Jobs - 88530- Consultant – Communications & Community Engagement

Consultant – Communications & Community Engagement at UN RCO

Location :

Colombo, SRI LANKA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Jan-2020

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

As part of the Secretary-General’s (SG) Reform Agenda, a reinvigorated Resident Coordinator (RC) system is at the centre of a repositioned United Nations development system. The UN reform calls for strengthened and independent RC together with a new generation of aligned UNCTs to assist countries to deliver on the 2030 agenda.

As part of the reinvigorated RC system, the RCO will focus on scaling up the UN's communications initiatives with a specific focus on celebrating the 75th year since the signing of the UN Charter. These initiatives will be carried out through the RCO, the UN Communications Group (UNCG) and the UN agencies in partnership with its stakeholders.

In addition, the Unlocked.lk Platform was launched as part of the SDG Integrated Solutions Project in 2019. The platform is a joint initiative by UNDP and the RCO on behalf of the UNCT. The aim of this platform was to crowd source ideas, gaps and opportunities in pursuit of enabling Sri Lanka to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

An important aspect of this initiative is to bring the people left behind into the centre of discussions and to incorporate their input into policy making. It will not only focus on reaching people left behind, but also on showing how the people left behind are contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

The initiative is also key to the ‘One UN approach’ to communication as it can act as a platform to bring the work of different UN angecies in Sri Lanka to the fore, while developing itself as a powerful tool for communication and social engagement.

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Communications Team of the RCO with rolling out the initatives for the 75th year of the UN, coordinate the implementation of the Unlocked.lk policy dialogue space, and to develop and implement a strategy to promote grassroots level community engagement for Unlocked.lk and overall UN communications.

Duties and Responsibilities

Expected Outputs/Deliverables

Support the RCO Communications team in developing graphic content and write ups for social media and other promotion platforms.
Support the RCO Communications team with media engagements and devising strategies for media engagements.
Help create an offline engagement strategy for the UN Sri Lanka’s communications plan.
Liase with the RCO Communications team in devising partnerships to implement communications strategies.
Support the intergration of the policy dialogue space to the overall communications plan for UN Sri Lanka.
Work closely with the UNCG and RCO Communications teams to position the Unlocked platform as a communications tool where cross cutting issue across multiple UN Agencies can be discussed.
Facilitate the creation and curation of content from various stakeholders for the policy dialogue space.
Support the implementation of the communications strategy for the policy making space.
Develop and implement a sustainable outreach strategy to get grassroots level communities to engage in the innovative policy dialogue space, both online and offline.
Following a cyclical approach, keep the engaged community groups updated on the progress of the discussions taking place through the policy making space.

TIMEFRAME

The envisaged time frame of the consultancy is twelve months, ending no later than 31 December 2020.

Competencies

CONSULTANT PROFILE

Outstanding communication (spoken and written) skills
Excellent partnership and networking skills
Results oriented with expertise in coordination and project implementation
Good understanding of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development
Fluency in spoken and written English and Sinhala or Tamil.

Required Skills and Experience

University degree or equivalent in international development, social sciences or any other relevant field.
Two years of work experience in communications, community engagement and coordination, preferably in the development sector.
Experience in working on multi-stakeholder initiatives/projects

HOW TO APPLY
To apply please access UNDP Jobs site http://jobs.undp.org.
The application should contain:
Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work.
Updated CV to include qualifications/competencies and relevant experience in similar projects and contact details of 3 professional referees who can certify your competencies, professionalism, quality of writing, presentation and overall suitability to this TOR
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a combination of factors including cover letter, the credentials on offer and brief interview (optional) and the offer which gives the best value for money for the UNDP.
Please send the Financial Proposal separately to the following e-mail address: consultants.lk@undp.org stating the vacancy number/position in the subject line.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

All Inclusive Monthly Fee: LKR (_______________________________________)

Amount in words: (Rs._______________________________________________________________)

Note: Payments will be based on invoices on achievement of agreed milestones i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR and certification of acceptance by the UNDP. The applicant must factor in all possible costs in his/her “All Inclusive Monthly Fee” including his/her consultancy and professional fee, travel (economy class flights is required to and from the Duty Station) honorarium, board and lodging, and any other foreseeable costs in this exercise. No costs other than what has been indicated in the financial proposal will be paid or reimbursed to the consultant. UNDP will only pay for any unplanned travel outside of this TOR and Duty Station on actual basis and on submission of original bills/invoices and on prior agreement with UNDP officials. Daily perdiums and costs for accommodation/meals/incidental expenses for such travel shall not exceed established local UNDP DSA rates.

For an Individual Contractor who is 65 years of age or older, and on an assignment requiring travel, be it for the purpose of arriving at the duty station or as an integral duty required travel under the TOR, a full medical examination and statement of fitness to work must be provided. Such medical examination costs must be factored in to the financial proposal above. Medical examination is not a requirement for individuals on RLA contracts.

PAYMENT FOR SERVICES

Payments will be based on milestones certified by: Head of RCO

Payment Milestones will be as follows:

The Consultant shall receive payments in 12 instalments based on the submission of a monthly report summarising the progress on the expected outputs/deliverables