Job Vacancy at UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) – Public Finance for Children and Local Governance

Job no: 544810

Position type: Consultancy

Location: Sierra Leone Division/Equivalent: Dakar (WCAR), Senegal

School/Unit: Sierra Leone

Department/Office: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Categories: Social and Economic Policy

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. This will include initiating and maintaining networks with key stakeholders in the sector, both government, development partners and civil society.

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, a future.

Please visit UNICEF Sierra Leone website here: www.unicef.org/sierraleone

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is the leading United Nations (UN) agency supporting the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure all children in Sierra Leone have equitable access to quality and affordable services in order to survive, learn, develop and live in a supportive and protective environment. The country has made progress to improve the wellbeing of children in various areas including child health, nutrition, education, WASH and social protection. Still, both monetary and multi-dimensional child poverty remain high, hampering children's ability to reach their full potential. In 2019, the Government of Sierra Leone and UNICEF estimated that 66 percent of children in Sierra Leone are deprived of one or more essential services such as education, health, nutrition, protection and shelter.

UNICEF Sierra Leone has in the past conducted several PF4C activities including a fiscal space analysis for social protection, analyses of financial impact of Ebola on health and education sectors and support to 2021 Education sector PER. The office is additionally part of a regional partnership agreement signed with the International Budget Partnership for support to the Open Budget Survey in Sierra Leone among other activities.

Local government, along with other local stakeholders, play a key role in ensuring access to goods and basic services, including for the most marginalized communities, and the well-being of children and adolescents is frequently determined by decisions made by local governments. Under the 2020-2023 UNICEF Sierra Leone Country Programme there is a dedicated output for local governance which states that by 2023, local government authorities are better able to develop, coordinate and monitor evidence based multisectoral plans to improve children's wellbeing' under the Evidence, Policy and Social Protection (EPSP) section.

Objectives of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen UNICEF Sierra Leone's capacity to undertake timely and robust analysis of government budget allocation and spending to further strengthen the evidence base for meaningful engagement with UNICEF staff, policy and budget makers (including Parliament) at both national and sub-national level on PF4C; identify capacity gaps of national and sub-national governments (including Parliament) in the planning, budgeting, and execution of child-responsive budgets; improve the capacity of national and sub-national governments to improve efficiency, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of social spending to achieve value for money; and improving capacity of civil society and child rights groups to be involved in the budget process for improved social accountability, participation and transparency in the budget process at national and sub-national levels. UNICEF's ultimate objective is to see public spending in Sierra Leone become increasingly child responsive, equitable, efficient and effective. Secondly, the assignment is intended to strengthen UNICEF's engagement on local governance for children, ensuring synergies between sectoral activities and levels of government, and strengthening child participation in local governance.

Scope of Work

The consultant will take the lead in coordinating and further developing the programme and work plan on local governance and PF4C. This will include initiating and maintaining networks with key stakeholders in the sector, both government, development partners and civil society. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the EPSP section chief, chiefs of field offices and programme sections with the technical support of the West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO).

More specifically the consultant will be responsible for:

•  Supporting programme sections (health, education, nutrition, WASH, etc.) in undertaking PF4C activities including PERs, investment cases, fiscal space analyses, etc. to identify trends.
•  Mapping of the social sector spending processes to identify challenges in planning, budgeting, and execution to improve efficiency, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of social spending to achieve value for money.
•  PF4C macroeconomic scanning (periodic analysis of macro-economic trends including resource mobilization).
•  Coordination of capacity gap assessment and plan for capacity building activities for local government officials.
•  Mapping of programme sections' activities at district level.
•  Provide technical assistance and input to reviews of policy and legal framework for decentralization and local governance as applicable.
•  District Development Coordination Committees (DDCCs): The consultant will work in close collaboration with the chiefs of field offices and with MoPED to support the functioning and further development of DDCC in pilot districts.
•  Child participation in local governance: The consultant will work in close collaboration with the EPSP section chief and C4D section to develop and implement activities for systematically strengthening child participation in local governance to ensure planning documents and budget reflect the needs of children and improved social accountability.
•  Developing and coordinating national partnerships for budget analysis and improved budget transparency and social accountability.

Deliverables:

•  Concept note and activity plan.
•  Partnerships for implementation developed and activities piloted in at least two districts.
•  Assessment report and activity plan.
•  Activity plan implemented.
•  A matrix of programme section activities with recommendations for strengthened synergies and convergence.
•  UNICEF input provided to reviews of policy and legal framework for decentralization and local governance.

•  System for budget tracking developed and kept updated, data periodically presented in appropriate formats.
•  Programme sections are supported in developing PERs, investment cases, fiscal space analyses etc.
•  Policy dialogue established; technical assistance provided to national stakeholders.
•  Periodic briefs on macro-economic trends and socio-economic policies.
•  Networks established for improved budget transparency and investment in children.

Please see attached ToR for detailed information. ToR_PF4C_LG_Consultant.pdf

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

•  An advanced university degree (Masters) in economics, business studies, development studies, public administration, and any other related social sciences.
•  A minimum of 5 years' experience in the area of macroeconomic analysis, public finance management, local government or related fields.
•  Knowledge of public finance concepts including value for money in social sectors, budget cycle and processes, and costing methods
•  Good analytical skills, especially applied to economics and public finance.
•  Advanced quantitative analysis and capacity to synthesize large data sets and information in a clear and user-friendly manner.
•  Knowledge of the Sierra Leonean budget cycle, key budget documents and key actors is required Demonstrated knowledge of the legal and regulatory frameworks for local governance in Sierra Leone.
•  Demonstrated understanding of local governance structure, government policies, guidelines, legislation, and strategies in Sierra Leone.
•  Strong experience in providing technical assistance to national and local government, including through participatory approaches
•  Excellent computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office Package, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
•  Excellent communication and advocacy skills as well as excellent written and spoken English and Krio.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF's values and competencies.

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.

Consultants and Individual contractors are responsible for paying any taxes derived from the earnings received from UNICEF.

•  Application to include financial proposal that will detail your daily/monthly rate (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference.
•  Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory 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.

Remarks:

This position is re-advertised for the sole purpose of further expanding the candidate pool. Previous applicants need not reapply as their original application will be duly considered.

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.

Application close: Oct 31 2021 Greenwich Standard Time