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Facilitator, UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office staff retreat 2018

Baku

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Baku
  • Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Children's rights (health and protection)
    • Programme Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF Country Offices routinely hold a Retreat with the purpose of building team interaction, inter-personal skills, and to address issues identified through systematic Staff Surveys. Retreats can also provide opportunities for colleagues to work together in an informal setting to address issues related to the UNICEF Country Programme, to strategize or undertake creative analysis of work priorities and plans. The results of such Retreats should include a strengthened sense of collaboration, mutual understanding and respect amongst colleagues, and a renewed commitment to teamwork in support of the organization’s mandate. In Azerbaijan, the focus of the 2018 Retreat will be on building project management skills and confidence amongst staff members and long-term consultants. This builds on a new direction within the UNICEF Country Programme that is increasingly bringing multi-disciplinary teams together to design, implement and manage inter-related areas of work, and in an environment where work is involving multiple partners from government, UN and civil society sectors. Furthermore, through the last Azerbaijan Staff Survey in 2017, a number of staff identified a need to place more management responsibility on individuals, and a desire to take on more responsibility and accountability for work streams. In order to support staff to take on such leadership roles within the workplace it was agreed that investment in basic project management skills would be required.

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,

UNICEF Country Offices routinely hold a Retreat with the purpose of building team interaction, inter-personal skills, and to address issues identified through systematic Staff Surveys. Retreats can also provide opportunities for colleagues to work together in an informal setting to address issues related to the UNICEF Country Programme, to strategize or undertake creative analysis of work priorities and plans.

The results of such Retreats should include a strengthened sense of collaboration, mutual understanding and respect amongst colleagues, and a renewed commitment to teamwork in support of the organization’s mandate.

In Azerbaijan, the focus of the 2018 Retreat will be on building project management skills and confidence amongst staff members and long-term consultants. This builds on a new direction within the UNICEF Country Programme that is increasingly bringing multi-disciplinary teams together to design, implement and manage inter-related areas of work, and in an environment where work is involving multiple partners from government, UN and civil society sectors.

Furthermore, through the last Azerbaijan Staff Survey in 2017, a number of staff identified a need to place more management responsibility on individuals, and a desire to take on more responsibility and accountability for work streams. In order to support staff to take on such leadership roles within the workplace it was agreed that investment in basic project management skills would be required.

How can you make a difference?

Objectives of the UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office Retreat 2017

The 2018 UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office Retreat will take place outside Baku, on a residential basis from the afternoon of Wednesday 4 April until the later afternoon of Friday 6 April. All Country Office staff, volunteers and interns will be involved – a total of about 20 people. All but three participants will be Azerbaijan nationals. If necessary, translation support will be provided for colleagues with a less confident command of English. In addition to the main programme, social events will be arranged in the evenings as part of more informal team-building efforts. The actual time available for skills building will be one and half days, split from approximately 9 a.m. until 5. 30 p.m. on the first day, and 9 a.m. until 1.30 p.m. on the second day.

The overarching objective of the Retreat is to build the practical knowledge, skills and confidence of participants to plan, implement, monitor and report on activities involving different entities.

Specific knowledge and/or skill sets that should be enhanced are:

  1. How to define objectives and results of a project.
  2. How to plan a project from the perspective of time and human and financial resources – including identifying timelines, milestones, costs, expertise required, and possible skills gaps.
  3. How to establish a monitoring system to assess progress and success, including how to define progress and success indicators, or proxy indicators.
  4. How to define a work plan for implementation
  5. How to assign and deliver leadership roles for a project.
  6. How to build in contingency plans.
  7. Team work in practice.
  8. How to report effectively on the outcomes of a project.

Purpose of this assignment: the contractor will design and lead the facilitation of the two-day Staff Retreat, working to the above objectives established by the Country Office management. This will include drafting methodological approaches, setting out the programme of the Retreat itself, facilitating sessions with and without senior management participation, and providing feedback to Country Office management on any observations of staff engagement and interaction during the Retreat.

In addition, the contractor will be provided with a working case study to use as a point of practical reference during the theoretical stage of the Retreat (Day 1), and will design a fun, practical team exercise for two to three groups of participants for half a day on Day 2 in which participants can put some of the skills learned into practice. This exercise should be energetic, enjoyable and encourage a sense of healthy competition between teams, while at the same time testing participants’ ability to design, manage and implement a team-based project in a fixed time period.

Where feasible, and weather permitting, the venue will allow for this team exercise to be undertaken outdoors.

Background documentation:

The successful contractor will be provided with details of a working case study that can be used as a reference point for the theoretical part of the Retreat. Any documents provided are to be considered strictly confidential and should not be retained in any format beyond the duration of the assignment.

