UNICEF recruits 01 Individual Consultancy

Individual consultancy to Provide Technical Assistance to the Parliament of Mozambique on financial oversight

Job Number: 525249 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Mozambique

Work Type : Consultancy

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, Education

How can you make a difference?

Purpose and Objective:

In 2017, with the support from the UNICEF, the Parliamentarian Technical Cabinet[1] created a unit of financial, economic and budgeting analyses and technical support – UEEFO. The unit is led by a Snr Financial Analyst that is funded by UNICEF since August 2017. The financial analyst has the support of one parliamentary staff member and occasionally, a trainee. UEEFO is now functioning but the demand to do more is still very high.

The SPEAR section agreed with Parliament’s Secretariat’s Technical Gabinet to support the UEEFO unity with the provision of a Technical Assistance that provides such expertise in financial oversight for Members and staff of the Parliament. The TA will take overall responsibility for the timely development and delivery of high-quality analytical products for use of members and committees, establishing the basis for the development and use of these tools which will be absorbed by Parliament in the future. He/she will oversee and lead the production of all the UEEFO financial and economic products and ensure they are of the highest quality and analysis is independent and authoritative. The consultant will support the Secretariat to develop Induction module on Child Sensitive Budgeting and financial oversight.

The consultant, in consultation with UNICEF will ensure the maintenance and delivery of an effective strategy for the UEEFO in terms of production and dissemination of financial analyses and oversight and ensure that the office has the appropriate resources and skills to operate effectively. He/she will support and empower the team, to ensure they operate to their maximum ability, identifying and addressing training and mentoring needs. Where required the consultant will coordinate external expertise to augment and support the TC’s financial oversight capacity. The successful candidate will be an experienced financial analyst with strong communication skills and networker who can develop necessary relationships and create demand for the analytical products being developed by TC department related to financial oversight.

Moreover, and most importantly, the consultant will specifically and deliberately ensure sustainability of this work by teaching/mentoring staff, so that in the longer term they can take over this work and lead in budget analysis and financial oversight functions for Parliament and Parliamentarians.

The proposed technical assistance, as a full-time, year-round assistant based at the Parliament, will help to create a stronger financial oversight role for MPs, working on concrete steps towards making the Parliament a better-informed and equipped actor for the development of Mozambique. The vision is that the consultant will build the foundation to establish a position/function, within the structure of the Parliament, and financed by Parliament, of financial oversight, similar to a Parliamentary Budget Office, or technical unit on support to budgeting. The performance of the consultant will be crucial as results will influence decisions of Parliament as to formally establish this function with its organogram.

Methodology and Technical Approach:

Provision of qualified technical assistant to the Parliament through placement of a consultant in the Technical Cabinet. The consultant will be based at the Parliament, working in accordance to the stipulations of the Technical Cabinet (as it relates to hours and schedule), and report monthly to UNICEF in terms of main activities undertaken, products produced, challenges and achievements. The consultant will be attending strategic UNICEF meetings which includes Social Policy weekly and monthly meetings, UNICEF mid-year and annual meetings and other relevant meetings upon request. Until the end of 2019 the consultant will be working more in the development of induction material in close collaboration with the Secretariat and UNICEF. The consultant will work in close collaboration (albeit independently) with the Planning and Budgeting Committee of Parliament (CPO) and increasingly with Social Action, Gender and Child Committee, particularly with its President, Vice-President, and Rapporteur. Furthermore, the consultant will support two trainees recruited by WFD to support the role of financial oversight.

The consultant needs to develop and maintain key relationships with the Planning and Budget Committee, the Social Action, Gender and Child Committee; the Secretary General Cabinet; the Centre for Parliamentary Study and Training; the Ministry of Economy and Finance; the Tribunal Administrativo; the Banco de Moçambique (Central Bank); the Library and Research department; and local experts and economic analysts.

The consultant will be responsible for the establishment of analysis tools and mechanisms as well as for the training/mentoring staff in the TC office who will carry this work forward over the long-term.

Activities and Tasks:

Production and dissemination of Financial and economic research and analysis (40%)

Act as the Senior Financial Analyst leading the development of all UEEFO products and responses to requests

Develop, within the first month of consultancy, a workplan, timeline and deliverables of the production and dissemination plan of analyses and technical information to MPs as well as the public in general

Develop, within the first month of consultancy, a PF4C workplan, timelines and deliverables for Sept-December.

Undertake economic studies inclusive but not limited to, technical analyses of: State Budget Proposals and eventual revisions (by end February 2020 unless requested by CPO earlier), Plano Económico e Social (PES) Proposals (by end February 2020, unless requested by CPO earlier), Conta Geral do Estado, Budget Execution Reports, Audit Reports and recommendations and present them in and appropriate user-friendly formats. In-depth budget analyses on selected social sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation and social action/protection

Provision of independent assessments of financial implications of draft legislation and policy

Ensuring the TC maintains or has access to datasets to ensure it is able to respond quickly and accurately to requests for information and analysis

Devising appropriate methodology for responding to requests from the TC’s end-users

Ensuring timely completion of all analyses so they are delivered to deadline, meet the requirements of the end-user and are of high-quality and adhere to internal standards

Liaise with and ensure appropriate information is provided to the Committees in a timely manner.

Take overall responsibility for the accuracy and editorial quality of the all the TC’s economic products and analyses.

Development (30%)

Development of Child Sensitive Budgeting and financial oversight materials for the Induction Modul for new Members of the Parliament.

Identify and arrange together with the Secretariat appropriate training and development opportunities for Second and Third Committees to ensure necessary skillsets are available and maintained.

Contribution to UNICEF PF4C Strategy and coordination of policy notes (Nutrition and Sanitation) products.

Ensure that the TC is continuously improving its services and products, ensuring relevance to all key customers in the Parliament

Mentoring and leadership (20%)

Provide leadership in an open, interactive and consultative style, which values the views and skills of all the TC’s staff

Overall support to and training of the staff and possible interns

Coordination of the TC’s team of possible economist and trainees by ensuring appropriate capacity development plan and ensuring effective delivery of economic products

Provision of day-to-day on-the-job mentoring and guidance to the staff and other intern

Ensure all reporting requirements are effectively fulfilled

Communications and stakeholder engagement (10%)

Constant communication with UNICEF ensuring ongoing assessment of their programme requirements

Proactive communication and marketing across the Parliament of the TC’s services, soliciting use and incoming requests

Proactive communication and marketing of the TC’s products and analyses

Networking and developing contacts within the Parliament and wider external stakeholders including donors and relevant local experts

Lead and oversee the TC’s digital and marketing strategy including ensuring appropriate website content is generated through the library department

Deliverables and Payments:

Consultant will be paid on product delivery basis. The products (unless considered confidential by Parliament) will be accompanied by a narrative report documenting the progresses, challenges and way forward.

Deliverables and Payments:

Deliverable 1:

Delivery timeframe: by the end of September 2019

Deliverable/product(s): UNICEF PF4C Theory of Change inputs, including stakeholder engagement. Annual workplan that includes a calendar for the production and dissemination of analysis and provision of technical information to MPs;