular cooperation in ways that ensure success.

Under the strategic framework (2018-2021), UNOSSC focuses its work, on three strategic outcomes targeting:

the advancement of policy choices for South-South and triangular cooperation and coordinated United Nations system support to such cooperation;
capacity development through the sharing of knowledge and experiences; and
the forging of strategic South-South and triangular partnerships to support demand-driven programmes.

UNOSSC has also initiated a series of knowledge platforms engaging member states, UN agencies, and broader partners, including the South-South Cooperation in Action series, compilation of good practices of South-South and Triangular Cooperation for SDGs, and an upcoming comprehensive independent report on South-South Cooperation.

This also includes “South-South Galaxy” which is a global knowledge sharing and partnership brokering platform that will be able to respond more systematically and effectively in supporting developing countries’ demand to connect, learn and collaborate with potential partners. Additionally, UNOSSC jointly with UNDP established the South-South Global Thinkers- the Global Coalition of Think Tank Networks for SSC to develop research and share knowledge on SSC in the context of sustainable development. Six major think tank networks from the Global South have formalized their membership under this initiative, involving over 200 institutions.

These knowledge networking, products and services aim to facilitate knowledge sharing, partnerships and substantive thinking and evidence-based analysis to inform policy dialogues at global, regional and national levels in order to enhance current institutional arrangements to better leverage South-South cooperation for sustainable development.

Within this context, the Community of Practice Facilitator will be responsible in providing support in the facilitation and management of knowledge platforms and services to keep members and users engaged. He/she is responsible for providing coordination, facilitation, community management, communication, social media, outreach, content management, event management, and advisory support and training to external partners and internal colleagues and clients to support UNOSSC’s knowledge platforms. The UNOSSC is planning to engage a maximum of 3 consultants through this Long-Term Agreement for the provision of these services.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Knowledge Management Specialist, the Community of Practice Facilitator scope of work includes, but is not limited to:

Support the development and rolling out of the knowledge sharing and partnership brokering on-line platform “South-South Galaxy

Support in the mapping out of good practices from UN agencies and other partners
Support in the content management of the platform by identifying new content to include on the platform (good practices, training workshops, research etc.)
Develop a business model to ensure a well-defined quality assurance and curation process
Provide support in the development of marketing campaigns and outreach through combined networks at the global, regional and also Southern partners.
Develop communication, advocacy and guidance material based on results, lessons and good practices and promote them internally and externally using a variety of channels
Capture user feedback for platform improvement purposes
Support partners in utilizing the platform through trainings
Develop operational procedures for working with partners and conduct business intelligence
Provide logistical support in the organization of global and regional events to roll-out the platform.
And any other tasks as requested.

Engage the SSC Global Thinkers community of practice and foster fruitful and lively discussions as well as manage platform webpages

Develop targeted email campaigns and online discussions to strengthen think tank members’ engagement and contributions to the platform.
Set-up and facilitate the launch of an e-discussion on the SSC Global Thinkers Platform in preparation for meetings and follow-up meetings and discussions
Develop and disseminate announcement for e-discussion (purpose, title, timeframe, experts). Train and support e- discussion moderators from within the platform. Engage platform members to contribute to the e-discussion.
Populate the SSC Global Thinkers Platform with media materials, news, events and blog posts from thought leaders on SSC and engaging the think tank networks focal points.
Curate SSC communications materials – of advocacy related events and news related to the Networks on the SSC Global Thinkers Platform to service the marketing and outreach campaign, to be disseminated through UNOSSC’s public website, social media channels (including Facebook and Twitter) and media campaigns, as well as through external platforms (UNDP Yammer) wherever relevant.
Develop SSC Global Thinkers monthly newsletter and manage promotion and member list management and growth.

Duration of work / Contracting Arrangements:

Each assignment will vary in duration. The expected duration will be specified in each respective Terms of Reference for each individual assignment, within the maximum three year period of the Long Term Agreement.
Several successful individuals can be selected and placed on the technical expert LTA for the period of up to 3 years. It is to be noted that inclusion in the LTA does not guarantee a contract during the period of 3 years.
LTA Holders will be contacted when specific service requests arise and will be asked to indicate availability and interest against a specific Terms of Reference (TOR) outlining the outputs of the assignment.
In the event that more than once Consultant is engaged through this Long Term Agreement, secondary selection process maybe conducted and Individual Contract (IC) or Reimbursable Loan Agreements (RLA) may be awarded for these specific TORs, including detailing the time frame.

Travel:

Some assignments might require mission travel; any official mission travel expenses will be paid for directly by UNDP/UNOSSC and should not be included in the price proposal.

Payment:

Payments will be made as specified in the actual contract upon confirmation of UNOSSC on delivering against the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Competencies

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English, with an excellent understanding of structure and form of official UN documentation;
Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to deliver projects within assigned deadlines;
Excellent interpersonal skills and objectivity;
Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

At least Masters Degree in International Development, Social Science, Knowledge Management, Management, Communication, or related area, required.

