UNDP Jobs - 82515- Behavioral Science Expert

Behavioral Science Expert

Location :

Home based consultancy with three (15 days) missions to Georgia, GEORGIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

31-Jan-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

up to 50 days in February – June 2019

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

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Georgia through its Country Investment Facility funded project “Sustainable Cities”, aims to develop a solution-oriented national platform for sustainable cities to kickstart a country-wide transformation of cities and towns in Georgia, towards greater sustainability and resilience in line with the 2030 development agenda. the platform intends to bring together engaged citizens, technology providers, local authorities, service providers and private sector to co-design, test and co-implement solutions to the persisting urban challenges and gaps such as pollution, Greenhouse gas emissions, municipal waste, under-developed modes of mobility (public transit, walking, cycling, car-sharing), lack of green spaces for people and unsustainable urban planning practices etc. The platform will use the formula of “Start, Seed and Scale” and will provide space for a diverse range of stakeholders to experiment and help implement practical solutions for people-centric, climate-proof and ecologically safe urban planning practices, urban mobility, energy efficient technologies, waste management and employment generation. The proposal will bring together existing innovation platforms operating in Georgia such as Public Service Development Agency’s Innovation ServiceLab, Innovation Hub of Rustavi City Hall, Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency, Techno park of Georgia, Impact Hub Tbilisi, City Institute Georgia (urban planning company), eSpace (company dedicated to popularization of e-mobility in Georgia), tech and scientific communities from academia, private sector etc. In doing so, the initiative will contribute directly and indirectly to localizing national SDGs related to urban development.

In parallel to building national ecosystem cutting edge capacities, the CO is building its own interface for fostering quick exploration, learning and adaptation by setting up an in-house innovation team with the new generational of agile professionals.

Duties and Responsibilities

With the above objective, UNDP Georgia, within the framework of the Sustainable Cities project is seeking a Behavioral Science Specialist to serve as a member of the CO Innovation Team under the overall guidance of UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, direct supervision of the CO Innovation Specialist and in close coordination with Data Expert and Social Entrepreneurship Expert of the Innovation Team.

Mapping of the existing resources, capacities or the skillset existing in the innovation outlets in Georgia (approx. 10) – ServiceLab, Rustavi Hub, Administration Innovation Planning Unit, UNDP Internal Innovation Facility, which can be channeled for the establishment of sustainable model for applied behavioral studies for public administration and development fields; [5 days]
Mapping of the existing institutions and experts in governance, academia and think thanks and other relevant organizations (approx. 30 contacts with details and context) to identify the entry point for establishing/fostering a sustainable model for applied behavioral studies for public administration and development fields; [5 days]
Action Plan in English produced in collaboration with UNDP, ServiceLab ,Rustavi Hub, Forset, IRC and relevant partners (governance, academia, private sector etc.) for development of the local expertise in supporting government and UNDP interventions by applying behavioral science, RCTs and data analytics on regular basis to tackle the national priorities in line with overall global SDG agenda; [5 days]
Comprehensive final report (approx. 20 standard pages in English) outlining the likely model of the facility bringing together the existing academic institutions, think tanks, private sector and governance research outlets that can potentially play role in the establishment of the sustainable stream of local expertise of applied behavioral scientists and data analytics for policy design and its implementation; [15 days]
Report (approx. 10 standard pages in English) on the review of the ongoing UNDP interventions recommending the possible entry points where behavioral experimentation and data analytics can have significant potential impact; [10 days]
Provide mentorship to UNDP Georgia Innovation Team member – local Behavioral Science Specialist by engaging in the process of the work and subsequent handover of the implementation upon finalizing the assignment;
The consultant will widely promote the work via social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr), web platforms and in media. At the end of the contract, he/she will write an article (at least 2000 words in English) about the initiative. [4 days]
The consultant is expected to initiate and conduct at least two (2) meetings at the Czech Embassy in Tbilisi – at the beginning of the first mission and at the end of the last one. [6 days]

Deliverables:

Behavioral Science Expert is expected to provide the deliverables outline below. The payments will be made upon the satisfactory completion/submission and approval of the deliverables by the supervisor:

