UNICEF works towards realization of the rights of children as prescribed in the Convention of the Rights of the Children. These rights pertain to child survival, protection, development, and participation. UNICEF also has a critical role in monitoring the situation of children and women in the world and for reporting on progress toward internationally set goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Toward this end, the Child Protection and Development Unit (CPD) within the Data and Analytics Section produces data and knowledge products for communication, advocacy, donor relations and fundraising intended both for both internal and external audiences (government/policymakers, media, partner networks, donors and the public) on key issues pertaining to child protection, early childhood development (ECD) and children with disabilities.

Title:  Long-Term Agreement (LTA) for Engagement of Individual Consultants as Writers/Editors (time-bound LTA), DAPM NYHQ

Duty Station: Remote-based consultancy contracts

Duration of LTA: Two years with the possibility of extension for one more year (max. 3 years)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE

UNICEF works towards realization of the rights of children as prescribed in the Convention of the Rights of the Children. These rights pertain to child survival, protection, development, and participation. UNICEF also has a critical role in monitoring the situation of children and women in the world and for reporting on progress toward internationally set goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Toward this end, the Child Protection and Development Unit (CPD) within the Data and Analytics Section produces data and knowledge products for communication, advocacy, donor relations and fundraising intended both for both internal and external audiences (government/policymakers, media, partner networks, donors and the public) on key issues pertaining to child protection, early childhood development (ECD) and children with disabilities.  

These high-quality products can include data-driven thematic reports and brochures, technical documents and toolkits, funding proposals/donor reports, academic articles, blog posts, digital products, webpage content, concept notes etc. that can be global, regional or national in scope. These are disseminated through different channels, including online, social media networks, partner networks and donor reports.

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

To meet these requirements, UNICEF would like to engage the services of writers/editors to support with developing, producing and finalizing data and knowledge products for different audiences such as the general public, donors, government and partners.

PROGRAMME AREA AND SPECIFIC PROJECT AREA

Data and statistics in the area of child protection (which includes topics such as birth registration, violence, child labour, harmful traditional practices and children outside of family care), ECD, children with disabilities and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE(S)

The overall objective is to set up a Long-Term Agreement to facilitate and expedite the process by which the CPD Unit in D&A will hire writers and editors as required for specific projects to support the development and production of strategic data and knowledge products for communication and advocacy.

MAJOR TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED

Successful respondents must provide well-written and edited content for print, website, media, fundraising materials, communication and advocacy reports and related dissemination documents and materials as mentioned – all the above to inform the audience using clear, accurate, compelling and accessible language. Tasks include, but may not be limited to:

1. Writing and drafting crisp, concise, compelling and accurate text and content (for both print and digital) using source materials provided.
2. Substantive editing/rewriting to ensure continuity, logical arrangement/organization of content, readability, clarity of expression, internal consistency and impact, keeping the relevant audience in mind.
3. Proposing substantive editorial revisions to improve clarity and/or impact.
4. Checking for accuracy, internal consistency and logical flow of existing draft materials and documents to ensure grammatical accuracy and consistency in editorial style; capitalization; spelling; use of abbreviations, numbers, endnotes or footnotes, titles/subtitles etc.; bibliographies and reference lists; tables of contents; and other sequences, graphs, figures and tables.
5. Eliminating unnecessary jargon, excessive wordiness and/or repetitions within the text.
6. Verifying that all elements of a publication (such as front and back matter, acknowledgements etc.) are included and correct.
7. Proofreading layout files to ensure that requested changes and revisions to page proofs are accurately reflected and have been implemented properly and that no (new) errors have been introduced; and checking that page numbers, chart/table titles etc. are error-free. 
8. Ensure implementation of the UNICEF style guide.
9. Be available for several rounds of editing to address feedback and reviewer inputs.
10. Deliver on tight, short timelines as needed.

Responsibilities of the Consultant:

1. 1. The consultant will use their own equipment: laptops, software and other accessories that may be required for this LTA.
   2. The consultant will not give the content/material or any part thereof, to any third party without the written permission of UNICEF. All components will be property of UNICEF, and the consultant will not share the same with anyone else.
   3. The consultant will not put their own name or logo/emblem on the content/final product. The only organization branding will be UNICEF, if required. 

