United States of America: Consultancy for Project Proposal Development for Thematic Hub for South-South Cooperation and Learning

Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 28 Nov 2014

Background

Despite significant progress, education for all is still an unfinished agenda. Worldwide, 57 million primary school-aged children are still out of school, along with another 69 million children of lower secondary school age. Some of these children drop out early and others never enter school. However, just getting children into school is not enough, as millions of children who go to school do not learn the basics. Out of around 650 million children of primary school age, as many as 250 million either do not reach grade 4 or reach it without learning to read or write. Against this backdrop, UNICEF’s continuing commitment is to improve learning outcomes and equitable inclusive education continues, so that all children can enjoy their right to education and opportunities to survive, thrive and fulfil their potential.

As part of this commitment, one of the key implementation strategies identified under UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2014- 2017 is South-South and triangular cooperation. Yet, to date, existing mechanisms and efforts around South-South Cooperation within and outside of UNICEF are often based on ad-hoc, short-term projects rather than longer term vision and reflection of its value add in yielding results for children. At the same time, most networks and modalities of South-South Cooperation still rely on static, traditional forms of knowledge sharing- such as country visits, meetings and forums- processes which may not effectively respond to the specific, time-bound demand for development knowledge and solutions that policymakers and practitioners need on a regular basis. In particular, the vast potential for cost-effective, efficient transfer of information and knowledge provided through technological advances remains largely untapped.

Therefore, an establishment of a South-South Thematic Hub for Education (hereafter, Thematic Hub) has been proposed to foster systematic South-South Cooperation and learning to accelerate progress on critical challenges affecting the rights of children to good quality education. By leveraging UNICEF’s unique assets- field presence around the world and extensive partnerships with Southern institutions – the Thematic Hub will serve as a dedicated facility that provide the institutional and operational arrangements to support on-demand, timely exchange of best practice, lessons learned and innovations amongst governments and other partners. The use of technology platforms, in particular, will be an important component of the arrangement of the Thematic Hub, in order to optimize the efficiency and quality of the knowledge exchange functions supported by the Thematic Hub. The experience and lessons of the Thematic Hub for Education is also expected to inform the potential replication in other Outcome Areas under the Strategic Plan, as UNICEF continues to strengthen the scale of its efforts around South-South Cooperation.

Purpose and Scope of Work:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the development of a project proposal for a Thematic Hub for Education, based on a desk review and feasibility assessment of related mechanisms in Education and development. This will include:

1. Review prior documentation and experiences around South-South Cooperation and Learning within UNICEF, including the Concept Note- Thematic Hub for South-South Cooperation and Learning, notes or prior consultations, and related programme documentations from Regional and Country offices;
2. Conduct a rapid desk review and feasibility assessment based on existing arrangements, networks, and modalities that support South-South Cooperation and learning in education and opportunities and gaps for UNICEF.
3. Develop a project proposal including a theory of change, costed option(s) for design, structure and location, a 2-year work plan, a management plan and other relevant documents.
4. Lead consultations with internal reference group- consisting of select member from UNICEF HQ, Regional Offices- ensuring efficient and timely provision of information and incorporation of feedback throughout the project development process.

UNICEF is looking for a consultant with substantial global experience at a senior level in project design and knowledge management in education and/or related social sciences.

Expected Results & Deliverables:

The consultant will work closely with the Senior Advisor, Education Research and Advocacy Hub, and Education Specialist, Knowledge Management, in UNICEF Education Section, New York HQ. Outputs and deliverables are as noted below:

Duration: 35 Working Days

Start Date: 15 December 2014 End Date: 20 February 2015

Location

The consultant will work remotely and will consult with UNICEF staff on a regular basis.

Competencies:

· Strong experience in knowledge management and knowledge exchange systems, facilities and mechanisms.

· Experience project design and development and proposal writing.

· Familiarity with South-South Cooperation approaches and models in Education.

· Familiarity with open-source technology.

· Experience with processing large amount of information and synthesizing it.

· Excellent written and visual communication skills.

· Ability to work in a team and in a diverse work environment.

· Ability to work with a global team across barriers of geography, culture, language.

· Excellent communication, presentation and drafting skills in English. Working knowledge of other UN languages would be an asset.

Required Skills and Experience:

· University degree in a relevant field, and proven experience in translating complex ideas from various fields into unified, clear guidance.

· At least 8 years of professional experience in the field of knowledge management, project development in the social sciences, partnerships and social entrepreneurship with some education experience.

· Understanding of open-source thinking.

· Understanding of linkages between programme and policy creation.

· Experience working with policy makers and practitioners.

How to apply:

How to Apply:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc) to pdconsultants@unicef.org with subject line “**Consultancy to Support South Sudan Thematic Hub**” by November 28th, 5:00pm EST.

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR DELIVERABLES.