Consultant – Payroll Standard Cost Review, Division of Financial and Administrative Management – Remote

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, hope..

The UNICEF Integrated Budget provides information on how the Strategic Plan will be funded and presents the resources that will contribute to the achievement of UNICEF’s Integrated results and resources framework. 

The three major cost components of UNICEF’s budgets are technical, cash and supply assistance. Technical assistance comprises both post and non-post costs. These make up the resource requirement to support the achievements of the organizational targets in the Strategic Plan and agreed programmatic results.

Resource requirements for positions irrespective of their funding source type; meaning Regular Resources, Other Resources, Institutional Budget, Trust Funds, etc., are projected using a standard cost.

The standard cost is an estimation of the annual total cost of a post calculated for each duty station, pay scale group (international professional, national professional and general service by level of post), and year of the budget cycle.  It covers salary and other directly related (or ‘common’) staff costs in accordance with the allowances and entitlements described in the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules.   

The standard cost is revised periodically to reflect the most current information. The methodology for standard cost calculation is based on factors that impact the cost of posts in each location, category, level, and year.  These factors include salary scales, inflation rates, estimated entitlements and prior years’ actual costs. The calculations are based on data of positions funded from the Institutional Budget.

The post costs are planned by using the standard cost as the resource estimate basis. The standard costs hence impact planning and management of budgets under all fund types. Post costs for Regular and Other Resources in Country Offices, Global & Regional Programme Other Resources and Trust Funds are included in the budget issued to offices based on the approved overall resource requirement and availability of funds. The post budgets for the Institutional and the Regular Resources Budgets for the Global & Regional Programmes are issued to and centrally managed by DFAM.  This is to enable UNICEF to centrally manage the cost variances between standard and actual cost of the positions, thus guarantee the full funding of all related positions across the entire organization. 

How can you make a difference?

The Consultant will report to the Chief – Planning & Budget Unit/DFAM and will work closely with the different teams and coordinate and liaise with various internal and external stakeholders as required. 

The consultancy is expected to result in an updated methodology that includes a broader yet simplified approach.  The work will be done remotely from the location of the selected Consultant.

The Consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Review actuals as compared to standard costs for the last 5 years looking at the reasoning for the variances and basis for the establishment of the relevant standard cost for the various locations/duty stations.
• Review UNICEF’s standard cost methodology, its applicability and impact to the resource requirement planning, implementation, and reporting, and provide recommendations on required adjustments. 
• Review the standard cost methodology, usage and policy of a few UN sister agencies notably UNDP, UNFPA and UN Women and provide recommendations towards harmonization where feasible as compared to UNICEF’s methodology and usage. 
• Review UNICEF’s budget policies & procedures which refer to standard cost and provide an update based on the findings and recommendations being proposed.
• Provide a step-by-step standard procedure for the standard cost review and implementation.
• Any additional tasks relevant to the review as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Time frame and deliverables:

• The consultancy is to be conducted between 10 December 2021 and 31 March 2022.
• The following deliverables are to be provided:
• Detailed report of the methodology review and a summary of recommendations on required adjustments.
• Review analysis of methodologies followed by UN sister agencies and summary of recommendations towards harmonization.
• List of policy documents that require update based on findings and recommendations.
• A step by step procedure to follow when revising the standard cost.

NOTE: Duration of contract factors in the holidays in December.  Applicants are required to provide their price proposal based on deliverables.  

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

• An advanced university degree in Organization Development, Business Management, Economics, Social Sciences, Statistics, Human Resources Management or a related field.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.
• Prior experience and/or knowledge of establishing standard costs and related policies/procedures is an asset.
• Excellent drafting skills and ability to communicate effectively to varied audiences. Strong presentation skills and innovative thinking.
• Excellent analytical, conceptual and writing skills, comfortable working with large data sets, possesses advanced excel skills.
• Ability to work with multiple teams in a multi-cultural environment.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

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.

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.