1st Payment – 25%; End of February 2019

Report on Mapping of the existing resources, capacities or the skillset existing in the innovation outlets in Georgia (approx. 10) – ServiceLab, Rustavi Hub, Administration Innovation Planning Unit, UNDP Internal Innovation Facility, which can be channeled for the establishment of sustainable model for applied behavioral studies for public administration and development fields; [5 days] - February, 2019
Report on Mapping of the existing institutions and experts in governance, academia and think thanks and other relevant organizations (approx. 30 contacts with details and context) to identify the entry point for establishing/fostering a sustainable model for applied behavioral studies for public administration and development fields; [5 days] February, 2019

2nd payment – 30%; April 2019

Action Plan in English produced in collaboration with UNDP, ServiceLab ,Rustavi Hub, Forset, IRC and relevant partners (governance, academia, private sector etc.) for development of the local expertise in supporting government and UNDP interventions by applying behavioral science, RCTs and data analytics on regular basis to tackle the national priorities in line with overall global SDG agenda; [5 days] – March 2019
Comprehensive final report (approx. 20 standard pages in English) outlining the likely model of the facility bringing together the existing academic institutions, think tanks, private sector and governance research outlets that can potentially play role in the establishment of the sustainable stream of local expertise of applied behavioral scientists and data analytics for policy design and its implementation; [15 days] – March/April 2019

3rd payment – 25%; End of February 2019

Handover report for UNDP Georgia Innovation Team member – Local Behavioral Specialist as a result of engaging in the process of the work and subsequent handover of the implementation upon finalizing the assignment; [throughout the assignment] May 2019
Report (approx. 10 standard pages in English) on the review of the ongoing UNDP interventions recommending the possible entry points where behavioral experimentation and data analytics can have significant potential impact; [10 days] April 2019

4th -final payment – 20% June 2019

Social media outreach products -promoting the work via social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr), web platforms and in media. At the end of the contract, he/she will write an article (at least 2000 words in English) about the initiative.
Report on conducting at least two (2) meeting at the Czech Embassy in Tbilisi – at the beginning of the first mission and at the end of the last one. [6 days]

Financial arrangements:

The payments will be made upon the confirmation by UNDP of high quality performance and the submission of deliverable reports.

Competencies

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.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to work independently with minimal supervision;
Effective in quality assurance, working with teams, and time management;
Ability to think strategically while focusing on details and delivery process;
Ability to deal with pressure and overcome obstacles in start-up like environment.
Builds strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and result and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
Demonstrates strong written communication skills;
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills;
Exceptional communication skills, in order to explain technical concepts and the implications clearly to a wide and non-technical audience and to translate policy objectives into actionable analyses;
Self-motivation and resourcefulness

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum Master’s Degree in Development Economics, Statistics, Sociology/Psychology, Behavioral Science or other relevant filed (minimum requirement: Master's degree: 8 points; PhD in the same disciplines - additional 2 points).

Experience:

Minimum 3 years of progressively responsible experience at the international level involving working in or with public administration, or development topics, or other related area (minimum requirement); Priori experience of working in the region, and Georgia specifically would be an asset (minimum requirement: 3 years - 10 points; more than 3 years - additional 4 points);
Experience of implementing at least 3 projects involving behavioral insights for policy interventions, including in the area of GBV among them (minimum requirement: 10 points);
Experience from Czech Republic would be an asset;
Prior experience in mentorship would be an asset (6 points).

Language Requirements:

Excellent written and spoken English, working or higher level of Georgian or Russian is an asset.

Evaluation:

Offerors will be evaluated against a combination of technical and financial criteria provided in the below table. Technical criteria consist of a desk review (40 points) and an interview (30 points). fferors obtaining minimum 28 points as a result of the desk review (criteria 1, 2 and 3) will be short listed and invited for an interview. Offerors obtaining minimum of 21 points as a result of the interview (i.e. minimum of 49 points in the technical criteria) will be considered qualified and requested to provide financial proposal for the assignment.

Financial Proposal:

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the ToR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount. Maximum 30 points will be assigned to the lowest price offer. All other price offers will be scored using the formula (inverse proportion): Financial score X = 30* the lowest price offer/suggested price offer. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal as well. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. 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.