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Consultant for the Development of Communication Plan for the Pacific Regional Council for ECD (PRC4ECD)

Suva

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Suva
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Communication and Public Information
    • Maritime
    • Education, Learning and Training
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Children's rights (health and protection)
    • Communication / External Relations
    • Early Childhood Development
  • Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF PACIFIC is looking to hire a Consultant to support the Development of a Communication Plan for the Pacific Regional Council for ECD (PRC4ECD). Please refer to the detailed advert for more information.

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, care

In 2018, Pacific Island Forum Leaders called for a whole-of-government, whole-of-community approach to non-communicable diseases, childhood obesity, stunting and early childhood development (ECD). Heeding this call, fifteen (15) Pacific island countries, at the Pacific ECD Forum in Nadi in 2019, committed to multi-sectoral action for young children and established the Pacific Regional Council for ECD (PRC4ECD), with representation of Ministers of finance, education, health and social welfare. The multi-sectoral modality and Ministerial level representation of the Council is unique globally and is being lauded as a model for other regions to follow.

PRC4ECD has representation from each of the 15 Pacific island countries and territories: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The council members are at least two Ministers - one from the Ministry of Finance, and at least one from the social sector (Ministries of Health, Education, and the Ministry responsible for Social Welfare). The Steering Committee is comprised of at least two Permanent Secretaries or CEOs- one from the Ministry of Finance, and at least one from the social sector (Ministries of Health, Education and Social Welfare) from each of the 15 countries. UNICEF Pacific remains the Secretariat of the council, in recognition of UNICEF’s mandate for the rights of children and its leading role in promoting ECD in the region.

PRC4ECD is poised to lead, coordinate, monitor, build capacity, and broker partnerships on ECD across the Pacific region. In 2020, they have endorsed a 10-year workplan for the Council, with a detailed and costed 2-year workplan.

This consultancy is focused on designing a comprehensive strategy for communications to help the council achieve its workplan and help raise the visibility of ECD across the region.

How can you make a difference?

The communications plan for the Pacific Regional Council for ECD aims to outline a comprehensive approach to advocate for and build partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders to grow the momentum for ECD across the region. It should provide overall guidance to ensure that all of PRC4ECD’s communication activities, products and materials work in harmony and create a clear message for ECD, meanwhile demonstrating the role of PRC4ECD and helping the council engage effectively with various stakeholders.

The communications plan should identify various platforms and opportunities to enable PRC4ECD to expand networks, create greater political will for ECD, establish a network of change levers across society, and facilitate the alignment of development support with national and regional ECD priorities. The plan should recognize that ECD considers the holistic development of the child. This means the plan should build on and promote coherence across communications/campaigns by typically siloed sectors of health, education, child protection, WASH, social protection, etc.

The communication plan will be developed in close consultation with UNICEF Pacific (PRC4ECD Secretariat) and guided by the Chair of the PRC4ECD Steering Committee. It should include high-level strategies to achieve the communication objectives for the council and aligned with its 10-year workplan, as well outline the practical and concrete activities (detailed with budgets for the next 2 years) that have to be prioritized by the council in the immediate years.

A general outline of the communication plan’s development is below, although proposals outlining a different methodology would be accepted for consideration by UNICEF Pacific:

• Preparation, Consultations and Scoping
• Drafting the Communications Plan (inclusive of high-level communication strategies and detailed 2-year costed implementation plan)
• Revisions and Approval

Work Assignment 

1. Tasks/Milestone
Preparation, Consultations and Scoping, inclusive of but not limited to:
• Discussions with UNICEF Pacific, PRC4ECD members and other partners to determine work scope and most viable method to complete the consultancy
• Desk review and assessment to synthesize relevant resources relating to communications in ECD in the Pacific as well as other examples globally
• Mapping of potential communication partners and platforms

Deliverable: Inception report summarizing early findings and recommending a clear and practical methodology for completing the consultancy, in agreement with UNICEF Pacific and PRC4ECD

2. Tasks/Milestone

Drafting the Communications Plan, inclusive of but not limited to:
• Rapid gap, needs and assets assessment
• Mapping of stakeholders and segmentation of prioritized groups
• High-level communication objectives and strategies
• Detailed and costed 2-year implementation plan (including M&E)

Deliverable: Final Draft of Communications Plan (including components listed on the left)

3. Tasks/Milestone

Revisions and Approval
• Submission to PRC4ECD for review
• Endorsement and approval of PRC4ECD

Deliverable:  Final Communications Plan, addressing review feedback and endorsed/approved by PRC4ECD

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

  • An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Communication or a related field
  • At least 5 years of progressive and relevant experience in strategic communication and advocacy
  • Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing communication strategies and action plans, and able to provide examples of such documents/previous work
  • Previous working experience in the Pacific and with international development partners and high-level officials in governments will be considered an asset
  • Good analytical, facilitating, negotiating and communication skills
  • Fluency in written and spoken English is a must

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.

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:

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.

This vacancy is now closed.
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