Background
- Background
Ukraine’s vision of its strategic development may be defined by three conceptual frameworks – European integration, NATO Accession (Euro-Atlantic integration) and the Sustainable Agenda 2030. An adequate alignment of these frameworks as well as assessing their overlapping elements can address one of the key challenges of Ukraine’s long-term development planning.
Supporting institutional and policy reforms that foster inclusive, gender-responsive and sustainable human development in line with the national strategy and reform agenda is identified as Pathway I by the UNDP Country programme document for Ukraine (2018-2022) that identifies “Citizen expectations for voice, development, the rule of law and accountability are met by stronger systems of democratic governance” as one of the key objectives in enhancing inclusive and effective democratic governance in Ukraine.
Forming the responsive, efficient and accountable governance institutions that can respond to citizens' needs and provide high-quality public services is the key objective of Ukraine’s 2020 Strategy of the Public Administration Reform and the Action Plan for its implementation in line with European standards of good governance. Increasing the efficiency of government bodies and local self-government is also one of Ukraine’s indicators for achieving the SDG 16 according to the 2017 Baseline National Report on SDGs.
The COVID-19 outbreak in Ukraine coincided with the uncertainties and changes in Ukraine’s political situation. With the population increasingly under lockdown in response to the coronavirus crisis, new ministerial appointment, and a series of cabinet reshuffles took place. At the beginning of March, the Parliament dismissed the previous Government and appointed a new Cabinet of Ministers headed by Denys Shmyhal’. According to the President, these changes were made because the reform process was not moving fast enough.
On 23 March 2020, the Cabinet of Minister of Ukraine has adopted a Resolution # 238 on the creation of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The newly established Ministry is the main body in the system of central executive bodies that ensures the formation and implementation of state policy in the fields of culture, state language policy, popularization of Ukraine in the world, state foreign broadcasting, information sovereignty of Ukraine ”) and information security, as well as ensures the formation and implementation of state policy in the fields of cinema, restoration and preservation of national memory, interethnic relations, religion and protection of national minorities in Ukraine, arts, cultural heritage, museums, export, import and the return of cultural values.
The new Government operates under the Government Action Plan adopted in March 2020, which defines the strategic role of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy in:
- Cultural heritage, cultural values and national memory;
- Tourism;
- Quality cultural services and consolidation of Ukrainian society;
- Information policy and security;
- State foreign broadcasting;
- Creative industries;
- Support to the projects and initiatives on the culture of dialogue and tolerance.
To support the GOU efforts on establishing a solid legal and institutional framework for culture and Information policymaking on the pathway to a sustainable environment, UNDP Ukraine intents to establish a Crisis Coordination and Management Unit to provide high level/senior technical advice and strategic guidance to the Minister/ Minister’s Office to support strategic policy-making and institutional efforts support for improvement policymaking and capacity development of the Ministry.
In this context, the United Nations Development Programme is recruiting a Communications Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine for the Crisis Management Unit under the Office of the Minister with relevant experience and track record.
The Communications Advisor will be directly responsible for supporting the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine through the Crisis Management Unit with technical advice and subject-matter expertise.
Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
The incumbent will provide advice to the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine on issues related to effective internal and external communication.
The incumbent will report primarily to Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine with a reporting line to the UNDP Ukraine and the Project Manager as part of the Democratic Governance Team. The Expert will work closely with the other members of the Crisis Coordination and Management Unit under the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
S/he will provide support to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and its respective staffs through the following functions:
- Provide expertise and practical daily support to the development and implementation of the Communication Strategy and yearly Communication Action Plan of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, including internal and external strategic communications of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine;
- Strengthen the institutional capacities of the beneficiary institution to design, manage and monitor communications’ policy, and introduce new practices in the Ministry’s communications, with a focus on timely, clear and thematically-structured information;
- Support Ministry in its activities on countering disinformation in media while protecting freedom of media/expression;
- Develop capacities of the of Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine staff on best practices of citizen engagement and outreach, as well as information campaign against disinformation and fake news;
- Provide analysis and recommendations on how to enhance internal communications within the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and its state-owned enterprises;
- Contribute to the development of the content of thematic communication products in line with the agreed communication policies and help to establish the cooperation with opinion leaders and media assets for their effective channeling to the target audiences;
- Provide support to the Ministry in developing strategic communications for peacebuilding and dialogue within society to ensure visibility and trust;
- Provide expert advisory services, and develop analytical products in the form of advisory notes, press releases, talking points, speeches, fact sheets, reviews, assessments leading to policy papers, as well as provide direct ad-hoc strategic advice as required by the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine;
- Liaise with other government institutions in terms of communications work at the Ministry to ensure synergy, to promote the effective downstream implementation of the policies and to avoid overlap and duplication, where appropriate and when requested by the Ministry;
- Support the national authorities to network with international development partners through the UNDP Ukraine;
- Assist the Ministry in preparing an exit strategy on how the advice will be mainstreamed and consolidated once this technical support is exhausted;
- Ensure that UNDP’s visibility in this field of work is adequately visible as agreed between UNDP and the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine;
- Provide sectoral advice and report to UNDP, whenever requested.
