Senior Advisor on Innovations

Background

Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent an unprecedented leap forward in the fight against poverty and inequalities, as well as in the struggle for environmental sustainability. The SDGs embody a universal, inclusive and transformative vision of development, which calls upon all Member States to ensure a life of dignity for all, leaving no-one behind.

The realization of this agenda will require the existence of sufficient political will and the generation of an enabling environment for citizens to actively engage in the implementation, monitoring and review efforts.

As a UN entity mandated by the Secretary General to work across the UN system, the UN SDG Action Campaign is uniquely positioned to address these challenges. In the framework of this project, the UN SDG Action Campaign will leverage its accumulated knowledge, experience and assets to foster ownership of the SDGs among all stakeholders, facilitate innovative mechanisms for public engagement in participatory monitoring and accountability of the Goals, and generate a global citizen framework for action on the SDGs.

As part of these efforts, the UN SDG Action Campaign is currently supporting member state governments to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the 2030 Agenda to spur innovation and new solution development, leveraging new information and communications technology and employing new models of partnership and challenge-based programming.

The Head of innovation is responsible for and the production of a High-Level Event on innovation and the SDGs during the 72nd General Assembly in September of 2017.

Duties and Responsibilities

The key tasks under this initiative, include 1) Oversee and produce programme engagement documents; 2) Ensure views and inputs of experts and notable participants from different sectors are represented in all content; 3) Develop an advocacy strategy for all content; and 4) Develop partnerships around the content.

The consultant will be responsible, specifically for the following tasks:

• Identify and collect lessons learned on how to anticipate a way to translate the discussion at the event into action at the national level to expand the initiative to other cities;
• Reach out to experts, and notable participants of relevant communities of practice, NGO networks, private sector, academia, UN country office and HQ, Member states, etc. to ensure broad participation in the SDG advocacy associated with Innovation;
• Build strong networks through central coordination among private sector, especially from the innovations sector, as well as Member States and UN System in general;
• Advise the UN SDG Action Campaign Director on innovations and SDG and the overall strategic direction, management and promotion on innovations in a follow up phase.

Competencies

Core

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modelling the UN/UNDP’s values, normative framework and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of the UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• General knowledge of the UN's work, and the new development agenda an asset;

Functional

• Capacity to interact with senior officials and credibly influence decision makers in UN member states and other international development organizations;
• Strong analytical, dialogue, consultation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products.
• Managerial experience and decision-making skills;

• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
• Knowledge and expertise in UN’s programming processes;
• Proven ability to lead a service area and drive for results with substantial knowledge of results-based management and budgeting;
• Proven ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff;
• Excellent negotiating and networking skills;
• A sound global network of institutional and individual contacts;
• Ability to strongly promote knowledge sharing and knowledge products and services;
• Demonstrated ability to understand clients' needs and concerns; respond promptly and effectively to client needs and customize services and products as appropriate;
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with others in own unit and across boundaries; acknowledge others' contributions; promote collaboration and facilitate teamwork across organizational boundaries;
• Open to new ideas; shares own knowledge; applies knowledge in daily work; builds partnerships for learning and knowledge sharing;
• Proven ability to provide strategic direction in service area;
• Knowledge and experience in filmmaking and virtual reality production will be considered as an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree in International Relations, Development, Public Administration, Environment or related field is required.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience of international development, programme development, partnership building, analytical work in development issues is required;
• Experience in event production is desired
• Experience in partnership building and resource mobilization is required;
• Experience in coordinating complex processes with multi-stakeholder participation is required;
• Work experience with the UN system in particular with the SDGs is an asset

Language:

• Excellent communication and writing skills in English;
• Working knowledge of other UN official language(s) an asset.

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• Online application with brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment; and
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references.
• A two-page methodology on how the Offeror will conduct the work including a Work Plan and approach in delivering the required outputs within the assignment period.
• Please submit samples or links to your writings (an abstract from any report you have produced recently)

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the specific and measurable deliverables of the TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, and deliverables accepted and certified by the technical manager.
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; cost of travel from the home base to the duty station and vice versa, where required; living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (700 points):

• Criteria 1. • Demonstrated ability to broker partnerships with the privet sector Weight = 20%; Maximum Points: 200;
• Criteria 2. Demonstrated expertise in developing and managing relationships, particularly in the SDGs, innovations and privet sector fields  Weight = 15 %; Maximum Points: 150;
• Criteria 3. Writing skills, specifically report writing tasks Weight = 15 %; Maximum Points: 150;
• Criteria 4: Experience in Project management in the SDGs and innovtions sector Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 100

Interview: Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 100.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (490 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (300 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

• p = y (µ/z), where
• p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
• y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
• µ = price of the lowest priced proposal
• z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top three/four shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of Director of the Campaign and responsible for formalizing partnerships with private sector partners, managing the post production and follow up of the high-level event on Innovation organized by UN SDG Action Campaign during UNGA72, and produce a report on ways to leverage the output of the discussions during the event to generate concreate action at the country level in the near future.

The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

The consultancy is based in New York, USA, with occasional meetings at the Campaign office in Bonn, Germany, and possible travel to support the implementation of the project.

Travel costs will be reimbursed separately based on the UN rates. The reimbursable costs will be due upon submission of the documentary evidence of such expenses, which will then be reviewed and accepted by the Campaign.

Payment modality

• Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.
• The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs
• Annex 2 - IC Contract Template
• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions
• Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.