Research and Knowledge Management Consultant, New York

• Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
• Country: United States
• City: New York, USA
• Office: UNDP New York

Closing date: Thursday, 4 June 2015

Research and Knowledge Management Consultant

Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Application Deadline : 04-Jun-15

Type of Contract : Individual Contract

Post Level : International ConsultantLanguages Required : English Spanish

Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)

01-Jul-2015

Duration of Initial Contract : 6-month

Expected Duration of Assignment : 6-month with possibility of extension

Background

The Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG-F, www.sdgfund.org) is a development cooperation mechanism created in 2014 by UNDP, on behalf of the UN system, with an initial
contribution of the Government of Spain, to support sustainable development activities through integrated and multidimensional joint programmes. It builds on the experience, knowledge, lessons learned and best practices of the previous MDG Achievement Fund (2007-2013), while expanding its activities towards sustainable development and a higher attention on public-private partnerships. Gender and women's empowerment is a cross-cutting priority in all our areas of work. The SDG-F intends to act as a bridge in the transition from MDGs to SDGs, providing concrete experiences on 'how' to achieve a sustainable and inclusive world post 2015.

The SDG-F Secretariat is the operational coordination unit for the Fund and services the SDG-F Steering Committee. The Secretariat sits in the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) of UNDP headquarters. The Secretariat is delegated by the Steering Committee to ensure policies and strategies decided by the Steering Committee are implemented and adhered to.

With a vast experience of almost 150 joint programmes around the world, one the SDG Fund's goals is collecting and disseminating insight for development partners worldwide, sharing lessons learned and good experiences in its current and past development work. Its experience can be especially relevant to showcase how different UN entities and national partners can join forces through joint programmes in the ground.

The SDG Fund is looking for a research consultant working under the guidance and supervision of the SDG-F director and in close coordination with the SDG-F Secretariat team, to provide research services for the SDG-F team. This will take (among other duties) the shape of 5 short policy briefs that will be provided as inputs from the SDG Fund to the UNDG Mapping Phase exercise 'Aligning the UN Development System with the Post-2015 Agenda'. In addition, the research consultant will support other knowledge management activities for the SDGF.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific Duties

• Produce 5 short research pieces based on the MDG-F/SDG-F experience in the field. These pieces will be used as SDG Fund contributions to the UNDG mapping exercise phase II and should be finalized by the end of October. To produce them will entail reviewing and synthesizing SDG-F/MDG-F joint programmes documentation and interviewing SDG-F stakeholders, in particularly in country offices. The consultant will coordinate its efforts with UN DOCO in order to ensure timely submission of inputs. In addition, he/she will coordinate dissemination through SDG-F communication platforms, including its website. The consultant will produce also shorter versions of these research pieces to be published as blog posts. The tentative list of topics of these research pieces will be prepared by the consultant with the SDG-F team;
• Review MDG-F and SDG-F K&M activities and identify and explore new activities. This will also entail selecting key tools of UN integrated work that can inform UN joint processes;
• Support joint programmes monitoring and evaluation efforts;
• Other activities that might be requested.

Deliverables and Timelines

Payments will be made on the satisfactory delivery of the products and the appropriate management of associated processes needed to achieve the above-mentioned tasks and objectives.

Activity/Deliverable/Estimated target date/% of Total Payment

Work plan for the project/Detailed work plan with timelines and specific steps to be undertaken and Briefs on tools and instruments of value for UN upstream policy support. By Jul 30/17%.

Research and production of policy briefs 1 and 2/1st round of Policy Briefs/By Aug 30/17%.

Research and production of policy briefs 3 and 4/2nd round of Policy Briefs/By Sep 30/17%.

Research and production of policy brief 5 and incorporation of changes of previous briefs/3rd round of Policy Briefs/By Oct 30/17%.

Coordinate editing, proofreading, printing, graphic design and online dissemination/ Edited versions of policy briefs, with final layout and graphic design/By Nov 30/17%.

Dissemination of activities/ Dissemination plan implemented/By Dec 30/15%.

Competencies

Corporate Competences

• Commitment to UNDP's mission, vision and values;
• Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences.

Functional Competencies

Strong analytical and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products;

• Demonstrated understanding of local development and community development concepts
• Familiarity and experience of UNDP is an asset;
• Familiarity with global development issues;
• Ability to function in a team environment;
• Productive and efficient worker, highly motivated;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks;
• Strong initiative and is comfortable to pro-actively reach out to new and existing external partners;
• Performance-oriented and focused on results;
• Persistence and willingness to follow through;
• Strong interpersonal skills and flexibility;
• Ability to take instructions and to learn on the job.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• University degree (Master's degree or equivalent preferred) international development, public administration, business administration, public policy or other relevant social sciences.

Experience

• 1-2 years of relevant experience in international relations (internships and volunteering experiences will be assessed positively).
• Knowledge of the SDG Fund, or the MDG Achievement Fund;
• Experience working on the SDG issues linked to the international global development agenda and working in the field of development;
• Experience working with institutions in international development;
• Superior written and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex development concepts and recommendations in a clear and persuasive manner that is tailored to a range of audiences;
• Experience working in international environments or in international networks;
• Research and writing experience.

Language

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish.

Application Requirements

All interested applicants should submit the following documents. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification. Documents to be included when submitting the Proposals (Only 1 file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one/1 file):

• Updated P11 or Resume/CV;
• Statement of Interest (cover letter) with a brief narrative addressing the competencies mentioned above;
• Consultants shall specify in their proposal the lump sum all-inclusive* in US dollars for the cost of their services for the total outcome. Payments will follow installments as table above for the duration of the contract, after certification of compliance with the terms and services agreed in the contract;
• Candidates short-listed for this position will be requested to submit a 'Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability' form.

'All-inclusive' implies that all costs (excluding mission travel) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are included in a separate line. Do break down any travel cost already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal.

Evaluation: Cumulative analysis

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology.

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight: 60%

Financial Criteria weight: 40%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (14 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 100% - Max. Point 20)

• Demonstrated knowledge or experience in international relations, assessing positively some development experience: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
• Understanding of the UN Development System's joint programmes, and very particular of the SDG-F/MDG-F: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
• Relevance of academic background and language skills: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
• Research development experience: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
• For the General Conditions of Individual Contracts please visit the following link:

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf

Others

In the event of any official mission/business/travel envisaged for this assignment, the related travel costs will be negotiated and approved before it takes place.

Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders).

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.