International Consultant – Support to the Skills Gap Analysis – UNICEF Ethiopia Country Office

The Ethiopia Country Office is in the process of developing its new Country Programme Document (CPD) for 2025 – 2030. As part of this important exercise is the development of the Country Programme Management Plan (CPMP).
To enable UNICEF Ethiopia Office to achieve results for children and women more effectively and efficiently during the new 5-year country programme, staffing must be aligned with programming priorities and business processes. This is possible if the staff is well equipped and possess the skills, knowledge and competencies required. Hence, this TOR is issued to support the recruitment of an individual consultant to conduct a skills gap analysis and provide recommendations.

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, Vision

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

Over the past two years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in the northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF Ethiopia Country Office is preparing its Country Programme Management Plan (CPMP) to align its human resources to meet the key results defined in the 2025 -2030 Country Programme Document (CPD). In preparing the CPMP, the Country Office needs to ensure that the expected UNICEF-supported Country Programme is matched by an adequate human resources capacity.

The objective of this consultancy is to have a clear picture of the current staff capacities and competences in relation to the required skills/competencies for the implementation of the new CPD and to develop learning and capacity building strategies in addition to providing a roadmap on the review of the staff structure.

Scope of Work:

1. Current Office structure analysis

• Review the last 3 years PBR approved documents.
• Review the office learning plans.
• Analyze the office competencies and skills by focus area against the new CPD, explanatory notes and ToC

1. Assessment of gaps between required skills and current staff capabilities as well as workload analysis
2. Identify needs of staff capacity reinforcement or reprofiling, and additional staff needs to better support the implementation of the new country programme.

*Minimum requirements to consider candidates for competitive process

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Human Resources, Business Administration, International Relations, Social Sciences, Psychology, or any other related fields.
• A minimum of 8 [Eight] years of relevant professional experience in the field of organizational development and human resources planning and management.
• Proven experience in learning and development strategies
• Experience in coaching, with interventions focused on alignment with strategic objectives.
• Experience with UN/UNICEF’s CPMP process is an asset.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Other skills and competencies

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including for relationship-building purposes.
• Demonstrated ability to work well as part of a team, to facilitate discussion and to forge and manage partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, trust, accountability, and sustainability
• Ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment.
• Experience working in the UN or other international development organizations is an asset.

The consultancy duration will be 40 working days over a period of 3 months.  20 days will be remotely and 20 days onsite in Addis Ababa. The consultant is expected to use his/her own ICT equipment.

The selected consultant will work closely with another consultant who is supporting the overall CPMP Process.

The consultant will be supervised by the Deputy Representative Operations.  The Chief of Human Resources will be the focal point for this exercise and will facilitate the Consultant’s interactions with key stakeholders including the Senior Management, the Learning Committee, the Staff Association, Section Heads, Chiefs of Field Offices, and other key staff.

Applicants are invited to submit with their online application:

• A technical proposal that outlines their understanding of the task and proposed methodology
• a cover letter explaining why they are well placed to undertake this assignment.
• A recently updated CV
• A financial proposal which must be an all-inclusive cost (consultancy fees, mission expenses, travels, etc.).

Selection criteria will be based on qualifications and skills (20 points), expertise and experience in the required field (40 points), and quality of the technical (10 points) and financial offer (30 points). Each application will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price (weighting of 70 [technical note] / 30 [financial note]; the maximum points are awarded to the lowest financial offer of the technically qualified application. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price. The best bid combining the 2 notes will be retained.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

Core Values:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Core Competencies:

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1) 
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1) 
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1) 
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

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. For this consultancy, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons with disability are encouraged to apply.

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.