Responsibilities of UNICEF:

i.   UNICEF will provide all details pertaining to the activity and the requirements.

ii. UNICEF will provide the latest UNICEF style guide and branding guidelines.

Consultants may be required to work on Saturdays and Sundays, based on the requirements of the assignment. 

DELIVERABLES

ESTIMATED DURATION OF LTA

The Long-Term Agreement will be for a duration of three years. The initial period would be for two years with an option for renewal for a subsequent year on the same rates, terms and conditions, subject to satisfactory performance evaluation and continuing need for the service. The services of the consultant(s) selected under the LTA would be under controlled use and managed by D&A/DAPM/NYHQ.

QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL) / LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT 

Category 1: For Writers/Substantive Editors 

• A minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Literature, Journalism, Creative/technical writing, Public Health, Social Sciences related field. A Diploma in a relevant field with the required minimum years of experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in journalism/writing, editing and/or communications is required. 
• Previous experience in writing/editing for UNICEF or other UN organizations/agencies is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical writing skills in English.
• Sound knowledge and familiarity with the English language.
• Demonstrated experience and quality of work meet the highest international standards. 
• Ability to work independently and flexibly and to adhere to deadlines.
• Proficiency with standard basic office software (Microsoft Word, Adobe etc.)

Category 2: For Copyeditors/Proofreaders 

• A minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Literature, Journalism, Creative/technical writing, Public Health, Social Sciences related field. A Diploma in a relevant field with the required minimum years of experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in journalism, editing/copyediting/proofreading and/or communications is required. 
• Previous experience in copyediting and proofreading for UNICEF or other UN organizations/agencies is highly desirable.
• Sound knowledge and familiarity with the English language.
• Demonstrated experience and quality of work meet the highest international standards. 
• Keen attention to details.
• Knowledge and familiarity with basic design principles.
• Ability to work independently and flexibly and to adhere to deadlines.
• Proficiency with standard basic office software (Microsoft Word, Adobe etc.)

Note: Candidates are free to apply to any category based on their qualifications and experience. They can also apply for both categories. UNICEF will award LTA(s) to top ranked 2 or 3 candidates under each category. A candidate may be awarded an LTA for one or more than one category.

Language:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required  

TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA (WITH WEIGHTS FOR EACH CRITERIA)

The selection of consultants for the LTA will be based on technical evaluation and financial offers in the ratio of 80:20. The criteria for technical evaluation will be as follows:

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

Financial Proposals should be submitted as a separate document from the materials required for the technical evaluation and should follow the template provided below. Include the name of the consultant, signature, address, contact no., email address, and date.

For each category, candidates should submit two hourly fees: for category 1 there should be an hourly fee for writing and an hourly fee for substantive editing and for category 2 there should be an hourly fee for copyediting and an hourly fee for proofreading.

CONTRACTS CREATED AGAINST THE LTA

Whenever writer/editor services are required, details of the assignment/deliverables including quantities and deadlines will be presented to the top-ranking LTA holder. Should this consultant not be available for this assignment, UNICEF will contact the second ranked consultant (if applicable).

Upon receipt of confirmation of availability and interest in the assignment, a contract will be issued with the prices/fees as agreed in the LTA. The consultant must sign the contract prior to commencement of work.

Payment will be made after completion of deliverables and submission of invoices for the actual work completed, subject to satisfactory performance and timely delivery.

HOW TO APPLY: 

The application to be submitted through the online portal should contain four separate attachments:

1. A Cover letter outlining the motivation for applying and suitability for position (to be uploaded online under “Cover Letter” tab)
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (to be uploaded online under “Resume” tab)
3. Minimum of three work samples for each Category applied (to be uploaded online under “Other – Applicant” as a single document containing work samples for all categories applied)
4. A financial proposal (for each category applied) as per the template shown above. Please do not forget to specify your name in the file while saving (to be uploaded online under “Financial Proposal” tab).  

Important Note: Please do not indicate financials anywhere else in the online application form, please mark "n/a or 00", under the fee related questions in the online application form.

Without all the above 4 documents, your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further.

• Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant.
• Joint applications of two or more individuals are not accepted.
• Please note, UNICEF does not charge any fee during any stage of the process.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (where applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.