UNDP Jobs - 83107- Consultant on Innovation in Data and Civic Engagem

Consultant on Innovation in Data and Civic Engagement (IRH)

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

07-Feb-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated February 2019 – 31 January 2020

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Approximately 216 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

Substantial progress has been made in many countries in Europe and Central Asia and towards political stability, consolidation of democracy, rule of law, and improvement of human rights records. However, the development in several countries continues to be affected the legacy of past regimes and recent conflicts with persisting inter-ethnic tensions within and across borders, and only slowly improving sub-regional cooperation. Despite the progress, many issues need to be addressed: after a period of relative stability, indicators of democratic governance in the region have recently shown declines in many countries. The entire region still faces the consequences of past totalitarian regimes and of recent and current armed conflicts. In many parts, trust in governance institutions is low, democracy remains fragile, and restrictions on political and civil rights continue to hamper progress.

The Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) is UNDP’s main knowledge and advisory hub for the countries serviced by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS (RBEC). In the region, UNDP works with national and international partners to strengthen the social contract between the state and society in a manner that protects human rights, promotes equality, and enhances social cohesion. This includes advocating for openness, transparency and accountability of public institutions, anti-corruption and strengthening civil society engagement; supporting legal reforms and developing parliamentary processes; strengthening the rule of law including community security and promoting rights and access to justice of marginalized communities; enhancing public services and institutional responsiveness including public sector performance measures, voice and participation, particularly of excluded groups including youth; supporting effective local governance frameworks, decentralization and implementation mechanisms; supporting conflict prevention through national dialogue, local peace committees, and confidence-building activities while building institutional capacity to address risks and crises; and placing gender equality and women at the center of decision-making and peace efforts.

The IRH also connects the region to a global network of development experts, to build knowledge and capacity, and to forge partnerships to meet the development challenges of a large and diverse region. The IRH implements the Regional Programme (2018-2021) that has been formulated based on the most crucial regional challenges in the region with a particular focus on a strengthened approach to specific sub-regional challenges. Furthermore, the IRH is also implementing sub-regional initiatives and projects, such as the Transformative Governance and Finance Facility (TGFF), which empowers young people through the use of new data and new technologies in the region. TGFF seeks to utilize new technologies, data and alternative finance mechanisms in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through three outputs: new technologies, data and engagement of citizens are used to improve governance and development outcomes; collaborative platforms are utilized at the regional and national level to drive innovative solutions to governance and development challenges; and effectiveness of development interventions is strengthened and enhanced through alternative finance mechanisms.

To that end, UNDP is seeking a consultant to support data work and civic engagement in innovation work to improve the governance and development outcomes within the framework of the Transformative Governance and Finance Facility II.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will perform tasks for UNDP, under the supervision of the TGFF Project Manager in UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. The consultant’s work will contribute towards the achievement of results for the Transformative Governance and Finance Facility – II. She/he will work closely on a daily basis across the Knowledge and Innovation and the Governance and Peacebuilding teams and with other members of the IRH in supporting data and civic engagement work.
The Consultant’s main tasks will be the following:

Deliverable 1 (8%): Providing input into the methodology for the Ministry of Data – including by conducting background research, reviewing documents prepared by the Consultant for the Scaling-Up of Ministry of Data (app. 18 days, by end of February 2019);
Deliverable 2 (8%): Following up with 2-3 country offices in the ECIS region on the roll-out of the Ministry of Data, at the national or city level, and adapting the methodology to the contexts on the ground – development of contextualized concept notes for the countries (app. 18 days, , by end of March 2019);
Deliverable 3 (8%): Copy-editing the policy report on civil society, and following up with the review process for the note, as well as drafting a blog on the future of civil society (app. 18 days, by end of April 2019);
Deliverable 4 (8%): Draft 3-4 page report on lessons learnt from providing support to COs in the roll-out of the Ministry of Data, including scoping out partners to collaborate, preparation of communication materials (including blogs, articles, etc.), and follow up with COs to check if they are on schedule (i.e. via monthly skype calls), jointly with the Consultant for the Scaling-Up of Ministry of Data (18 days, by end of May 2019);
Deliverable 5 (8%): Conducting background research on the trends in data for development, supporting preparation of the offering for sensemaking in development – including preparation of slide-deck, drafting of blog (app. 18 days, by end of June 2019);
Deliverable 6 (8%): Mapping of civil society organizations in the ECIS region and identifying needs, and forms of support – including follow-up to organizations supported in the first phase of TGFF (app. 18 days, by end of July 2019);
Deliverable 7 (8%): Review of the “Measuring the Unmeasured” report prepared for the SDG Data Innovation project, and draft one page lessons learnt report on based on provision of technical advice on use of new data for the measurement of SDGs to 2-3 country offices through biweekly skype calls (app. 18, ongoing, by end of August 2019)
Deliverable 8 (8%): Contribution to design and preparation (logistics & concept note) of a hands-on workshop/event/meet-up bringing together different civic actors, and drafting of blog on lessons learned (app. 18 days, by end of September 2019);
Deliverable 9 (8%): Designing an innovative approach/concept note to support civil society in the ECIS region and preparation of slide deck – reflecting on sustainability and lessons learned (app. 18 days, by end of October 2019);
Deliverable 10 (8%): Provision of support in organizing three events (draft agenda, logistics note, participants list) on collaboration between civil society organizations in the ECIS region with civic actors in Central Europe (app. 18 days, ongoing, by end of November 2019);
Deliverable 11 (8%): Support the organization of an annual meeting on civil society, - including preparation of the concept note and agenda, regular contact with speakers, summary of findings and follow up (app. 18 days, ongoing, by end of December 2019);
Deliverable 12 (12%): Draft the section in the annual report on Ministry of Data and civil society support for TGFF-II (app. 18 days, ongoing, by end of January 2020).

Competencies

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.

Functional Competencies:

Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in team and multi-cultural environments;
Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in social sciences, public administration, international relations, public policy or similar field.

Experience:

At least 3 years’ work experience in international development in particular in relation to data or working with local communities is required;
At least 2 year’s work experience in organization of events is required;
Demonstrated experience of working and researching in the ECIS region on issues related to data for development is required;
Experience in working in a development context and with UN agencies is an asset;

Language:

Fluency in oral and written English is required.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews, interviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates who will get at least 70% of points in desk review (Criteria A-C) will be invited for interviews. Only candidates who will get at least 70% of points in technical evaluation (Criteria A-E) will be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points:

Criteria A - (desk review) experience in international development in particular in relation to data and working with local communities – max points: 8;
Criteria B – (desk review) Demonstrated experience of working and researching in the ECIS region on issues related to data for development - max points: 10;
Criteria C - (desk review) Experience in working in a development context and with UN agencies – max points: 5;
Criteria D – (interviews) experience in organization of events- max points: 7;
Criteria E - (interviews)Fluency in English - max points: 5.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points.

Application procedures

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

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.
Filled P11 form or CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc);
Offeror’s Letter (blank template can be downloaded from https://bit.ly/2KO1okS).
Financial Proposal* in USD- specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include breakdown consisting of a) a total amount for professional fee for tasks specified in this announcement and b) travel costs to join the duty station/repatriation travel. Mission related costs, if any, should not be included in the price offer, as they will be paid separately per UNDP rules and regulations.

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 attachment as the system only allows upload of 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, personal security needs 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.