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Consultancy Title: International consultant to support UNICEF Belarus Country Office in its transition from Emergency response to preparedness

Section/Division/Duty Station: Emergency section, UNICEF Belarus CO

Duration: November 2024 – April 2025 (about 6 months)

Home/ office Based: Remote/Home-based (with travel to the duty station upon need and agreement)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. Over 75 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and abuse. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF Belarus Country Office (CO) is seeking to hire an international consultant to support the office in streamlining its emergency response and preparedness in view of the gradual transition from the current L1 response (Ukraine situation) to preparedness and contingency, as well as to ensure that emergency preparedness is properly embedded in the new 2026-2030 Country Programme Document.

Over the past few years, the country has faced an array of different unexpected risks and emergencies: COVID-19 pandemic, political confrontations following the presidential elections, a war in Ukraine causing influx of Ukrainian refugees to Belarus, irregular migration, etc. Altogether these risks have put serious pressure on the UNICEF Belarus CO and UN system at large to respond to them in a meaningful and cost-efficient way.

At present the CO Emergency team is undergoing transformation with Emergency Coordinator having left the team and the emergency funding contracting, and hence there is a need to streamline and re-organize the work of the unit, as well as align its priorities/structure with the new CPD which is currently under development.

Scope of Work: 

The following deliverables are expected from the consultant: 

• Contribute to the exit strategy for Emergency Response (including BlueDot, HCTs etc.) refocusing to the most vulnerable children/families
• Support in developing the CO emergency preparedness plan of action for 2025-2026; finalize the new Emergency Preparedness Platform based on the recommendations from ECARO Regional Emergency Advisor and Multi-Country Preparedness and Contingency initiative
• Work with the CPD development team on how to reflect Emergency in the new programme document and cycle, including organisation of the orientation for team
• Support with the development of the new HAC and Refugee Response Plan for Belarus for 2025-26
• Support with cross-cutting and cross border work with UNICEF Poland (as well as Lithuania and Latvia if needed) for emergency preparedness and response for refugees and migrants
• Support office with fundraising and documentation of the emergency preparedness and response interventions

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables / Delivery Deadline: 

 NOTE:  The above timeline is tentative, with some flexibility for potential fluctuations preserved for negotiations with the selected consultant.  The final timeframe is to be discussed and finalized in consultation with the consultant based on the deadlines identified by UNICEF Belarus.

Travel (if required as per TOR):

Consultant would mostly provide support remotely and home based. At least one visit is required in 2024 and should be included in the proposal. Additional mission to Belarus in 2025 will be discussed and agreed with the supervisor in advance and included in the contract, if any.

Qualifications 

Education:

• Relevant advanced academic background in Humanitarian field, Development, management and administration, Social sciences, International development or in a related technical field.

Work experience/Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Academic background in social sciences, development or similar;
• At least 10 years in emergency and cross-sectoral work in social and child protection, education, health, youth participation, local governance on programming for children in the development and humanitarian settings;
• Strong knowledge of UNICEF corporate programme processes;
• Experience and understanding of humanitarian principles, child safeguarding measures and established international standards on mental health and psychosocial support for children in humanitarian settings;
• Strong organizational and facilitation skills whether face to face or remotely with diverse stakeholders;
• Familiarity with Belarus’s institutional and local context and political landscape;
• Experience in drafting strategic documents
• Knowledge and practical experience on how to embed children’s agenda into humanitarian response
• Comfortable to work independently while coordinating closely with different teams;
• Ability to listen and have an understanding of differing opinions and approaches;
• Full command of spoken and written English and Russian.
• Ability to travel (optional);

Competencies:

• Builds and maintains partnerships: Develop a network of formal and informal contacts through participation in networks or consultations with others.
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Display sensitivity and adjust language and tone, ensuring it is not demeaning or aggressive; Recognize own strengths and limitations, learning from mistakes made; Display appropriate ethical behaviours, refraining from discriminatory* language and actions.
• Drive to achieve results for impact: Plan and take ownership for delivering tasks with minimal supervision; Pay attention to detail, producing work of a high standard; Monitor activities on a regular basis, reviewing work plan to ensure progress and delivery; Ensure the completion of tasks, while addressing obstacles and bottlenecks.
• Innovates and embraces change: Review work practices, analyzing evidence-based trends to apply new methods and techniques; Respond flexibly to changing circumstances, priorities and deadlines; Display creativity, experiment with new approaches and demonstrate openness to changing existing practices.
• Manage ambiguity and complexity: Demonstrate resilience and composure, get things done despite challenges and maintain performance levels in pressured, adverse and uncertain environments.

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Interested applicants should provide a letter of interest (Cover Letter) describing how they can contribute to the interventions listed under roles and responsibilities and why they should be selected for this position. In addition, they should share their latest CV/Resume (update TMS profile) and financial proposal to undertake this job.
• Samples of the related job/tasks done/portfolio.
• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal should be submitted using the financial offer template  Financial Offer template_ Int Emergency consultant Belarus.docx and must:
  • Reflect the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment period (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • Include travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR. Consultants are responsible for arranging their own transportation arrangements. UNICEF can provide office vehicle for some duty travel missions with prior agreement as per monthly travel plan approved by the supervisor.
  • Include any other costs: health insurance, payment of an incidental expenditure (such as bank charges, insurances, etc.) and living costs as applicable.
• Indicate your availability.
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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: 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.