Deliverables

Deliverable

Due date

Basic methodology for implementation of the Retreat and proposed budget

Thursday 15 March 2018 (as part of expression of interest)

Outline of Retreat programme, including session plan and expected outcomes for each session

Wednesday 21 March 2018

Finalised Retreat programme

Friday 23 March 2018

Facilitation of Retreat

Thursday 5 and Friday 6 April 2018 (in-country)

Draft feedback report/evaluation

Friday 20 April 2018

Final agreed feedback report/evaluation

Friday 27 April 2018

Interested contractors should submit the following documents through UNICEF e-recruitment no later than 18:00 hrs in Azerbaijan (GMT+4) on Thursday 15 March 2018.

  1. Brief outline of the main methodology proposed to deliver the Retreat objectives as set out above. Please include details of your technical approach (e.g. interactive sessions, team-building exercises, knowledge sharing opportunities etc.) that you believe would support the achievement of the planned objectives, and how they would contribute to the successful achievement of the objectives. Please note that for the purposes of this Retreat psychometric testing or similar individual personality assessments should NOT be included in the methodology.
  2. Full client list for project management and/or team-building related assignments undertaken in 2016 and 2017, including contact details.
  3. Name of the proposed facilitator (if not yourself).
  4. Professional resume or similar profile detailing qualifications and summary experience of the proposed facilitator (including if yourself), and normal location of the facilitator (for purposes of calculating travel costs).
  5. In the case of registered companies, a copy of your official company registration certificate.

Budget

Potential contractors should provide a budget outline for this assignment as follows:

  1. Professional fees, in US dollars per day x total number of days required to fulfil the assignment (this may include preparation time before the Retreat and follow-up time after the Retreat).
  2. Costs of materials, hand-outs and other items required to facilitate the Retreat (UNICEF Azerbaijan may provide some items locally as required, in which case these costs will be deducted from the proposed budget after consultation with the contractor).
  3. Estimated travel costs from the contractor’s normal place of work to Baku, Azerbaijan. For contractors based outside Azerbaijan, any travel costs should be based on the most viable lowest-cost route in Economy class (UNICEF does not cover the costs of Business class travel). See also notes below.
  4. Other expenses anticipated, with details.

Please note carefully the guidance for submitting budget proposals below.

Notes

  • Proposed travel itineraries will be reviewed by UNICEF Azerbaijan in advance to ensure compliance with organizational travel procedures and policy and, if approved, reimbursed to contactors upon submission of copies of tickets and boarding passes at the end of the assignment.
  • Domestic travel to and from the Retreat venue will be provided at no cost by UNICEF Azerbaijan.
  • For contractors based outside Azerbaijan, based on an anticipated arrival date in Baku of Tuesday 3 April 2018, and departure from Baku no earlier than Saturday 7 April 2018, contractors will be paid a separate Daily Subsistence Allowance as per UNICEF procedures, to reimburse costs of accommodation and meals for all days while in-country.
  • For contractors based in Azerbaijan, a separate Daily Subsistence Allowance as per UNICEF procedures will be provided to reimburse costs of accommodation and meals for a maximum period of Tuesday 3 – Friday 6 April 2018 inclusive
  • As applicable, the costs of entry visas, vaccinations, and health/travel/equipment insurance are the responsibility of the contractor. All contractors must provide evidence of sufficient insurance to cover any eventualities while on assignment.
  • As applicable, UNICEF Azerbaijan will provide the contractor with the necessary administrative documents to obtain an entry visa to Azerbaijan.

Budget proposals should NOT be submitted with the technical documents listed above. Rather, budget documents should be sent no later than 18:00 hrs in Azerbaijan (GMT+4) on Thursday 15 March 2018  to lahmadova@unicef.org clearly showing the name of the applicant in the subject line. If budget proposals are sent with the technical documents listed above, the whole proposal will automatically be invalidated.

Payment terms

Payments will be made to the contractor on the following schedule:

  • 10 per cent of total contract cost upon delivery of approved methodology and outline Retreat programme
  • 90 per cent of total contract cost upon satisfactory delivery of final feedback/evaluation report.
  • Payments on this schedule should be claimed through itemised invoices, payable on 30-day terms.

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

  • At least five years proven experience in leading and facilitating project management training and team-building or similar interactive group exercises, preferably including not-for-profit clients. Contact details of clients with whom the contractor has worked in the last two years should be included in any submission of interest for this assignment.
  • Proven experience is assessing strengths and weaknesses in teams and making recommendations on areas requiring further attention by clients.
  • Knowledge or experience of working in international development contexts, including understanding of the UN system. Prior recent experience of working with UNICEF Country Offices would be a distinct asset.
  • Excellent communication (verbal and written) skills.
  • Fluency in English. Knowledge of Russian would also be a distinct asset for this assignment.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF 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.

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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