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, a hope

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 2018 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. Social indicators are particularly alarming for women and children.

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. 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 with the armed conflict with Boko Haram, and more recently in western regions bordering with Mali and Burkina Faso.

UNICEF supports the efforts of the Government of Niger to improve the situation of women and children. The 2023-2027 country programme focuses on the following intervention axes: health, water, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, education, child protection, social policy, and adolescents and social norms.

To implement its programme, UNICEF relies on its institutional budget as well as other resources that it mobilizes. The Niger Country Office manages a large number of grants, with heavy reporting requirements. A high number of donor reports and proposals are expected to be produced in the period of June 2024 -January 2025 while the Country Office is experiencing a shortage of capacity in the partnership unit and in the Office over the same period of time. In addition, several strategic documents will also be produced by the end of the year to support the roll out of new initiatives.

How can you make a difference?

The 2 consultants (Home-Based) will ensure that reports and project proposals continue to meet high quality standards and are sent on time, therefore complying with donor and internal requirements (content, language, format and schedule as well as specific visibility requirements or restrictions).

Activities:

Under the direction of the Deputy Representative and in close collaboration with the partnership unit and programme sections, the consultant will support the timely consolidation, editing and submission of high-quality donor reports, and project proposals, in adherence to set standards and donor obligations.

This will include ensuring the completeness, coherence, correctness and formatting of reports and proposals, including financial verification. In addition, the consultant will ensure that high-quality thematic reports covering several sectors are produced as well as monitoring of the grants and their utilization, and updates of the various tools and databases.

The following tasks will be expected:

• Conduct quality check of donor reports including conformity with original proposals, donor and reporting requirements, and compliance with results-based management.
• Conduct quality check of project proposals including compliance with results-based management.
• Write high-quality thematic reports.
• Monitor and manage deadlines for timely submission of consolidated documents under consultants’ responsibility (reports, proposals).
• Support review of programme documents
• Updates tools and databases

Reports and project proposals will have to meet quality standards and will be submitted on time. The target delivery date will be specific to each document, as the start date will depend on the availability of internal inputs and as the volume of work needed will vary with each document. The work will be carried out between June 2024 and January 31, 2025. The number of working days will be revised if needed, depending on different factors including the quality of drafts to be passed on to the consultant or additional workload. Based on current foreseen reporting workload, it is estimated that the number of days may be approximately distributed as follows:

APPROXIMATE N DAYS BASED ON REPORTING WORKLOAD

June 2024         20 days

July 2024          20 days

Aug 2024          20 days

Sept 2024         20 days

Oct 2024           20 days

Nov 2024          20 days

Dec 2024          20 days

Janv 2025         20 days

TOTAL   160 days

Modality of payments:

Payments will be affected at the end of each calendar month based on an invoice presented by the consultant, accompanied by a 1-page report detailing the products delivered and the number of days worked during the previous month, which will be certified by the Partnership Specialist or, in her absence, by the Deputy Representative. Full payment will be subject to satisfactory quality, quantity and timeliness of outputs.

Methodology:

Reports: monitor reporting deadlines, solicit and receive timely inputs from relevant sections and colleagues, review and/or compile first draft (narrative and financial reporting), collaborate with programme colleagues to assure high quality, share with Deputy Representative for comments, finalize document according to feedback, share with donor or other stakeholder if and when needed, share with assistant for uploading in system, archive.

Proposals:  discuss resource needs and project ideas with interested sections and colleagues, receive a first draft (if one sector) or inputs from different sectors (if multisectoral), discuss with colleagues to ensure coherence (across sections as well as with strategic programme documents such CPD, KRCs, HAC), finalize draft (narrative as well as financial aspects) and share with Deputy Representative for comments, finalize document according to feedback, share with donor or other stakeholder if and when needed, archive.

Supervision:

The consultant will work with the Deputy Representative and in close collaboration with the partnership unit and programme sections.

Note:

Please note that applications should include the following information. Applications without the following information will not be entertained.

• Updated CV.
• Cover letter.
• Diploma from highest education level.
• A technical offer detailing the methodology to be followed to achieve the deliverables
• Financial proposal

Evaluation Criteria:

Desk review evaluating specific professional experience. The technical offer will be graded on a scale of 70 with a pass mark of 50.

The lowest financial offer obtains the maximum financial rating. Other bids that have passed the required technical threshold will receive scores inversely proportional to the lowest bid.

Work Assignments Overview, Deliverables and Delivery deadline

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) in one of the following fields is required: social sciences, Communications, Marketing, or other related field (English as the language of instruction is an advantage)
• Two years minimum of relevant work experience
• Strong writing and editing skills in English and French
• Strong logical and analytical skills.
• Advanced MS Word and basic MS Excel skills.
• Good time management and ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with/experience in international development and humanitarian affairs an asset.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to quickly establish trusted relationships.
• Previous experience and exposure to UNICEF programmes.
• Previous field experience in Niger or in the Sahel region would be an advantage

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

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.

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.