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, dedication.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Recognizing the importance of effective digital solutions in supporting early childhood development and parenting programs, UNICEF’s Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) seeks to engage a Scale-up and Content Management Consultant for the Bebbo parenting app. This role will support the Bebbo Central Team in managing content, coordinating scale-up efforts, and ensuring consistent implementation across multiple countries where Bebbo is being launched and operated.

The UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office has developed and launched a parenting application called Bebbo that supports a digital parenting support programme. The aim is to engage parents and caregivers in nurturing care, positive parenting, stimulation, and learning. This goal is achieved by improving the availability of information and supporting parents through innovation and behavior change initiatives. The app has been successfully launched in 15 countries and has already garnered more than 1.2 million downloads.

Bebbo is a free, easily accessible mobile app available on iOS and Android platforms. It provides evidence-based guidance to support childcare and development, as well as parental well-being and mental health. In addition to early childhood development (ECD) content covering various domains such as health, nutrition, play, safety, responsive parenting, and parental well-being, the app offers functional features for monitoring and recording vaccinations, child growth and development. These features are customizable and tailored to a child’s age, gender, and other parameters. Furthermore, the application is designed to be available in multiple languages, with centrally developed content stored in a Drupal-based Content Management System (CMS).

The Theory of Change for the Bebbo app stipulates that as parents download the app and regularly access and use its key functions, they will increase their knowledge and awareness of key aspects of child development. This increase in awareness is expected to lead to greater parental engagement in nurturing care, positive parenting practices, stimulating and learning activities, and improved parental well-being, ultimately resulting in improved outcomes for children.

Bebbo’s potential to create improved outcomes is supported by several key success factors:

• Growing adoption of mobile devices: The target demographic is increasingly familiar with and reliant on smartphones, expanding the app’s potential reach.
• Limited access to traditional services: Many users face difficulties accessing in-person service providers, making Bebbo a valuable alternative source of information and guidance.
• UNICEF’s content expertise: The organization’s ability to deliver reliable, useful content in a user-friendly format enhances the app’s effectiveness.
• Ecosystem integration: UNICEF’s deep understanding of local service provider networks allows Bebbo to complement rather than disrupt existing ECD programs.
• Open-source flexibility: As an open-source solution, Bebbo is easily adaptable for translation and customization to diverse languages and cultural contexts.
• Inclusive design: The app’s navigation, offline functionality, and core content selection cater specifically to the needs of the most vulnerable parents and caregivers.

As Bebbo continues to expand its reach across multiple countries, there is a growing need for coordinated and effective monitoring and evaluation strategies. Each country office (CO) requires support in developing and implementing tailored M&E frameworks, creating robust data collection tools, and ensuring consistent measurement and reporting across all platforms. Additionally, there is a need to increase the use of data-driven decision-making both within UNICEF and externally, as well as to systematically gather and analyze user feedback to inform future improvements and demonstrate the app’s impact.

To support Bebbo’s continued growth and ensure consistent content quality across implementations, UNICEF ECARO is seeking a Scale-up and Content Management Consultant to work closely with the Bebbo Central Team and Country Offices. In the context of rapid expansion across multiple countries and increasing content requirements, this consultant will play a crucial role in:

1. Content Management and Quality Assurance – Leading the addition and maintenance of content across all country implementations through the centralized Content Management System (CMS), ensuring alignment with UNICEF standards and country office needs while maintaining consistency in messaging and user experience.
2. Growth Management and Scale-up Implementation – Providing comprehensive technical assistance to new and existing Country Offices in their Bebbo implementations, including onboarding, training, and ongoing support to ensure successful deployment and sustainable operations.
3. App and CMS Enhancement Coordination – Supporting the identification, and implementation of new features and improvements across both the app and CMS, ensuring the platform continues to evolve to meet user needs and program objectives.
4. Knowledge Management and Capacity Building – Establishing and maintaining robust knowledge management systems, developing resources and tools, and building capacity across country offices to ensure effective implementation and sustainable growth of the Bebbo program.
5. Cross-functional Coordination – Supporting other related programming activities from an operational perspective, including contribution to content strategy, user experience improvements, and integration with existing early childhood development programs.

The consultant will work with the Bebbo Central Team and Country Offices to ensure that all content management and scale-up activities align with UNICEF’s digital standards and guidelines, contributing to Bebbo’s continued growth, enhanced user experience, and increased impact across implementing countries.

