Roster of local consultants (CARE section) UNICEF Office of Research (OoR) Innocenti - Florence, Italy

The purpose of this call is to solicit applications from individuals who are interested in working with the CARE team in a consulting capacity. We invite both junior (minimum 2-4 years’ experience) and senior consultants (8+ years) to apply.

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, Research

Background

The Office of Research-Innocenti (OoR-Innocenti) is the dedicated research office of UNICEF. It undertakes and commissions research on emerging or current issues of relevance for children in order to inform the strategic directions, policies and programmes of UNICEF, Governments and their partners. The Office explores emerging issues, identifies research gaps, brings together existing researchers, and supports or undertakes research and data collection to address critical questions and to inform policy dialogue and implementation at country level.

The Child and Adolescent Rights & Empowerment (CARE) team at Innocenti is seeking technical research expertise in the following key thematic areas:

• Child Marriage
• Child Labour and exploitation
• Migration and displacement
• Violence against girls, boys and women
• Gender and Care

The Roster calls for consultants with specific expertise in the following skills mapped to the above thematic areas:

• Mixed methods research design, training and implementation particularly in LMIC contexts
• Evaluation, including impact evaluation
• Implementation research, including process evaluations
• Research on groups known to be at heightened risk of child protection issues
• Data analysis including macro and meso-level correlates of social change
• Research on gender-transformative and intersection with other gender-discriminatory practices and outcomes (FGM, gender-based violence, care etc.). 
• Evidence synthesis and literature review
• Multi-country research development and coordination
• Public systems research and analysis across sectors
• Research Communication and Convening

Following the close of this call, an initial screening and short list will be made, from which selected candidates will be interviewed by CARE team members for relevant opportunities as they emerge. Approved applicants will be placed on a pre-approved roster which will remain valid for a period of 24 months.

Duration of Roster-based consultancies:

Consultancy arrangements may range from a fixed number of days to 11.5 months, depending on demand, project specifications and funding availability and will be subject to UNICEF General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors.

Supervision and work arrangements:

Consultants who are selected from the roster will work under the supervision of the Chief of the CARE team and other senior staff in the team. Consultants may either be locally based in Florence (in which case they will need to have / get a valid permit of stay in Italy) or may work remotely, depending on requirements for each TOR.

Longer-term consultants of six to 11.5 months will usually work an average of 18-20 days per month and will be entitled to 1.5 days of leave per month plus official UN holidays. The Office of Research will not cover travel expenses to take on the assignment.

The work may include incidental travel to participate in field work, workshops or conferences; such travel will be governed by UNICEF travel policies for consultants.

Specifications of consultancy by research streams:

Child Marriage:

Consultants will work with Innocenti team leads to provide technical support to specific country or multi-country studies under the Global Programme to End Child Marriage (GPECM). Together, the team lead and consultant(s) will carry out a full suite of support to country studies, from design to analysis of research that aims to generate rigorous evidence on what works, , for whom, how and why to reduce the incidence of child marriage and mitigate its impacts.

Priority areas include impact evaluation, implementation research, research on at-risk groups affected by child marriage, macro and meso-level correlates of changes in child marriage, research on social norms and adolescent health and rights. Skills in impact evaluation, implementation research, mixed methods research and research on behaviour and norms change, and participatory action research (e.g., human-centered design) are particularly of interest and should be specified in the application.

Language skills in Spanish, Portuguese and French also need to be specified. In addition, the consultant(s) may support new and on-going data collection efforts as needed.

Core responsibilities

Design high-quality and rigorous impact evaluation and implementation science research studies on child marriage including cross-country comparative research on pathways for impact of interventions on child marriage.

Coordination of research design include formulation of research questions, development of conceptual frameworks, thought partnership with country partners on research design and definition of evaluation metrics, providing guidance and training on ethics, data collection, and data analysis, and overseeing the research process from inception to publication.

Technical review of research proposals and outputs

Technical support to new and ongoing quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis

Synthesis of available evidence tailored to different geographies, themes, constituencies

Support publication of research including drafting journal articles for peer-reviewed journals.

Contribute to dissemination of research findings including production of briefs, blogs and presentation at workshops, conferences and other events.

Support the planning and execution of capacity building workshops around research and evaluation methods, and learning clinics to support evidence sharing amongst UNICEF staff and partners

Child Migration and Displacement:

Consultants will support ongoing research projects in the Child Rights and Protection team at UNICEF Innocenti on child and youth migration and displacement issues, with the specific aim of strengthening knowledge and attention to child and youth dimensions of migratory root causes, issues of protection in transit, and durable solutions.

Design support and coordination of Innocenti’s work on child and youth migration and displacement, including conceptualization, implementation, finalization and dissemination of primary research, working papers, and associated knowledge products.

Convening of learning events (webinars, seminars, conferences, workshops, etc) to deliver thought-leadership within and outside UNICEF on child migration and displacement-related evidence; and knowledge management support via ad-hoc technical assistance to UNICEF colleagues on migration and displacement-relevant topics, including  development of more effective cross-UNICEF knowledge management strategies.

Technical review of research proposals and outputs

Support capacity building of UNICEF staff and partners, around research and evaluation methods related to child marriage evaluation and research case studies.

Child Labour:

Consultants will support CARE’s ongoing research work on child labour in the following domains, with primary focus on its ‘Evidence on Educational Strategies to Address Child Labour Linkages in South Asia’ project. Key priorities will include:

Design support and coordination of CARE’s portfolio of work on child migration, including finalization and dissemination of primary research, working papers, and associated knowledge products in Q4 ’21 and 2022.

Convening of learning events related to child labour, including webinar series, stakeholder and advisory group meetings, and evidence conference.

Support in coordination of national research partners and rapid evidence review process.

Technical review of research proposals and outputs

Support to ad hoc technical assistance requests from various UNICEF colleagues related to child labour evidence received by Innocenti.

Violence against children and women:

Consultants will be responsible for providing research support on violence against children and violence against women, as guided by mandates outlined in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, Child Protection Strategy 2021-2030 and Gender Action Plan 2022-2025. Key priorities will include:

Develop primary research outputs, including peer reviewed publications;

Carry out qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis;

Synthesize evidence on key issues related to preventing and responding to violence;

Identify key research gaps and strategies to fill them;

Support knowledge management and dissemination efforts, including organize webinars and workshops;

Contribute to the development, management and dissemination of research agendas on violence prevention;

Support research networks and support new and existing partnerships on violence against children and against women;

Develop concept notes and proposals to increase funding for violence prevention.

Gender and Care:

Consultants will support the CARE team in their emerging portfolio on developing a care agenda by providing technical and research assistance on a range of elements of care, including unpaid care and domestic work (paid and unpaid), alternative care arrangements and care-responsive public policies. Key priorities may include:

Mapping stakeholders internally in UNICEF and externally working on issues of care– to identify knowledge and data gaps, and evidence needs – and build the case for agenda for care across the life course.

Support the organization, including logistics, of convening events with key experts in the field of care;

Assist with research and evidence synthesis on care in a range of areas, including care-responsive public policy, masculinities and care and domestic work, and other emerging areas;

Provide support in developing concept notes and feeding into proposals to generate funding for research on care.

Qualifications and/or specialized knowledge/experience required and desirable for being included in the Roster

Quantitative researchers

Essential:

At least a Masters degree in statistics, economics, public policy, public health, sociology or related field;

Experience with survey design, field work and data collection;

Demonstrated experience at analysing large-scale household and/or school-based survey data, preferably in regard to children’s outcomes; experience with longitudinal data and multi-country studies an asset;

Knowledge of and experience in gender analysis/research;

Experience with research capacity development, training and research coordination.

Ability to carry out statistical analyses autonomously;

Excellent analytical skills and advanced quantitative skills:

Ability to organize own work and to carry out a research project with limited supervision according to deadlines;

Ability to speak and write fluently in English;

Excellent knowledge of Stata and other statistical packages;

Willingness to undertake project-related travel (depending on the project);

Desirable:

Current knowledge of key issues related to adolescent health and child rights including harmful traditional practices such as child marriage

Recent (high quality) publications on relevant topics;

Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organisation;

Fluency in other languages including French, Spanish, Arabic, and non-UN languages.

Qualitative researchers:

Essential:

At least a Master degree in public policy, sociology, anthropology, public health or related field;

Demonstrated experience at analysing diverse forms of qualitative data (participatory research, key informant interviews, focus groups), preferably in regard to children’s outcomes;

Ability to carry out analyses autonomously, including hypothesis building and thematic analysis;

Ability to speak and write fluently in English;

Willingness to undertake project-related travel.

Desirable:

Current knowledge of key issues related to adolescent health and child rights including harmful traditional practices such as child marriage

Knowledge and competency in at least one qualitative analysis software (Nvivo, Atlas TI or others);

Recent (high quality) qualitative or mixed-methods publications on relevant topics;

Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organisation;

Fluency in other languages; including French, Spanish, Arabic, and non-UN languages.

Additional:

Experience with conducting and analysing evidence syntheses including meta-analyses and systematic reviews

Management and coordination, including capacity building, of large research teams

Design and delivery of research-focused webinars, podcasts and other communications formats

Instructions for applicants

To apply, please submit your CV and an application letter through the eRecruitment portal indicating:

• preferred type of consultancy (Quantitative researcher, Qualitative researcher, Mixed-methods expert);
• all-inclusive daily rate in USD;
• contact details (including emails and telephone numbers) of two professional referees.
• Preferred workstream (Child Marriage, Child Migration and Displacement, Child Labour, Violence against children and women, Gender and care), note applicants can apply simultaneously to more than one workstream,

Any application missing these elements will not be considered.

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.

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:

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 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. See General Terms & Conditions  General Terms & Conditions for Consultants and Individual Contractors.docx 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.

Depending on the type and length of contract, consultants may be eligible to receive Paid Time Off (PTO) credit at the rate of one- and one-half days (1.5 days) for each full month of service, to be credited on the last calendar day of the month, and up to 17 days for a maximum of 11.5 months contract. 

Payment of professional fees shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including but not limited to lump sum travel, visa, health insurance and subsistence costs, as applicable.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant