CONSULTANCY - TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5.5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.**
Consultant - Addressing Violence Affecting and Involving Children in UNRWA Installations and Services, HQ Amman
BACKGROUND
Palestine refugee children, like children around the world, can be exposed to various forms of violence in the home, at school, in the community or because of the context in which they live. It is estimated that every year, at least a billion children globally are exposed to violence. Violence against children has far reaching impacts. Not only is it a violation of the child’s right to be protected from violence, but it can affect a child’s short and long-term health, well-being, developmental needs and levels of educational attainment. Violence against children can perpetuate cycles of vulnerability and inequality into adulthood and can also have long-term societal and economic costs.
Making sure that children access, and benefit from, the Agency services in a violence-free environment that ensures their protection and human development with dignity is at the core of the mandate of UNRWA and is an Agency-wide priority. Since 2016, UNRWA has strengthened its approach to this issue through an Agency-wide initiative to ‘Address Violence Affecting, and Involving Children in UNRWA Installations and Services,’ referred to as the ‘AVAC’ initiative. An AVAC Strategic Framework sets out a plan of action to eliminate all forms of interpersonal violence – physical, psychological and sexual violence - against children, in both the development and humanitarian contexts, as well as in the online space.
UNRWA has secured funding to advance on the implementation of the AVAC initiative. The Consultant will ensure effective overall management of the AVAC project, including work planning, financial planning, (support to) implementation, including of action plans at the Field-level, monitoring and internal and external reporting.
ORGANISATIONAL SETTING AND REPORTING
This position is situated within the UNRWA Department of Education at HQ-Amman. The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Director of Education.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In accordance will Agency policies and procedures, the consultant will be expected to:
· Establish project work plans, guides and takes appropriate and timely action to meet set goals and updates work plans based on the operational needs;
· Coordinates the AVAC institutional structures effectively (Working Groups and Focal Points); provides technical support at strategic and operational levels of the project, with a particular focus on planning and coordination of UNRWA activities; facilitates meetings and working sessions to a varied audience, and promotes a collaborative team approach across functions and organization levels to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the activities;
· Works with other relevant internal stakeholders in pursuit of the project objectives;
· Initiates, plans and participates as appropriate in visibility and advocacy initiatives in support of the project, in particular, developing and implementing the necessary strategies and tools of the AVAC Communications for Development plan to ensure internal and external awareness of the project;
· Provides technical support to the implementation of the various project components; ensures the highest standard of monitoring and evaluation of the project by conducting periodic reviews to identify delays, gaps, and trends and recommends potential interventions to resolve issues or enhance the activities and processes;
· Establishes and administers the project’s overall budget; monitors expenditures against the project financial resources in coordination with the concerned staff in ED and the Finance Department and provides timely and accurate financial data analysis to the supervisor;
· Prepares memos, notes, analysis and reports with updates on the progress of project implementation for key stakeholders; prepares presentations, drafts correspondence on behalf of Education Department and talking points to UNRWA senior management and provides intermediate and final narrative reports in accordance with the Agency’s standards and the requirements of the donor;
· Performs other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor(s).
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
· University degree from an accredited educational institution in social sciences, education or related subject.
· A minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in the field of education and/or child protection including at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside the country of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or national identity card.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
· Knowledge of the Middle East, Palestine refugees and UNRWA
· Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in social sciences, education, or related subject in combination with 5 years of progressively responsible and relevant experience in education and/ or child protection.
· Knowledge of other UN languages, in particular Arabic
COMPETENCIES
UN Core Values of Professionalism, Integrity and Respect for Diversity and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default.
· Creating and Innovating
· Planning and Organizing
· Persuading and Influencing
· Learning and Researching
· Relating and Networking
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
· The consultant will be based in HQ Amman, Jordan
· The consultancy will run on a full-time basis from 30 May 2021 to 28 February 2022 (with the possibility of extension depending on performance and availability of funds)
· Payment will be an agreed monthly fee, released on successful completion of key deliverables and submission of a monthly attendance sheet.
· The remuneration for this consultancy will be at a P3 equivalent level.
APPLICATION PROCESS
All applicants must submit:
· An up-to-date CV/resume.
· A cover letter that clearly indicates how their experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the consultancy.
The deadline for the submission of applications, references and supporting documentation is 20 May 2021. These must be sent to consultancy@unrwa.org, indicating the title of this consultancy “Addressing Violence Affecting and Involving Children in UNRWA Installations and Services Consultant” in the subject line of the message. Late applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.**
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women. Only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted.
12 May 2021
How to apply:
APPLICATION PROCESS
All applicants must submit:
· An up-to-date CV/resume.
· A cover letter that clearly indicates how their experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the consultancy.
The deadline for the submission of applications, references and supporting documentation is 20 May 2021. These must be sent to consultancy@unrwa.org, indicating the title of this consultancy “Addressing Violence Affecting and Involving Children in UNRWA Installations and Services Consultant” in the subject line of the message. Late applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.**