Consultancy – Support to UNICEF LACRO Emergency Report Writing, LACRO, Panama City

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, support

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

By illustrating UNICEF’s humanitarian actions through multi-country reports, the consultant will contribute to fulfill UNICEF’s accountability for providing transparency for received funds, to raise visibility, and to mobilize further resources with the donors at the country, regional, and global level.

The selected Consultant will work under the guidance of the LACRO Emergency Officer, to support multi-country report writing, including consolidating inputs from different Country Offices/Regional Office sections, providing basic editing to produce the first draft documents for emergency and report documents during the period of 15 January 2024 to 31 March 2025 (14.5 months).

Scope of Work:

In close coordination with the contract supervisor, the consultant will produce first drafts of reporting documents in English, as per the specific emergency report guidelines and UNICEF’s reporting styles.

Main tasks include:

1. Consolidate the inputs provided by different UNICEF Country Offices/Regional Office sections, provide basic editing to ensure consistency and fluency to the document, and produce the first draft documents of 6 reporting documents during the contract period.
2. Request clarifications and/or additional information from the Emergency Officer or other relevant colleagues involved, as needed.
3. Request for review from the contract supervisor and make modifications as required.
4. Incorporate inputs and observations from the contract supervisor and produce the final draft report documents.

Within 3 working days after the completion of each report/document, prepare a short report/bullet point, containing the results achieved, challenges and issues required follow-up.

The consultant is expected to produce the first draft report documents within the requested timeline for the following 6 multi-country documents during the contract period:

1. HAC End-of-year Reports (2023 and 2024).
2. Consolidated Emergency Reports (CER) (2023 and 2024).
3. HAC Mid-year Report (2024).
4. Other reporting product.

Consultancy fees will be paid for each product and is subject to satisfactory completion of deliverables and the contract supervisor’s certification to that effect.

Deliverables

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum Qualifications required:

• University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Education, Public Policy, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or other relevant disciplines.
• A minimum of five years of relevant work experience in report/proposal writing in the area of humanitarian work, such as emergency preparedness and response.
• Expertise in writing technical reports, applying analytical and writing skills. Advocacy and presentational skills an asset.
• Experience in editing for UNICEF reports an asset.
• Experience with UNICEF’s work, preferably humanitarian work, an asset.
• Fluency in English and Spanish (written and oral) is required.
• Excellent, clear and concise writing skills in English.
• Knowledge of UNICEF programme work in the LAC Region in the areas of emergency programmes and humanitarian action an asset.
• Knowledge of children’s rights and gender in the context of humanitarian action.
• Capacity to work autonomously and with minimum supervision.
• Ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work well with others.
• Flexibility and adaptability to shifting conditions and work demands.
• Capacity to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with RO and CO colleagues.
• Able to work effectively in a multicultural environment.
• High level of Integrity and commitment to UNICEF’s mission and professional values.

Administrative details

Supervision

The consultant will work under the supervision of the LACRO Emergency Officer.

Workplace

This is a home-based consultancy.

Duration

This contract is expected to have an estimated duration of 14.5 months, starting approximately in January 2024.

How to Apply

Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to indicate their fees per deliverables and an all-inclusive (lump sum) for the services to be provided, including all associated administrative costs.

Travel

No duty travel is foreseen for this consultancy. Should travel is included, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.
• UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)
  For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

*****

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.