HACT Consultant (Two National)

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For every child, protection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkJiMmvKqk

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Considering the scale of Health Emergency Response (HER) project Additional Financing 2, SAFE, and Emergency Education Response for Afghanistan (EERA) covering the entire country (34 provinces) and over 25 NGO service providers, Risk Management Unit does not have sufficient in-house resources to meet the assurance needs and related data analysis required by the office.  While external audit firms are regularly used to perform audit functions, in-house financial management consultants will be a much-needed addition for meeting the needs of the Risk team in the areas of additional HACT assurance and verifications, capacity building of IPs, review of HACT assurance reports, and data analysis, support to the IPM team verification and data analytics requirements, among other related tasks.

Scope of Work:

The ongoing escalation of humanitarian needs in Afghanistan has negatively affected the humanitarian indicators, necessitating interventions such as humanitarian cash transfers and HER AF2 and SAFE – the backbone of the Afghanistan health system that supports over 2,409 health facilities across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, and the Education Emergency Response for Afghanistan (EERA) which support the provision of education to Afghans through the Community-Based Education Programme (CBE). The HER and SAFE projects provide both primary (Basic Package of Health Services – BPHS), secondary (Essential Package of Hospital Services – EPHS), High Impact Value Added (HIVA) Interventions health service packages in the provinces, including EPI activities.

Risk Management Unit (RMU) is responsible for HACT management aimed at ensuring that funds are used by the SPs for the intended purposes of HER, SAFE and EERA projects funded by WB & ADB.

Noting the huge financial outlay involved – over $270m; complex operating context; increased coverage and ensuing cash transactions; and in compliance with UNICEF’s regulatory framework for additional financial, programmatic assurance and increased donor scrutiny, UNICEF Risk Management Unit is seeking qualified financial management and financial capacity building experts to bolster internal UNICEF resources. 

The additional resources in the form of the financial management contractors will provide agile, roving and readily deployable resources to the RMU and IPM team under HER AF2, SAFE and EERA and other related programme interventions such as humanitarian cash transfers.  Some of the foreseen needs include expenditure verification, procurement reviews, beneficiary payment confirmations, supplier payment verification and follow-up of prior assurance activities observations, and follow-up of capacity building action plans and improvement plans, which are activities that are best undertaken in-house instead of through contracted firms.

Consultants will also help with quality review of draft financial assurance reports, conduct follow-up assurance activities as and when required and support with the capacity building of implementing partners.

Work Assignments Overview	Deliverables/Outputs	Delivery Deadline
1. Conduct HACT assurance activities (financial monitoring, spot checks for NGO partners under the IFI-funded projects.             2. Capacity building of Implementing Partners on UNICEF financial procedures and donor-specific requirements.           3. Support HACT/IPM teams with analytical and operational tasks related to HACT/IPM implementation.                           4. Participate in programme and audit review meetings.	1.Conduct assurance visits and financial monitoring missions  at least once in 6 months, per Implementing  Partner/ Service Provider – Submit assurance visit reports covering:  • Validation of expenditures as per HACT guidelines.  • Follow-up on prior and unresolved audit/assurance items.  • Review of partners’ internal control systems and provide capacity-building recommendations. – Conduct follow-up field visits with UNICEF monitoring teams when required. 2. Based on assessed capacity needs: – Organize and deliver targeted financial capacity-building sessions for the Implementing Partners/Service Providers. – Monitor the progress on Implement Partners/ Service Providers implementing their capacity building follow-up action plans, and prepare progress reports, on a quarterly basis   3 – Develop and maintain assurance and financial monitoring trackers. -Review and document foreign exchange management policies and procedures of each Implementing Partner/ Service Provider. – Analyze the Implementing Partner/ Service Provider’s financial information to inform UNICEF’s decision-making. – Prepare quality assurance of Audit/Assurance Activity Plans and Create Engagements for assurance activities related to EERA and HER/SAFE. – Provide analytical input to monthly RMU reports. – Perform e-Tools data entry and programme document updates during high-volume PD development/amendment stage. – System cleanup to ensure accuracy of financial assurance data. – Maintain documentation in shared drives and RMU trackers. – Follow up and close on the implementation of the capacity building action and improvement plan related to IP trainings.   4. – Review and documentation of audit findings, responses, and follow-up actions. – Provide technical inputs for partner and donor coordination meetings.	1st January – 31st December 2026 Total number of working days 252

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Applications must include:

• Cover letter.
• Resume.
• Samples of previous work.
• Financial offer in USD. (This should only be the day rate for working days. UNICEF will provide a daily subsistence allowance for calendar days spent in Afghanistan, including weekends, to cover out-of-pocket costs while in-country, including accommodation. Travel, international and local, will be reimbursed.)
• Applications submitted without financial and technical proposals will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced 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.

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

• Advanced University degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Auditing, Public Administration or related field.
• Bachelor’s degree combined with relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Professional accounting/audit certifications (i.e. CPA, CA, ACCA, CIMA, CIA), are an asset.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in conducting financial monitoring, auditing, and financial assurance activities is required.
• Proven experience preparing high-quality analytical assurance reports (in English), dashboards and/or management briefs is required.
• Demonstrated experience in conceptualizing and delivering capacity-building of NGO implementing partners i or community-based organizations is required.
• Proven knowledge and practical application of the UN HACT Framework is an asset. Experience in conducting spot checks and audits for UN-funded projects will be an asset
• Previous experience in humanitarian, emergency or development programming is an asset.
• Experience working with community-based organizations, NGOs, in high-volume or multi-partner programmes is an asset.
• Fluency in English and local languages is mandatory

 

Competencies and Skills:

• High attention to detail, accuracy and professional integrity.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diplomatically with partners and senior government counterparts.
• Ability to work independently, meet tight deadlines and manage multiple field-based tasks.
• Willingness to conduct field visits and review financial records onsite is required.
• Strong problem-solving approach and ability to provide practical, solution-focused guidance to partners.

 

How to apply:

• Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee.  Please see the financial proposal template here: Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.

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. 

Interested consultants are required to apply online, indicating availability and all-inclusive lump sum fee to undertake the terms of reference.

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.