UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)

UNICEF REGIONAL OFFICE

SSA Consultant:

Inter-Country Quality Node (ICQN) on Peace Education – Coordination Consultant

NO-C

Duration: 4.5 months

Date of Issue:17 July, 2013 Closing Date:24 July, 2013

Applications are hereby invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill the above Consultancy.

Justification

The Inter Country Quality Node (ICQN) on Peace Education is a mechanism for collaborative action and information sharing on promoting peace through the education sector. The mechanism was formally established in 2009 under the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and is currently coordinated by the Ministry of Education of Kenya. Twelve countries – including Angola, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda – participated in a major international workshop of the ICQN on Peace Education held in Naivasha, Kenya, in December 2012. Participants at the workshop developed an Action Plan of regional and national-level activities for the ICQN for 2013 and beyond and the Ministers present signed the 2013 Naivasha Communiqué, committing their governments to promoting peace through education and to implementing the action plan. As part of the Action Plan, participants called for the establishment of a permanent Secretariat to facilitate the ICQN.

The ICQN Coordination Consultant will serve the ICQN on Peace Education and along with a secondée from the Kenyan Ministry of Education (MOE) will comprise the Secretariat for the ICQN. This permanent Secretariat will be newly established upon the placement of the Coordination Consultant and secondée.

Scope of Work

The ICQN Coordination Consultant is responsible for managing and coordinating the activities of the ICQN on Peace Education. The Consultant will work in conjunction with the Kenyan MOE secondée to ensure that:

  • facilitation of the ICQN and engagement by its members is consistent and effective;
  • activities in the ICQN Action Plan (developed in December 2012) are undertaken; and
  • project management and quality assurance to all ICQN tasks and products is provided.

The Coordination Consultant will establish and develop means and mechanisms for ongoing and effective coordination, facilitation, communication and collaboration within the ICQN, with the ICQN members and with the range of stakeholders involved. Given that the ICQN Secretariat will be newly established, the ICQN Coordination Consultant must use creativity, innovation and persistence in developing communications, project management and other systems for achieving the ICQN goals.

The role of the Consultant is first and foremost coordination. Specific tasks and responsibilities include:

  • Manage and facilitate ICQN activities by guaranteeing satisfactory project management, leading the implementation of the ICQN’s Action Plan and providing input and guidance as appropriate.
  • Ensure ongoing quality communications and consistent follow-up with and between ICQN members.
  • Plan and organize meetings and other events for the ICQN as elaborated in the Action Plan and/or decided upon by the membership.
  • Facilitate and coordinate the ICQN Steering Committee including regular communication via conference calls and email.
  • Monitor and report on activities and achievements to the ICQN members, the Kenyan Ministry of Education, the ADEA Secretariat, and other partners and stakeholders.
  • Mobilize resources in conjunction with the Steering Committee to ensure financial support for ICQN activities.
  • Develop partnerships with key agencies and stakeholders to support the work of the ICQN.
  • Provide technical inputs to and review ICQN products and deliverables.
  • Recruit and manage consultants for ICQN products and deliverables as needed.

Deliverables / Duration
(Estimated # of days) / Timeline
Refine the ICQN work plan from action plan and develop a results framework / 15 / 31st August
Establish the Steering Committee including a plan/mechanism for regular communication; hold a first conference call / 10 / 30thSeptember
Establish dedicated focal points in the 12 countries that participated in Naivasha
  • Work with the Technical Committee to draft and review a letter from the Kenyan Minister that will be sent to the countries
  • Work with the Director to move the letter through the MOE bureaucracy to completion, approval and dissemination
  • Ensure dissemination of the letter
  • Follow-up with countries via phone and email
  • Confirm and verify focal points with contact information
  • Establish mechanisms for regular communication
/ 10 / 30th September
Organize a technical meeting of the ICQN focal points (pending available funds) to foster cooperation / 5 / Early November
Develop a resource mobilization strategy for the ICQN including staffing and activities in the short, medium and long terms / 15 / 30th November
Disseminate the report or other outputs from ICQN technical meeting / 10 / 15th December
Develop e-newsletter and distribute the first edition to ICQN members and stakeholders / 15 / 15th December
Determine which additional countries would like to join the ICQN
  • e.g. consult with existing ICQN members; use fragility index to develop a list of potential additional countries; undertake outreach to new members such as through the KNATCOM systems/contacts
/ 10 / End of December

Desired competencies, technical background and experience

The following are requirements for the consultancy:

  • Experience coordinating multiple partners across various geographical locations
  • International experience including working with governments as well as UN agencies, NGOs and other international agencies
  • Excellent inter-personal and communication skills and proven networking and facilitation skills working with multiple stakeholders.
  • Excellent organizational and coordination skills, including experience managing multiple complex projects and deadlines involving different partners.
  • Self-driven with the ability to be flexible and work well in a fast-paced environment with limited daily supervision.
  • Creativity and innovation in terms of developing means, mechanisms and systems for managing and coordinating work products
  • Masters degree or above in a relevant field (e.g. peace and conflict resolution, international relations, education, etc.)
  • Fluency in English and French required; additional skills in Portuguese desired.
  • Experience in peace education or conflict resolution and peacebuilding desired.

Please note that this contract is for a Kenyan national.

Administrative issues

The ICQN Coordination Consultant will be hired by UNICEF ESARO and hosted at the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM). Consultant will be responsible to UNICEF for achieving the deliverables. UNICEF ESARO will also provide guidance and support through the Technical Committee (described below). The Consultant will be supervised by the Kenyan Ministry of Education’s Director of Policy and Partnership. The Director of Policy and Partnership will be responsible for liaising with the Principal Secretariat as required for ICQN Secretariat operations. All work will be undertaken in conjunction with the Kenyan MOE secondée who serves as the other member of the ICQN Secretariat.

Together with the Kenyan MOE secondeé, the Consultant will establish and engage with the ICQN Steering Committee for ongoing strategic guidance. The Steering Committee will be representative of the ICQN members and partners including, for example, the lead country (currently Kenya), one each Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone member countries, and key partners such as ADEA. KNATCOM’s Secretary General will sit on the ICQN Steering Committee to ensure effective coordination and support as the host of the Secretariat.

A Technical Committee which is an arm of the Steering Committee will provide operational support and guidance. The Technical Committee will be comprised of representatives from UNESCO Regional Office for East Africa, KNATCOM, Ministry of Education Peace Education Section, the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and UNICEF ESARO. Other strategic partners will participate within the Steering Committee and/or Technical Committee depending on their task and interest.

Conditions

The ICQN Coordination Consultant will be hosted at the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM). No travel foreseen under this consultancy.

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.Payment will be made monthly upon receipt of duly reviewed and approved deliverables (see above table).

The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.

Interested and suitable candidates should ensure that they forward their applications along with their curricula vitae, to;

The Human Resources Manager

UNICEF Kenya Country Office

Email address:

Please indicate Reference No. “ESARO/SSA/EDU/2013/015” in the email subject.

Interested candidates should also complete the Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded from the UNICEF Kenya website ().

“QUALIFIED FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY”

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE

UNICEF IS A SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENT