Consultancy : Senior development economist for a cost of inaction analysis on early childhood development in Madagascar (home based)

Under the partnership between UNICEF and ECDAN and through the coordination of UNICEF HQ and ESARO, Madagascar country office will participate in the piloting of the ECDAN tool, alongside other countries in different regions. The process of piloting the ECDAN tool allows Madagascar to customize the parameters and assumptions by reflecting the real costs of implementing ECD interventions in the Madagascar context. Efforts will be made to promote lessons exchange among all the participating countries.

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Under the partnership between UNICEF and ECDAN and through the coordination of UNICEF HQ and ESARO, Madagascar country office will participate in the piloting of the ECDAN tool, alongside other countries in different regions. The process of piloting the ECDAN tool allows Madagascar to customize the parameters and assumptions by reflecting the real costs of implementing ECD interventions in the Madagascar context. Efforts will be made to promote lessons exchange among all the participating countries.

1. To develop a costing model to estimate the annual per child costs for different ECD programs in Madagascar – including i) early-life nutrition programs under 3 years of age, ii) programs adapted for early learning for children 3-5 years old (ECD sites and/or preschool programs), and iii) home visits – based on variables and parameters that define different levels of quality (educational level of caregivers, ratio of children to caregiver, equipment, training and supervision, etc.)
2. To estimate the cost of inaction on ECD programs and identify the ECD programmes with greatest impact by applying the model in the ECDAN tool – different scenarios and assumption will be analyzed (geographic area and different levels of quality).
3. To prepare a two-pager that can help inform discussions on strengthening the priorities on ECD interventions.

How can you make a difference?

Tasks and responsibilities

The consultant will work under the supervision of the UNICEF Madagascar’s Nutrition Section and Social Policy and Evaluation Section. The consultant will also receive some oversight and support in relation to the customization of the ECDAN tool, application to local context, analytical approach, interpretation and documentation.

In collaboration with the ECD Taskforce, the ECD focal point at the National Office of Nutrition, UNICEF and ECDAN, the consultant will undertake and be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Interviews with government officials to produce an overview of current ECD programs in Madagascar, indicating its main characteristics (coverage, targeting, quality, etc.) and the disaggregated costs of each program and jointly identify reliable sources of data.
2. Review cost of inaction studies focusing on ECD that may be relevant to informing the scope of this exercise, including modelling approaches and scenarios preferably from the sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Identify and compile available data for analysis from household surveys and demographic health surveys including the MICS and Education Management Information System (EMIS) (e.g. educational level of caregivers, ratio of children to caregiver, equipment, training and supervision, prices and wages etc.) as well as budgetary allocations and current spending on ECD from the different ministries.

• The ECDAN expert consultant will support the application of the cost of inaction protocol to the Madagascar context, building on lessons learned from other pilot countries

4. Measure the size, composition and distribution of current government spending on ECD.
5. Draft an inception report proposing modelling approaches and scenarios for the cost of inaction analysis that will be conducted by using the ECDAN tool.
6. Undertake an ECD cost of inaction analysis based on the agreed modelling and scenarios using the ECDAN tool:

• Social and economic costs to be considered include: gender, number of years in school, performance in school-literacy and numeracy, health, nutritional status, socioemotional development, increased education spending, lost earnings and loss in GDP.
• Estimate the ECD cost of inaction for the three interventions: i) early-life nutrition programs under 3 years of age, ii) programs adapted for early learning for children 3-5 years old (ECD sites and/or preschool programs), and iii) home visits.

7. Prepare a two-pager that can help inform discussions on strengthening the priorityies on ECD interventions. The tow-pager will describe the results of the analysis in simple language and will be used by UNICEF in collaboration with WHO and the World Bank to adress the government and to open dialogues on ECD agenda. 
8. Lead a virtual or face-to-face presentation and exchange of findings and the two-pager with concerned Government and technical partners.
9. Develop a final mission report with at least 10-15 pages describing the methods, simulation steps and results obtained from the tasks and responsibilities number 1 to 8. The report also needs to be documenting: any adjustments or lessons learned in the application of the web version of the ECDAN tool, which will contribute to global learning in this field and inform the use of the ECDAN tool in the future; recommendations for how to leverage the Cost of Inaction to help the government priorities ECD investment, including identifying needs for further analysis. The program codes or excel spreadsheets for running cost simulation of interventions can be attached as the annex of the report.

Deliverables, timeline and payment schedule

* Unless otherwise stated, all documents should be submitted in French. The group of experts can develop the reports in English but needs to identify a means to submit the final versions in French.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in development economics, public financing, social policy, public health or other similar fields.
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Excellent quantitative and modelling skills, experience in economic studies, data collection, capturing and database processing with a strong understanding of early childhood development and the cost of inaction analysis.
• Considerable experience in field based ECD design, implementation and monitoring, including expertise in the WHO nurturing care framework in assistance to Government in the development of ECD policy, strategy and/or interventions.
• Experience of working with government and private sector in developing countries on similar issues.
• Capacity to produce high quality deliverables within the specified timeframes; and ability to work in a multicultural context.
• Computer literacy, excellent report writing skills and has the ability to produce highly professional diagnostic documents.
• Knowledge of ECD related government funded services and delivery systems Madagascar is an asset
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

Requirements

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and upload copy of academic credentials.
Financial proposal that will include: your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference, travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
Indicate your availability
Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The functional competencies required for this post are...

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.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.