National individual consultancy to provide advisory support on development of national impact source intermediary platform, 81 w/ds, Dushanbe, Tajikistan (for Tajik nationals only)

UNICEF Tajikistan intends to hire National consultant who will provide advisory support to UNICEF TCO in coordinating the development process of National Impact Sourcing Intermediary Platform by third party. Consultant expected to coordinate full-scale communication between MoLMEP/UNICEF/Technical team to develop the platform, its content, functions, etc.

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, Development

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. 

UNICEF with support of funding from EU, and in partnership with MoES/MoLMEP is implementing “Improving skills and competencies of adolescent girls and boys for school to work transition in Tajikistan and national support to continuity of learning within the framework of the National Education Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 Project” which aims to enhance continuous access to quality education and employability of the youth in Tajikistan.

In 2018 UNICEF conducted a feasibility study of Impact Sourcing/Remote jobs in Tajikistan to assess the country environment and provide recommendations on employment opportunities for adolescents and young girls and boys. The study shows that within the virtual economy, microwork appears to be particularly relevant for Tajikistan, as it overcomes geographical boundaries to provide earning opportunities for young people with diverse skillsets and access to relatively basic digital infrastructure. With the support of the EU five Impact Source Hubs have been established in Tajikistan to promote the microwork. Using the "Impact sourcing" model, UNICEF Tajikistan aims to link the trained young people to existing and newly established internship and employment opportunities within socially responsible businesses in the digital economy. Currently in the country there is no platform that could perform the role of National aggregator platform at global level.

Within the frames of this initiative UNICEF together with the Ministry of Labor aims to develop the first Tajikistan´s First Impact Sourcing Intermediary Platform, based on the assessment recommendations for an impact sourcing industry development in the country and based on best practices in other countries. Long term objective of the platform is to create education, job and income opportunities for young people, including the most marginalized youth in Tajikistan, specifically NEET. Platform will bring together Tajik government, international and local private development sector, civil society in having one National Impact Sourcing Intermediary platform. Platform will contribute to improvement of the marketing of the country, introducing Tajikistan for the first time on the global map of the ICT impact sourcing and outsourcing industry. Platform will be also integral part of the work force industry to decrease unemployment which Government aim by 2030.

The challenges in job allocation and employer outreach in Tajikistan arise from the absence of a unified and innovative source that effectively connects job seekers and recruiters based on their needs. Existing websites lack the necessary robustness and functionality to serve as a concrete platform for effective job matching. To address this issue, UNICEF will support development of a national unified platform. This platform will allow job seekers to create profiles and be matched with current open positions by employers. By providing real-time updates on job openings and in-demand skills, the platform will empower job seekers to stay informed about the labor market trends. Apart from job seeking function, platform will provide learning opportunities through selected ICT courses as well as AI generated career guidance support feature to enhance users’ knowledge and skills in desired sectors, boosting their soft skills and improving their employment chances.

Out of existing platforms (www.somon.tj; www.upgrade.tj) platform managed by MoLMEP considered as a more suitable for further expansion. Based on the preliminary assessment of the RO T4D specialists during their mission to Tajikistan, it was agreed and recommended to expand the existing ministerial platform (www.kor.tj) instead of developing new one.

How can you make a difference? 

Under this assignment, consultant will provide advisory support to UNICEF TCO in coordinating the development process of National Impact Sourcing Intermediary Platform by third party. Consultant expected to coordinate full-scale communication between MoLMEP/UNICEF/Technical team to develop the platform, its content, functions, etc. Assignment has three main components: overall management and coordination; joint work with IT team on the platform; technical support with Impact Source approach; Apart from this, consultant will ensure that career counseling (AI based function) and guidance component is included in the platform. Final product of the assignment is a platform approved and accepted by the MoLMEP. 

DUTY STATION/DURATION:

Duration: 81 working days between December 6, 2023 - 30 April 2024 

Supervisor: ADAP Officer, UNICEF Tajikistan

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide advisory support to UNICEF TCO and to the MoLMEP on “National Impact Sourcing Intermediary platform” to guide and manage the development process.  

All activities under this consultancy will be designed in consultation with UNICEF team and the following tasks will need to be accomplished by the selected Consultant:

• Introduce the design of the Intermediary platform to MoLMEP management and IT team.
• Jointly with MoLMEP develop the scope of work and timeline to complete the process.
• Periodical meeting/stock taking session with key UNICEF staff/MoLMEP/RO T4D.
• Provide overall direction, prioritization, sequencing and ensuring coherence of work.
• Provide advisory and technical support on integrating the Impact Sourcing model into the platform.
• Provide continuous review and coordination at each stage of the development process.
• Support development of the final product with review brief, presentation, blog, webinars, op-ed, etc. and other relevant knowledge products. 

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

• Education: Advanced Degree in Economy, business administration, public finance, entrepreneurship, IT or other relevant field;
• Work experience: Minimum of 3 years of experience in the field of Business Process Outsource, Impact Source.
• Good knowledge of Tajikistan TVET system, it’s legislation, structure and practices.
• Good knowledge of Tajikistan business context, Public Private Partnership.
• Experience in dealing with jobs platforms;
• Skills: Strong strategic planning, writing and analytical skills.
• Basic knowledge in developing the multi-functional website.
• Languages: Good knowledge of English and Russian languages.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

• Cover letter/application/CV.
• A technical proposal with proposed approach to managing the consultancy deliverables, showing understanding of tasks. 
• Financial proposal specifying consultancy fee, per day of work, requested for the tasks described in the Terms of Reference in TJS. 
• Examples of previous, relevant work related to the deliverables.
• Applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered. 

Applications must be received in the system by 27 November 2023 on UNICEF website.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.