Consultancy: Advocacy Specialist – ACBI (Advocacy Capacity Building Initiative) – 11.5 months, full time – DOC, NYHQ – Requisition# 543320

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, an Advocacy Capacity Building Specialist

UNICEF is mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, and the Strategic Plan recognizes the importance of advocacy to deliver against UNICEF’s mission and secure programmatic results for children. Advocacy plays an essential role in supporting and pressing governments and other influential actors to ensure measurable, sustainable change for children, whether through private influencing, mobilizing public support, policy advice, or a holistic blended approach. As stated in the Global Communication and Advocacy Strategy, truly global or ‘glocal’ advocacy requires identifying strategic advocacy opportunities at the national, regional and global levels, and working together to capitalize on these opportunities to advance advocacy goals. We accelerate our impact for children by leveraging the full strength of the organization.

The Advocacy Section within the Division of Communications (DOC) requires consultancy services to support the strengthening of UNICEF advocacy capacity, knowledge, and skills at a global, regional, and country level.

How can you make a difference?

The Advocacy Capacity Building Initiative is supported in effectively building advocacy knowledge, skills and confidence of UNICEF staff across global, regional and national offices, with a focus on advocacy strategy development, tactics and implementation

The purpose of the consultancy is to support the Advocacy Section in:

1. Advocacy Capacity Building and Strategy Development

• Support the strengthening of strategic advocacy knowledge, skills and confidence at a global, regional and country level
• Deliver/co-facilitate virtual and/or in-person advocacy capacity building workshops in headquarters and selected regions and countries to build advocacy knowledge, skills and confidence of colleagues across UNICEF
• Provide virtual/in-person bespoke advocacy capacity building and advocacy strategy development support to Country Offices, aligned with ACBI and broader Advocacy Section priorities
• Support the building of strategic links between global and national advocacy on UNICEF Global Advocacy Priorities (GAPs)

2.   Advocacy Workshop Content Development

• Provide strategic support in developing workshop content and designing workshop sessions to build colleagues’ advocacy capacity and skills on advocacy tactics and implementation in varied contexts.  
• Support the development of advocacy tools and templates, to complement the advocacy skills workshops, that can be adapted and implemented by UNICEF staff across Regional and Country Offices.

3. Advocacy Portal Update and Maintenance

• Update and maintain the Advocacy Portal, based on recommendations of the user testing carried out with Regional and Country office staff, so that it is a go to hub for advocacy resources, templates and examples staff across the organization. This includes restructuring the website including with a dedicated area to act as a guide for advocacy strategy development.
• Support the documentation of advocacy case studies and best practice to enable cross-organizational learning and maintaining the Advocacy Portal with useful advocacy tools, templates, and resources to support advocacy planning and implementation across UNICEF

Estimated start date :  6 Sept 2021

Location of Assignment :  remote-based 

Deliverables (Specific service / outputs to be delivered at a specific time as per stated objectives and performance / quality requirements.)	Duration (Estimated # of Days)	Deadline
Delivery of Advocacy Capacity Building Initiative Workshops (online and in-person) to build advocacy knowledge, skills and confidence across UNICEF and to connect global, regional and national level advocacy efforts and provide bespoke advocacy capacity building to UNICEF Country and Regional Offices, supporting the development and implementation of advocacy strategies	40%	15 July 2022
Develop advocacy workshop content and session design to develop colleagues’ advocacy skills with a focus on tactics and implementation across varied country operating contexts. This includes developing effective advocacy tools and template to support the advocacy skills workshops.	30%	15 July 2022
Updating/revamping and maintaining the Advocacy Portal, based on the recommendations of the recent user-testing, as a go-to user friendly advocacy resource hub.  This includes documenting case studies, best practices and resources to promote cross-organizational advocacy learning via the Advocacy Portal.	30%	15 July 2022
total	100%

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

Education

• Master’s degree in Public Policy, Political Science, International Relations, International Development, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics, or other related field.

Work experience

• At least five years’ experience in advocacy and campaign strategy development and execution, preferably on both a global and national level.
• Experience in presenting and facilitating virtual workshops is essential, ideally with diverse, multi-country participation.
• Experience in developing clear theories of change, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives and performance indicators.
• Experience in strategic public engagement activity, based on an understanding of the target audience.
• Strong track record in writing engaging campaign narratives and delivering creative campaign tactics.
• Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including budget management and monitoring of results.
• Experience in operating independently at a senior level and in providing expert advice and support on advocacy and campaigns.
• Knowledge of international development, humanitarian issues and children’s rights.
• Experience working for an advocacy or campaigning organization e.g. international or national NGO, UN or other multilateral organization. 
• Experience in delivering capacity building and training is a strong asset.
• Experience working in a developing and emergency environment is an asset.

Skills and attributes

• Demonstrated strong communication, presentation and writing skills are essential – a clear, concise, compelling writing style, which is adaptable for difference audiences, including mainstream public.
• Excellent facilitation skills and engaging oral communication style.
• Strategic thinking and critical analysis.
• Commitment and drive, with a clear focus on results.
• Positive, proactive, ‘can-do’ approach.
• Solutions-focused.
• Ability to juggle competing priorities, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
• Creative and innovative.

Languages

• Fluency in English (both written and verbal) is required.  Working level of French and/or Spanish is considered a strong asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

1. Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

2. Core Competencies

• Communication [II]
• Drive for Result [II]
• Working With People [II]

3. Functional Competencies

• Formulating Strategies and Concepts [II]
• Analyzing [II]
• Applying Technical Expertise [II] 
• Planning and Organizing [III]
• Relating and Networking [II] 

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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4. At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage for the duration of the contract.

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.