Scope of Work

Under the supervision of Innovation Manager, ECD, the consultant will be responsible for managing the content ecosystem and scale-up implementation of Bebbo across global, regional and country level. The consultant will oversee content management, coordinate new country onboarding, support platform enhancements, and ensure effective knowledge management across all implementations. The consultant is expected to contribute to the following tasks:

A. Content Management and Quality Assurance related to the Bebbo application and CMS.

• Access Administration and Security: Manage user roles, permissions, and access protocols in the CMS, including technical coordination for system access. Provide troubleshooting support and maintain access documentation for all users.
• Content Operations and Quality Control: Oversee content addition, updates, and synchronization across all language versions while ensuring quality and consistency. Manage content workflow processes, version control, and archival systems between central CMS and country subsites.
• Training and Capacity Building: Develop and deliver CMS training materials and sessions for country offices, including comprehensive user guides and technical documentation. Monitor training effectiveness and provide ongoing technical support to ensure successful implementation.
• Translation Management: Coordinate translation workflows, string updates, and quality control across all language versions. Maintain translation memory and glossaries while ensuring consistency in messaging across platforms.

B. Growth Management and Scale-up Implementation

• New Country Onboarding and Implementation: Lead coordination and implementation support for new countries (Bangladesh, Ecuador, Turkey, Samoa, etc.), including development of onboarding schedules, country-specific roadmaps, and implementation monitoring. Coordinate requirements and setup processes.
• Existing Country Support and Best Practices: Provide technical assistance to current implementations while monitoring usage metrics and adoption rates. Facilitate cross-country knowledge sharing and support continuous improvement initiatives through identification and documentation of best practices.

C. App and CMS Enhancement Coordination

• Feature Enhancement and Implementation: Gather business requirements, coordinate stakeholder discussions, and prioritize enhancement requests. Monitor implementation progress and validate feature deployments through testing protocols.
• Configuration System Management: Oversee new content type implementations, taxonomy updates, and subsite configurations. Lead testing efforts and coordinate with development team on platform optimizations while maintaining technical documentation.
• Quality Assurance and Testing: Manage testing protocols, coordinate user acceptance testing, and oversee bug tracking and resolution.

D. Knowledge Management and Resource Development

• Resource Development and Maintenance: Maintain deployment toolkit, user guides, and training materials while documenting best practices and lessons learned. Build and manage comprehensive knowledge repository for all Bebbo resources.
• User Engagement and Feedback Management: Coordinate user surveys, analyze feedback, and manage app store reviews and responses. Monitor user satisfaction metrics and develop improvement recommendations based on collected data.
• Reporting and Knowledge Sharing: Review country dashboards, analyze usage patterns, and prepare progress reports for stakeholders. Lead Knowledge Management Volunteers and facilitate cross-country learning initiatives.

E. Strategic Coordination and Planning

• Program Coordination: Participate in weekly coordination meetings, lead technical discussions, and provide status updates on key initiatives. Document decisions and coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure aligned implementation.
• Stakeholder Management: Coordinate with Country Offices, technical partners, and service providers while supporting cross-team collaboration. Ensure effective communication flow between all stakeholders.

The consultant will need to maintain flexibility and adaptability as the Bebbo platform continues to evolve and expand, balancing multiple priorities while ensuring quality, sustainability, and impact across all areas of responsibility.

Work Assignment Overview

Estimated Duration of the Contract

105 working days between November 2024 and June 2025.

Consultant’s Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be remote/home-based with no travels foreseen.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 105 working days to undertake this assignment.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in international development or relevant field.
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in coordination/management of technology innovations/mobile applications required.
  • Experience in digital projects in early childhood development or parenting would be considered as an asset.
  • Professional experience of working on Drupal content management system for 1-2 years is desirable.
• Experience in working with a multidisciplinary team of designers, engineers, researchers, domain experts, both in-house and external
  • Demonstrated ability and experience in coordination, and able to work under pressure is required
  • Excellent communication abilities, in both written and oral forms.
• Knowledge of the environment in which UNICEF operates, and understanding the constraints of working in a developing-world environment.
  • Ability to align technical goals with UNICEF strategic goals — that always will mean UNICEF’s mission over any particular technology.
  • Fluency in English is a minimum requirement. Fluency in languages of the UNICEF ECA region would be an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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 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:

Please include a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.