UNDP Jobs - 105864- Consultant – National Youth Service

Consultant – National Youth Service

Location :

Juba, SOUTH SUDAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

02-May-2022

Application Deadline :

15-Apr-22 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

60 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

60 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

In cognisance of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (2011), article 40 and the 2019 South Sudan National Youth Development policy which respectively provide that all levels of government shall empower the youth to develop their potentials and invest in the development of the young men and women who are the bedrock of establishing the Country and pivotal in peace building and sustainable development; the Government of South Sudan plans to establish a National Youth Service.
South Sudan’s population is estimated at 11.6 million ; 80% of this population is living below the absolute poverty line , and 73% are comprised of young people. Just like many other African countries, South Sudan is seriously challenged by the youth bulge which presents both opportunities and challenges. The South Sudanese youth are characterised as agile, flexible, dynamic, and creative. If nurtured and empowered, the youth have fresh energy, benevolent power and determination and can serve as a robust productive force. They are patriotic with the spirit of nationalism and are not only the future but also the present and can contribute to building South Sudan, the newest nation in the world . The Government of South Sudan believes the youth, can make a positive influence on the nation’s political, social, and economic dynamics and development. Establishing a National Youth Service is an opportunity the Country can give to its youth to gain practical work experience by serving in programmes of development value to the Country.

The process of developing the necessary framework and program document of the National Youth Service will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports with support from UNDP. The National Youth Service is expected to create opportunities for young people to:

Acquire work experience and employment opportunities;
Develop skills; and
Contribute to nation building, peace consolidation, and community cohesion;

It is also expected to support national development efforts through:

Provision of trained manpower to supplement and improve existing levels of manpower in mainly the public sector;
Deployment of personnel for rural development and community action; - Instilling sense of discipline, spirit of nation building and integration in youth

Currently, UNDP is implementing the Youth Empowerment and Employment through Private Sector and Value Chain Development project in close coordination and partnership with the Ministry of Youth in five states of South Sudan – Western Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, and Central Equatoria. The project provides for technical assistance to be extended to government line agencies at national and state level through the development of appropriate policies and frameworks that will accelerate result-based programming and sustainability. Upon the request from the Government of South Sudan through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, UNDP agreed to provide technical assistance in developing the first National Youth Service framework and programme for South Sudan. It is in this context that UNDP South Sudan is seeking to engage the services of a qualified consultant to draft two documents; South Sudan’s National Youth Service Framework and Programme Document.

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of the assignment is to provide technical support and guidance to the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the drafting of South Sudan’s National Youth Service Framework and to support UNDP in developing the programme document to initiate and support the operationalization of the said framework. The consultant will work in consultation with the UNDP Chief Programme Advisor and work closely with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and other relevant ministry staff. The Consultant will ensure that the framework and project document are developed consistent with South Sudan’s Transition Constitution (2011), the draft National Youth Development Policy(2019), the African Union Youth Charter, United National Youth strategy (2030) and other related policies and legal frameworks surrounding employment, training, and education in the country.

Objective of the Consultancy

The main objective of the consultancy is to engender community participation, promote national cohesion and skills development by giving the youth the opportunity to join the labour force by serving in programmes of development value to the Country.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Chief Programme Advisor of UNDP, the Consultant will:
Conduct desk study of policies, legal framework, and guidelines related to the development and implementation of a national youth service;
Consult with MDAs, youth service agencies, local councils, development partners and undettake stakeholder consultation to get in-depth information on the unemployment situation of the youth and the strategies to tackle the situation;
Draw on experiences of African countries that have established and operated National Youth Service schemes over the past years/decades such as Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana to mention a few ;
Develop an advocacy, engagement, and implementation strategy and mechanism for the implementation of a National Youth Service system;
Ensure that the framework is gender responsive and inclusive involving young men, women, and those physically disabled;
Develop a Programme Document focused on the implementation of the National Youth Service that can be submitted to donors and used for resource mobilization;
Collaborate and incorporate views and concerns expressed during consultative meetings on the draft document.

Deliverables

Inception Report with a detailed work plan; describing the process to prepare both the National Youth Service framework and programme document;
A validated and accepted National Youth Service Framework document (after 30 work days);
Conduct of stakeholder consultations on the National Youth Service Framework document;
A validated and approved Programme Document for the National Youth Service using UNDP template (after 45 days of work).
Presentation of ProDoc to local project appraisal committee.

As part of the consultancy, the consultant is expected to:

Conduct consultative meetings with key stakeholders during the design and programme development phase.
Present the draft framework and programme document at a multistakeholder validation workshop and coordinate the input of all stakeholders to the draft.
Draft and finalize (integrating inputs from stakeholders) the National Youth Service Framework and the Programme Document

Competencies

Competencies
The consultant is expected to:

Demonstrate integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treat all people fairly without favouritism
Have practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development and youth development
Have the ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management, and reporting
Build strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact, and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
Demonstrate good oral and written communication skills
Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage complexities
Promote knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications

Master’s Degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, or related field

Experience

A proven successful track record in writing national strategies or national policies on national youth service
Proven experience in the employment/youth employment sector; particularly at the policy level

Language requirements

Excellent skills in English

Institutional arrangements

The Consultant will be based in-country and will hold office in the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Juba and UNDP’s STARR Unit or any other suitable place that would be recommended by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and UNDP as per COVID-19 mitigation guidelines. The consultant will work under joint supervision and report on progress in weekly meetings with UNDP’s Chief Programme Advisor and the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The consultant is expected to use his/her own computer.

Duration of the Consultancy

It is expected that the completion of the deliverables will take 60 working days. The consultant will be expected to start within 5 working days of signing the contract.

Payment Schedule

Inception Report 10%
Draft (1) National Youth Service framework and (2) Programme document on the National Youth Service 40%
Final draft of the (1) National Youth Service framework and (2) Programme document 40%
Final Consultancy Report 10%

The available starting date and fees of the assignment which is subject to negotiation should be clearly stated in the Letter of Interest uploaded to this advert as an attachment.

Technical proposal comprising of the following:

Articulation of technical approach to the assignment/tasks, including the methodology and indicative workplan/timeline
Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP
Personal CV or P11, indicating all prior experience with similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and three (3) professional references
Brief description (max. 1 page) of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology (max. 1 page) for how you will approach and complete the assignment

Financial proposal: Indicating the all-inclusive, fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, using UNDP's Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability, attached.

Consultancy Evaluation Criteria

Offers received will be evaluated using a Combined Scoring method, where the qualifications and Required Skills and Experience will be weighted 70%, and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted 30%.

National Consultant technical evaluation criteria

Criteria to be used for rating the qualifications and Required Skills and Experience is outlined below:
Qualifications of the candidate in the required area or course applied for: Advanced University Degree in Education, Public Policy, development planning, management and business administration, or other relevant fields (20%).
At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience working on ICRS, DREAM and similar issues. (20%).
Substantive and technical expertise in the areas mentioned in the criteria (20%).
Extensive experience of providing policy advice (including report writing) at international level (10%).

NOTE: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial evaluation (total 30 points)

All technically qualified proposals will be scored up to 30 based on the formula provided below. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals receive points according to the following formula: p = y (x/z)

Where:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
x = price of the lowest priced proposal
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

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.