The UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021 embraces the complexity of development and commits the organization to helping countries find faster, more durable solutions to achieve Agenda 2030. Important development trends like urbanization, climate change, and inequality pose significant challenges on our path to achieve the 2030 agenda of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP has begun incubating a number of strategic initiatives aimed at ensuring UNDP is ‘fit for purpose’ to deliver a new generation of solutions in line with the challenges the world faces. One such key strategic initiatives is the Country Accelerator Lab Network. The initiative is a recognition that increasingly interrelated development challenges require going beyond business as usual and single point, linear and silver bullet responses in development. Instead, they call for an interdisciplinary approaches and non-linear solutions that crowd in the collective efforts of variety of partners and tap into local insights and the knowledge of people closest to the problem and the solutions. The initiative is also a recognition and an investment in the emerging momentum among a growing number of UNDP country offices around joining together disruptive, cutting edge methodologies with contextual, country-based insights and expertise to accelerate impact and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.  

UNDP has built the largest and fastest learning global network of Accelerator Labs (initially setting up 60 labs in 78 countries) embedded within UNDP’s global architecture and country platforms. The new offering builds on the latest thinking from the fields of complexity science, lead user innovation and collective intelligence to accelerate development impact.  The labs will tap into a variety of innovation methods, primarily:

Collective intelligence:

The Labs use the power of the crowd, machine learning and distributed decision making to support partners to understand problems, develop new solutions, promote more inclusive decision making, and provide better oversight of what is done.

Solutions mapping:

The Labs identify grassroots solutions and stretch their potential to accelerate development.  Mapping grassroots innovation in 78 countries will provide a test to our hypotheses that when a problem is mutating rapidly, bottom up innovation is more relevant than innovation driven by a single start up or central authority. 

Experimentation:

The Labs apply experimentation closely with government partners to grow this as a mode of operating to reduce costs of large-scale public-sector reforms. Experimentation will help the network to learn whether particular assumptions are accurate before deploying solutions at scale, especially in the uncertain and volatile conditions that often dominate development progress.

The Digital Content and Social Media Specialist will support the global communication efforts of the Accelerator Lab Network. The consultant will be producing strategic content and managing the digital channels of the Accelerator Lab Network at the global level under the guidance and supervision of the Accelerator Labs Communications Specialist. Please refer to the outputs below for more details.

1. Manage the Accelerator Lab Network digital and social media channels as well as their strategic growth;
2. Develop creative text-based content to build awareness and engagement and achieve strategic priorities of the Accelerator Lab Network;
3. Edit and optimize content to support the digital communication efforts of the Accelerator Lab Network, in particular curating and editing blog pieces from Lab teams with an SEO driven approach;
4. Research, produce and distribute a bi-weekly newsletter promoting Accelerator Lab Network work in order to grow the supporter base of the Accelerator Lab Network;
5. Measure Accelerator Lab Network web and social media performance in order to identify actionable insights
6. Prioritize incoming requests and advise the Accelerator Lab Network at global, regional and local levels on standards and best practices for UNDP digital communications, including social media strategy and audience-centric content development;
7. With communication objectives in mind, work with web editors at the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy HQ and Accelerator Lab Teams to determine, negotiate and maintain a 6-month editorial calendar for digital communications;
8. Coordinate digital communication activities with the Accelerator Lab Network founding investors and partners;
9. Perform other duties as needed to ensure the healthy functioning of UNDP’s digital communications ecosystem;
10. Develop and maintain a set of clear KPIS for each key channel and use them to inform tactical and strategic improvements to the Accelerator Lab Network’s communication impact ;
11. Propose new storytelling formats and media to carve new qualified audiences and expand the Accelerator Lab Network reach.

For purposes of this assignment, the Accelerator Labs Communications Specialist will supervise the contract and the performance of the contractor.

The consultant will engage with other relevant UNDP staff as needed. Detailed work plans, including timeline, external organizations and individuals to engage and consult with will be developed at the beginning of the assignment.

Core Competencies:

• Innovation
  • Ability to make new and useful ideas work
• Leadership
  • Ability to persuade others to follow
• People Management
  • Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
• Communication
  • Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Delivery
  • Ability to get things done
  • Ability to multi-task
  • Ability to prioritize

Technical/Functional:

Primary:

• Digital Communications
  • Knowledge of popular digital platforms (e.g. : Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn), modalities and techniques in web, social media and mobile communications
  • Proficiency in multiplatform paid media campaigns spanning across the digital and social ecosystem
• Public Engagement
  • Ability to engage UNDP’s constitutes and encourage action
• Strategic Planning
  • Ability to make decisions that align with strategy, vision, and mission
• Public Relations
  • Ability to manage the spread of information between the UNDP and the public

Secondary:

• Knowledge Management
  • Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge
• Partnerships
  • Ability to engage with other agencies and forge productive working relationships
• Marketing

                      Ability to communicate the value of a product or service

Educational requirements

• At least master's degree in relevant field of communications, journalism, social science, or related field, required. Bachelor’s degree is also acceptable with an additional five years of post-graduate experience in relevant field.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of media, multimedia and social media required

Professional experience requirements

• Minimum 5 years of work experience in the field of digital communications, media, marketing, or another relevant field, required.
• Professional experience and/or proven knowledge of communication about innovation is required;
• At least 2-year experience working with platforms such as Adobe CQ5, Microsoft Teams, Trello, Project management tool is required;
• Demonstrated track record of results-based strategic planning and management of digital campaigns including digital analytics preferably in a social cause-related role is required;
• Proven ability to write and optimize copy for digital which drives action and traffic is required (please provide writing samples);
• Good knowledge/professional experience with SEO, and tactics to drive traffic organically is a significant advantage;
• Experience in email marketing is preferred;
• Understanding of growth hacking tactics is preferred;
• Ability to analyze performance indicators and translate them to actionable insights is preferred;
• Understanding of international development; international relations; or environmental and/or other relevant issues is a significant advantage;
• Demonstrated ability to thrive within a complex multicultural and multinational environment strongly preferred.

Language requirements

• Fluency in English is required; ability to synthesize content from French or Spanish an asset

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• Page 1: A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment;
• Page 2: Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references;
• Page 3: At least two self-authored writing samples in order to prove your ability to write and optimize copy for digital which drives action and traffic

Should the application not contain the three listed documents, the application may be directly disqualified.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on a 7-hour working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. 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.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1. Demonstrated track record of results-based strategic planning and management of digital campaigns, preferably in a social cause-related role Weight = 20%; Maximum Points: 175;

(Special advantage will be given to candidates with social cause related relevant professional experience. Candidates with no social-cause related expertise will obtain a maximum of 130 points.).

• Criteria 2. Good knowledge/professional experience with SEO, and tactics to drive traffic organically Weight = 20%; Maximum Points: 140;
• Criteria 3. Relevance of the proven knowledge or professional experience communicating on innovation Weight = 20 %; Maximum Points: 140;
• Criteria 4. Quality of the two self-authored writings proving ability to write and optimize copy for digital to drive action and traffic Weight = 15 %; Maximum Points: 105; and
• Interview: Weight = 20%; Maximum Points: 140.

Longlisted applications will be reviewed during a desk review and the top 3 technically qualified candidates (technically qualified = who obtain at least 70% of the total of points achievable through criteria 1-4) will be invited for an interview.

Only candidates invited for an interview who score at least 50% of the total of points obtainable during the interview (at least 70 points) will be shortlisted and considered for financial evaluation.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (490 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (700 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Partnerships Specialist and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

Payment modality

• Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made based on the actual number of days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.