Consultancy - Onboarding Package for Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Staff, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia

1. To determine what staff in MER positions in COs and ROs believe would be useful information and support during the induction process
2. To identify what global guidance presently exists within UNICEF across Data, Research, and Evaluation, at both the global and regional levels. Likewise, to identify good practices that exist among other UN agencies
3. To collate all relevant induction/onboarding material so that it is available for use in this assignment and beyond
4. To match what is available against the needs and wishes of stakeholders. For the gaps that are identified, determine what is required to fill that gap.
5. To organize a detailed outline of documentation to be available to and actions to be taken with the incoming staff member over a period of pre-arrival to two months on the job.
6. To specify who should be assigned certain onboarding roles and what preparation they may need to be able to fill their role(s).
7. To identify where the induction information and processes can be standardized across UNICEF versus where regional and national specification is needed. Similarly, to determine where standardization and specification are needed for Data and Research and Evaluation

Note: Annex A conveys a preliminary set of topics and processes that might be used in an indication/on-boarding effort. It is included to convey what might be covered, but the final result will depend on the needs identified by the key informants.

Key Assignments/Tasks:

1. A reference group from across South Asia and across UNICEF will be established prior to the start of this consultancy.
2. Key informants are to be interviewed about where materials presently exist and what is needed.
3. A small survey may be administered to staff that have joined their posts within the past 1-2 years (when the onboarding process is relatively fresh in the memory).
4. A list to be created of needed materials and processes, with a conclusion for each about whether they exist in whole or in part. 
5. Existing material to be organized according the time, subject, and format in which it will be used. 
6. The effort needed to fill gaps to be estimated. The Reference Group to advise on which gaps are to be filled within this assignment by the consultant, which are to be filled by the HQ Offices through their own resources, and which are left until later. For those to be done within the assignment, the missing material is drafted by the consultant or by the participating offices. 
7. The material is organized in user friendly formats and delivered.  This is include incorpora-tion by the host sections of UNICEF (e.g. Evaluation Office; Regional Offices) of the material into e-portals where all items can be available for on-line access.

Key Deliverables:

1. Inception Report: To include a) Result of short MER staff survey on onboarding needs and experiences; b) Result of an effort to gather relevant examples and documentation from the evidence functions and from sister UN agencies; c) A gap analysis of where the needs are not presently met; and d) an outline and plan for the remainder of the assignment.
2. Guidance for the Induction Process:  A stand-alone guide that can be adapted by COs and ROs.  To include all the key elements, the recommended division of labor etc.
3. An MER induction portal:  A web page where all links to existing relevant material are collated, and where feedback can be offered and reacted to.

Working Condition:

Consultant works from home and provides own computer with relevant Office software.

Required Qualifications and Competencies:

Education: Master’s degree minimum, in any social science field.  

Work Experience: At least 5 years’ experience working in the fields of Monitoring, Evaluation or Research required, with at least 2 years of that in international development

• Experience as a UN Organization M&E staff member highly preferred
• Experience in Human Resources an asset, especially related to recruitment and onboarding of new staff

Competencies:

• Knowledge of the evaluation function in UNICEF required, with experience as a UNICEF M&E or similar officer preferred.
• Knowledge of correlated Data and Research functions required.
• Interview and qualitative data analysis skills
• Concise and organized writing skills

Language Proficiency:

• Excellence in written and spoken English required.
• Functional skill in other official UN languages an asset, especially in French, Russian or Arabic.

Duration:

1st September to 31 October (34 working days)

Note: Please quote your daily rate and other cost estimates while submitting the application. Application without daily rate, etc. will not be entertained.

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.