Experience:

5 years of previous experience in community of practice facilitation and/or communications experience working with UNDP or a similar international organization required;
Experience with large scale international consultations; required
Experience with designing and implementing, mobilization, and networking initiatives; required
Experience with designing and delivering training on collaboration platforms, and community facilitation; preferred
Proven experience in drafting communication materials in a style and structure appropriate for online consultations, UNDP or a similar organization; required
Experience preparing and implementing communications campaigns, in particular online, preferably within the UN system; preferred;
Prior experience of working on South-South and triangular cooperation preferred;
Experience working within the United Nations system and/or Member State governments, preferred

Language Requirements:

Professional proficiency in English with demonstrated excellent writing and analytical skills, required
Knowledge of another UNDP official language, an asset.

Sub specialization requirements that shall be considered in the evaluation and assignment allocation include expertise in or cross-cutting the following thematic areas:

UNDP-internal corporate initiatives
Multi-lateral initiatives across UN, IOs, governments, academia, NGOs and the public
Online facilitation advisory support and training
Coordination, client liaison and project management
Communications and social media
Content management and editorial support
Management and support of IT platforms for knowledge management
On-site event management

Presentation of Offer:

Application is a two-step process:

STEP 1

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

DOCUMENT 1: Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
DOCUMENT 2: Indicate which thematic areas (listed under the Required Skills and Experience section of this posting) where the individual can demonstrate specialized expertise. Note, applicants can select multiple thematic areas. Please submit this information in the same file as your CV/P11 listing the areas of sub specialization of your choice and justify your selection with proved experience).
DOCUMENT 3: Brief description of why the individual considers her/himself suitable for the assignment. Please submit this information in the same file as Document 1 and 2.
Candidates who fail to submit the requested information will be directly disqualified.
Please do not submit your financial proposal at this stage. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit a financial proposal.

STEP 2

Financial Proposal

After review of applications, Candidates will be contacted by UNDP and requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee.

The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; cost of travel from the home base to the duty station and vice versa, where required; living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit two different professional daily fee proposals, being these: home based fee and office-based. UNDP will provide shortlisted candidates (technically qualified candidates) with the financial proposal template.
In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a
Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.
The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to responsive and qualified candidates.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

Financial proposals must be all inclusive and must be expressed on the basis of “a daily fee” in USD.
Payment will be made upon submission of a certificate of payment request, at a schedule agreed based on deliverables, indicating outputs achieved and days worked to be verified and cleared for payment by the supervisor.
Any official mission travel expenses will be duly paid for directly by UNDP and should not be included in the price proposal.
When opportunity arises, LTA Holders will be contacted for availability and requested to submit a financial proposal for call off assignments fitting their profile. The all-inclusive daily fee provided by each candidate during the application stage will be the maximum fee to be quoted for each call-off assignment under this LTA. Candidates may also be requested to provide costs for travel costs to duty station and/or mission related travels, as applicable.

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

Qualified women are encouraged to apply.

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

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer:

The selection of the best offer from the shortlisted candidates will be based on a Combined Scoring method – where the qualifications and experienced will be weighted a maximum of 700 points and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 300 points out of 1000 points.

Method: Cumulative analysis method will be used to evaluate proposals.

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the LTA will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
Responsive, compliant, acceptable; and
Having received the quantum core out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight: 70%

Financial Criteria weight: 30%

Technical Evaluation (700 points, Weight 70%)

All applicants will be initially screened against the minimum qualification requirements as specified above. Responsive candidates will then be further evaluated against the following criteria:

Desk review of technical criteria as evident in the submitted application:

Demonstrated expertise in facilitating communities of practice and managing online knowledge platforms – 200 points Max
Relevance of the experience on South-South and Triangular cooperation – 100 points Max
Experience in preparing and implementing on-line communications campaigns, advocacy and guidance materials preferably within the UN system;- 100 points Max
Knowledge and experience In providing logistical support to the events – 90 points Max

The maximum points that can be achieved in the desk review is 490.

Only those applicants obtaining a minimum of 340 points in the desk review will be considered for an interview. The total obtainable score on the interview is 210 points, bringing the total points for the technical evaluation to a maximum of 700 points. A minimum 147 (70% of total points obtainable during the interview) points are required to pass the interview.

Only those candidates who obtain a total technical score of 490 points and above on the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation and will be asked to submit a financial proposal.

Financial evaluation (300 points, Weight 30%)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

For the General Conditions of contracts for the Services of Individual Contractors, see http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.

Note:

Please visit http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=22291 to view the Individual Contract (IC) General Terms and Conditions (for Individuals/Free Lancers who will sign the UNDP contract on behalf of themselves).

For Individuals who will be represented on behalf of a company, a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) will be signed between UNDP and the company. To view the RLA's terms & conditions, please see http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=22292 Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA): A legal instrument between UNDP and a Company/institution, according to which, the latter makes available the services of an individual delivering time-bound and quantifiable outputs that are directly linked to payments.