Measurable outputs of the work assignment/deliverables:
- Communication Strategy and yearly Communication Action Plan of the Ministry is timely implemented, with an emphasis on measurable results and quality, and properly reported - monthly
- Communication products, developed in cooperation with the Ministry representatives, with proper reference to the SDGs
- Advisory service on the above-mentioned issues provided – monthly.
- Progress reports are provided to UNDP – monthly.
Performance Indicators for the evaluation of results:
- Communication Strategy and yearly Communication Action Plan of the Ministry is timely implemented, with an emphasis on measurable results and quality, and properly reported;
- Number of communications products, developed in cooperation with the Ministry representatives, with proper reference to the SDGs;
- Timely submission of the regular performance reports.
Monitoring / reporting requirements:
Work-progress reporting/monitoring meetings will be held with the consultant on a weekly basis. UNDP will be the final authority to control the quality and evaluate the work. No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without an approval of UNDP.
The consultant will work under the daily supervision of the Project Manager and will interact with UNDP to receive any clarifications and guidance that may be needed.
The satisfactory completion of each of the deliverables shall be subject to the endorsement of the Project Manager.
The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of assignment and take necessary steps to address them.
All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic form (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf or other formats accepted by UNDP).
Competencies
Skills to be evaluated during validation interview stage with technically compliant candidates:
- Strong managerial and leadership skills, notably planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling, problem-solving and decision-making;
- Mature judgment combined with a proactive, energetic approach to problem-solving; excellent interpersonal skills;
- Integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
- Strong organizational and time management skills;
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
- Excellent analytical skills;
- Excellent writing, proficient communication and organization skills.
Corporate competencies
- Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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 favouritism;
- Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Required Skills and Experience
Experience and qualification requirements
Education
- Master’s degree or equivalent in political science, public administration, law, media relations, journalism, international relations, social sciences or related field;
Experience
- 3-5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in the media sphere, public relations, communications or advocacy;
- 2 years of relevant experience in cooperation with the state institution related to communication issues;
- Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization/foundation;
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems.
Languages
- Fluency in English and Ukrainian languages is required
Documents to be included when submitting the proposals
Applicants shall submit the following documents:
- Letter of interest/proposal, explaining why the applicant considers him or herself the most suitable for the position; description of specific professional experience at the national or international level in the media sphere, public relations, communications or advocacy; description of specific professional experience with a multilateral or international organization/foundation;
- Personal CV or P11, including information about past experience in similar projects / assignments and contact details for referees, including clearly stated information about previous projects;
- Financial proposal.
Financial proposal
Contracts based on a daily fee
The financial proposal will specify the daily fee and payments will be made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of days worked.
Travel costs
Should any travel be necessary in connection to this TOR, UNDP will reimburse the expenses based on the duly authorized travel details, including travel and per diems. 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.
In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.
Evaluation criteria
Criteria A: Education - 4 points max
At least Specialist/Master’s degree in political science, public administration, law, media relations, journalism, international relations, social sciences or related field
{4 pts – PhD degree in the relevant field or higher; 3 pts – Specialist/Master’s degree in the relevant field};
Criteria B: Work Experience – 43 points max
1. At least five (5) years of relevant experience at the national or international level in the media sphere, public relations, communications or advocacy - 15 points max {up to 15 pts – 8 years and more; 11 pts – 6-7 years; 9 pts – 5 years);
2. At least three (3) year of relevant experience in cooperation with the state institution related to communication issues – 15 points max
{up to 15 pts – 6 years and more; 11 pts – 4-5 years; 9 pts – 3 years};
3. Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems. - 5 points max
{5 pts – yes, 0 pts – no experience};
4. Experience with a multilateral or international organization/foundation - 8 points max
{8 pts – existing proven experience, 0 pts – no experience};
Criteria C: Technical Skills – 8 points max
Language Skills – 8 points max:
Fluency in Ukrainian and English
{8 pts – Fluency in English and Ukrainian}
Criteria D: Interview – 15 points max (only those obtaining minimum 34 points for Criteria A-C will be invited to the interview. The applicant should provide relevant practical and well-elaborated examples to prove the following:
{5 pts - experience in cooperation with the state institution related to communication issues;
5 pts - experience at the national or international level in the media sphere, public relations, communications or advocacy;
5 pts - experience with a multilateral or international organization/foundation}
Maximum available technical score - 70 points.
EVALUATION METHOD
Cumulative analysis
Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) having received the cumulative highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
* Technical Criteria weight: 70%
* Financial Criteria weight: 30%
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:
30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].
The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer.