UNICEF recruits 01 Lead International Individual Consultant for private sector mapping

Lead International Individual Consultant for private sector mapping

Job Number: 520846 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Niger

Work Type : Consultancy

 1. Background & Purpose:

Niger is a landlocked Sahelian country of 21.5 million people, most of whom live in rural areas (84%). The population is young, with 58% of Nigeriens being under 18, and nearly half of the population is poor, despite reductions in the poverty rate over the past decade. The country, which ranked last on the 2017 Human Development Index, sees its development constrained by several factors: high population growth, climatic conditions that hinder rural development, vulnerability due to the absence of economic diversification, gender equality issues, low levels of literacy and education, and the size and landlocked nature of the country, which obstruct the provision of essential goods and services to the population.

In addition, Niger is confronted to recurrent crises. For many years, the country has suffered from chronic food insecurity, and faced food and nutrition crises in 2010 and 2012. It also regularly experiences epidemics, including cholera, as well as floods. Moreover, instability in the Sahel region has in recent years led to insecurity and population displacement, especially in the eastern part of the country affected by the armed conflict with Boko Haram and in western and southern areas bordering with Mali and Burkina Faso.

UNICEF supports the efforts of the Government of Niger to improve the situation of women and children, focusing on the following seven sectors through its 2019-2021 programme of cooperation: health, nutrition, water, hygiene and sanitation, education, child protection, and social inclusion, and adolescent and social norms. The vision for the new country programme is to support the Government towards ensuring that all children, especially the most vulnerable, enjoy their rights; adolescents and youth are empowered; communities and systems are strengthened and resilient; and humanitarian assistance and development address the structural causes of fragility and vulnerability.

While UNICEF Niger relies on a wide range of public sector partners to support these efforts, private sector engagement has been very limited. As per the 2017-2021 UNICEF Western and Central Africa Regional Private Sector Strategy, based on both supply (presence of private sector) and demand (child need) criteria, Niger is among the countries with medium to high potential for multiple forms of engagement with the private sector. Furthermore, UNICEF Niger is in the process of developing a resource mobilization strategy for its 2019-2021 country programme. The timing is thus adequate to better understand the private sector in Niger, its impact on children and the opportunities for financial and non-financial engagement to bring results for children.

2. Objective(s) of the consultancy:

The lead consultant, assisted by a national consultant, will conduct a private sector mapping to identify the main sectors, companies, and to a lesser extent foundations and high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) present in Niger or who have interest in and/or ties with Niger, to assess how business practices in these sectors / companies affect children’s rights, and to advise UNICEF on which of these actors to pursue financial and non-financial partnerships with.

3. Specific activities to be completed to achieve the objectives:

Collaborate with HR Unit in the recruitment (within the framework of UNICEF recruitment procedures) of a national consultant who will assist with the various deliverables, refine the deliverables and other requirements to be included in the national consultant’s contract, and supervise her/him for the duration of her/his contract.

Identify the main sectors, companies, and to a lesser extent foundations and high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) present in Niger or who have interest in and/or ties with Niger, including (but not limited to) the following information: sector(s) of activity, economic weight, size as employer, geographic presence / interests, level of influence (in business community, political arena and the public at large), activity or interest in corporate social responsibility initiatives, contact information.

Provide an initial assessment of how business practices in three to five key sectors (agreed upon with the Country Office) affect children’s rights, whether positively or negatively, taking into account the Children’s Rights and Business Principles.

Establish a set of criteria for prioritization on who to engage with (such as pre-existing global or regional agreements with UNICEF; reputational risk; etc.) and make initial recommendations on which companies to pursue potential financial and non-financial partnerships with.

4. Specific outputs/products/results :

Deliverables	Timeframe	Percentage payable per deliverable
National consultant selected	Within 2 weeks of application deadline	5%
Workplan for conducting consultancy (in French)	Within 3 days of the national consultant’s start date	5%
Report presenting mapping of sectors, companies, foundations and HNWIs including (but not limited to) the following information: sector(s) of activity, economic weight, size as employer, geographic presence / interests, level of influence (in business community, political arena and the public at large), activity or interest in corporate social responsibility initiatives, contact information (in French)	Within 1 month of the national consultancy’s start date	40%
Assessment of business practices on children’s rights in three to five key sectors (in French)	Within 3 weeks once UNICEF has selected the key sectors	30%
Set of prioritization criteria and initial recommendations on who to engage with for potential financial and non-financial partnerships (in French)	Within 1 week of the assessment of key sectors becoming available	20%

Any delays in the achievement of deliverables will have to be discussed and approved by UNICEF Niger.

5. Qualifications and/or specialized knowledge/experience required and desirable for undertaking the assignment:

An advanced university degree (minimum Masters) in Business Administration, Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Communication, or other related fields.;

A minimum of eight years of experience in private sector engagement for social sector programmes, management of partnerships and corporate social responsibility;

Proven experience in developing and writing strategy documents in the field of corporate social responsibility;

Familiarity with UNICEF policy/strategy in the field of corporate social responsibility, including children’s rights and business principles;

Fluency in French (verbal and written) and good written and spoken skills in English.

6. Duration of the assignment:

The consultancy will be completed within a maximum period of four (4) months and will not exceed three months after the national consultant’s start date.

7. Supervision:

The Reports and Knowledge Management Specialist will supervise the consultant.

8. Fees:

Candidates are asked to submit an all-inclusive fee for their services, based on the deliverables. Payments will be made upon submission of the deliverables, as per the table in section 4.

9. Travel:

While the consultancy will be home-based, travel to Niamey, Niger will be necessary. Candidates must include travel (economy class, most direct and cheapest route, as per UNICEF travel procedures) and daily subsistence allowance/per diem as part of their all-inclusive fee.

10. Duty Station and work arrangements

The consultancy will be home-based with travel to Niamey, Niger. The consultant will be responsible to provide his/her own computer and other standard IT equipment to perform his/her duty.

11. How to Apply

P11 form

Updated CV

Cover letter

Diploma from highest education level

A technical offer detailing the methodology to be followed to achieve the deliverables, including the approach to be followed, a chronogram, the division of labour between the lead and the national consultant, planned supervisory arrangements, and if possible examples of outputs/deliverables produced for other consultancies.

A financial offer covering all aspects of the international consultancy (daily rates, daily subsistence allowance/per diem and airline ticket). The national consultant’s fees should not be included in the financial offer.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Closing Date Wed Apr 10 2019 23:55:00 GMT+0100 (Afr. centrale Ouest)