Consultancy to improve the shock-responsiveness and adaptiveness of the social protection system in Sri Lanka (for Sri Lankan nationals only)

The consultant will support to form an inter-governmental coordination mechanism for pursuing the agenda for establishing an emergency response mechanism through the social protection system, supported by evidence generated through an assessment of the shock-responsiveness of the existing social protection systems.

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.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, 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 AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Assignment

To support form an inter-governmental coordination mechanism for pursuing the agenda for establishing an emergency response mechanism through the social protection system, supported by evidence generated through an assessment of the shock-responsiveness of the existing social protection systems.

Assignment Tasks

Preparatory stage

• Provide support to the international consultant in conducting a desk review and development of a detailed time-bound plan for the assignment as per the above objectives, including the TOR for the oversight group;

• Agree on deliverables contributing to the objectives of this assignment; indicatively outlined below, subject to agreement between the national consultant, international consultant, and supervisor of the contract;

  Assessment of the social protection system

• Support the international consultant and provide quality inputs to development of a methodology and outline for the assessment of the social protection system in Sri Lanka;
• Support the international consultant in conducting the assessment resulting in a report with recommendations on response mechanism;

• Support the international consultant in conducting a workshop to present/validate the findings and agree on development of a response mechanism;

   Coordination mechanism to establish emergency response  through social protection system

• Support the international consultant in establishment of a coordination mechanism, including development of a TOR, draft plan/roadmap etc;
• Support the international consultant in facilitation of the first meeting of the coordination group;

• Support the international consultant and provide quality inputs to development of a concrete proposal for establishing an emergency cash transfer response mechanism using existing social protection system together with the relevant government and non-government counterparts Ministries and Departments;

   Finalization

• Support the international consultant and provide quality inputs to development of a final report highlighting recommendations and way forward to GoSL and UNICEF in supporting the continuation of the established coordination mechanism and the implementation of the proposal developed under this assignment (up to 30 pgs);
• Support the international consultant in facilitation of 1-day dissemination/validation workshop: presentation of the final assessment report and the proposal to key Government Ministries, UN agencies, CSOs, I/NGOs and development partners; agreement on the roadmap.

Expected Deliverables

1. Monthly report specifying the contribution to the Finalized and agreed upon work plan
2. Monthly report specifying the contribution to the Inception report defining outline and methodology of the assessment
3. Monthly report specifying the contribution to the Assessment report; workshop report
4. Monthly report specifying the contribution to the Coordination group TOR; Proposal for emergency cash transfer mechanism; coordination meeting report
5. Monthly report specifying the contribution to the Final report; agreed roadmap

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Education

 Advanced university degree (Masters) in Economics, Social Science, Public Administration/Public Policy, Development Policy, or a related technical field.

Specialist skills/Training 

Proven ability to conceptualize, plan and execute complex processes across a wide range of stakeholders, advanced ability to work quickly and under pressure; proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team; prior experiences working in social protection systems including cash transfers in emergencies.

Years of relevant experience

Minimum five (5) years of professional work experience in policy, technical assistance related to social policy and/or social protection. Experience in emergency cash programming would be a strong asset.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

 In-depth knowledge on the social protection systems in Sri Lanka and emergency cash transfer programmes; access to networks of professionals in related fields; ability to work cordially in an environment with persons of different backgrounds and opinions; ability to navigate challenges in completing tasks and ability ensure deliverables in a timely manner; Excellent organization skills, attention to detail and ability to contribute to a team.

Languages required

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; strong interpersonal and presentation as well as facilitation skills; a good command of Sinhalese and/or Tamil is a must.

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.