OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : 11 months with possible extension to a maximum 17 months, subject to performance

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 16/01/2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

BACKGROUND

Fast-changing conditions and critical challenges of today – amongst which global pandemics, climate change, digital transformations, and the interplay of these trends – require large-scale and future-oriented reforms. Public administrations are under pressure to design and implement such reforms, while simultaneously addressing internal needs and building capacities to prepare themselves for the future. In this context, efforts to recalibrate the engagement of the public administrations with private consulting services and to develop internal/in-house consulting capacities for the design and implementation of reforms are being initiated across countries.

Seven Member States (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, and Latvia) have requested support in addressing the afore-mentioned needs. Submitted and funded through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument, the ensuing multi-country project will be implemented over a period of 18 months by UNESCO with the aim of achieving the following outcomes:

1. Approved action plan to establish in-house consulting focusing on a selected service portfolio adapted to each participating Member State;
2. Capacity built for the implementation of the action plan in the participating Member States; and
3. Increased awareness on the importance of in-house consulting and creation of an EU network of experts.

To this end, UNESCO is organizing a central coordination team based in UNESCO Headquarters (Paris) and 7 in-country teams to support the global and country-specific delivery in each of the participating countries.

SCOPE OF WORK

Under the overall guidance of the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences (ADG/SHS), the Director for Social Policies and the Chief Executive Officer, and the supervision of the Senior Project Officer, the international expert will:

• Develop, in close cooperation with the in-country teams, the main outputs in the 7 participating countries, including country-specific baseline analysis in relation to in-government consulting capacities, to-be reports, roadmaps/action plans for the implementation of the selected reform scenario, and change management plans.
• Produce, with input from and in close consultations with the in-country teams, the global blueprint for reform that would identify the minimum requirements for the establishment or the expansion of in-house consulting capacities regardless of country or service portfolios/thematic focuses.

Long Description

• Conduct high-quality comparative analysis of institutional, legal and policy frameworks in relation to in-government consulting and analytical capacities within and beyond the participating countries; develop, on the basis of the analysis and the existing good practices, hands-on benchmarks to support assessment and development of analytical and consulting capacities on priority policy issues within the public sector.
• Conduct high-quality analysis and research for the integrated delivery of global and country-specific outputs, ensuring cross-country fertilization and substantive consistency of approaches.
• Build capacity in the 7 participating Member States by providing ongoing technical support to the core teams in the beneficiary authorities, as well as by developing and delivering – with the in-country teams and other contracted suppliers – 2 trainings per participating country on (a) change management and (b) thematic portfolio development of the in-house consultancies.

• Prepare, run and follow-up on 2 horizontal workshops for cross-project learning and cross-country exchange of experiences.
• Provide actionable advice, identify possible membership, prepare TORs and support the establishment of an EU network of experts to share knowledge on in-house consulting across countries.
• Liaise regularly, consult and communicate both internally and externally as required for the delivery of the aforementioned outputs.
• Seek and integrate feedback on the aforementioned deliverables and tasks as required.
• Draft presentations and substantive interventions on the project for internal and external use.
• Undertake missions and travel as required.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Skills

• Excellent research, writing and analytical skills.
• Solid advocacy, communication and presentation skills adapted to technical and general purposes.
• Familiarity with EU-funded project, including multi-country technical support, considered an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including interacting with various actors and working effectively and respectfully in a complex environment on sensitive issues.
• Understanding and adherence to the UN principles.

Language

• Excellent writing skills in English. Fluency in the language of the preferred country of assignment is an asset.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit their applications by 16 January 2024 to most@unesco.org with copy to i.sevciuc@unesco.org and c.hathaway@unesco.org.

This call is open to individuals. The application should consist of:

1. Personal CV.
2. A cover letter/statement indicating how their qualifications and experiences make them suitable for the assignment.
3. A written technical and financial proposal comprising: 1) the proposed approach for the undertaken of the assignment in line with the terms of reference; and 2) the amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in EUR.

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UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.