Job: INTERNATIONAL LEAD ADVISOR/CO-AUTHOR OF THE 5TH NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT (NHDR), UNDP, Vientiane, LAO PDR

Cross-posted from UNDP: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=35382

INTERNATIONAL LEAD ADVISOR/CO-AUTHOR OF THE 5TH NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT (NHDR)

Location :Vientiane, LAO PDR
Application Deadline :25-Feb-13
Additional CategoryPoverty Reduction
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :English
Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)25-Mar-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :Six months over the duration of 15 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :Six months over the duration of 15 months

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Background

“Human development is about people, about expanding their choices to live full, creative lives with freedom and dignity. Economic growth, increased trade and investment, technological advance – all are very important. But they are means, not ends. Fundamental to expanding human choices is building human capabilities: the range of things that people can be. The most basic capabilities for human development are living a long and healthy life, being educated, having a decent standard of living and enjoying political and civil freedoms to participate in the life of one’s community.”

For more than a decade, national and regional Human Development Report (HDR) teams have been helping to advance the human development conceptual framework and apply it to the most pressing development challenges of the day. They are helping to generate lively debates around the policies and actions needed to accelerate human development and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

In Lao PDR so far 4 NHDRs have been published over the period 1998 to 2009, and the most recent report was on Employment and Livelihoods. The 5th NHDR will be published in 2014 and focus on sustaining the MDGs. The report will also be in time for presentation to the National Assembly in June of that year. This report will be the first produced under the leadership of the National Economic Research Institute (NERI), Ministry of Planning and Investment which has in the past supported the Lao Statistics Bureau in undertaking this role.

In this regard, UNDP is seeking a qualified international consultant to be the NHDR Lead Advisor/Co-Author. The consultant will assist the NERI during the process of writing the NHDR by providing guidance and supervision to the writing team in terms of research methods and data analysis to ensure high quality, accuracy and consistency of the work throughout the preparation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of this assignment is to work closely with NERI who is the leading institute for the production of the 5^th NHDR and guide them through the writing process.

Scope of work:

Coordinate the process of preparing the 5th NHDR.
Contribute substantive inputs to the preparation of the report, using technical background papers and other relevant references.
Promote a participatory approach to the preparation of the report, and actively provide technical support in the 5^th NHDR promotion and dissemination

To fulfill the primary functions above, the consultant shall:

Ensure an efficient and effective division of labour among the team. This includes allowing all team members to focus on their discipline, and the specific approach required by the various sectors, while facilitating cross fertilisation through brainstorming, joint reviews and collaboration.
Ensure all team members respect standards and procedures as codified by the NHDR Concept Note and the NHDR Toolkit.
Prepare an outline-structure the NHDR in a logical and coherent manner.
Together with NERI, lead the writing process and provides substantive feedback to TBP writers.
Provide training for TBPs writers, partners on NHDR’s theme and on human development concept, measurement and policy applications.
Ensure quantitative/qualitative data are sufficient to prove the policy argument, while the missing data/biases are acknowledged and elaborated.
Prepare necessary chapters of the report, particularly the introductory chapter and the final chapter on conclusions and recommendations in collaboration with the national co-author.
Provide guidance, advice and substantive comments to the contributions at all stages of the process, and ensure adequate reviews and consultations, particularly on sensitive topics and materials.
Edit and finalize the various drafts of the NHDR to ensure consistency throughout the report and to include comments and suggestions received during the consultation process to the extent possible.
Ensure that all members of the NHDR team consult relevant stakeholders during the preparation of their contributions.
Actively participate in the consultation process organised throughout the preparation of the report.
In close collaboration with the UNDP office and the NHDR team brief the national author and other counterparts on process and findings as they emerge.
Ensure knowledge transfer and capacity building throughout the production process.

The final products for this assignment are:

Inception report: outline of the methodology to complete the tasks and working schedule by 10th April 2013.
Chapter outline and concept note of TBPs by 30th April 2013
First draft of the NHDR for internal review by 25th October 2013
Semifinal draft to be circulated for feedbacks by 22nd Jan 2014
Final NHDR which has been endorsed by the Board by 4th April 2014
A Succinct Summary of NHDR (to be published as a separate brochure) by 4th April 2014

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrates leadership, team building and coordinating skills
Demonstrates commitment to human development principles and values.
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Shares knowledge and experience
Provides helpful feedback and advice
Strong analytical skills
Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
Generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations
Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate
Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Recognized degree (preferably PhD level) in social sciences

Experience:

At least 15 years of relevant experience in the Academia or research institutions, with a focus on socio-economic analysis, experience with gendered analysis and the development of composite indices, and social impact assessment
Experience with NHDRs, LCD Graduation Criteria is an asset
Working experience with international organizations, especially the UN is considered to be an asset

Language Requirements:

Excellent command of English

Evaluation of Proposals:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

Cumulative analysis: The award of the contract will be made to a consultant who offer has been evaluated and determined as:

responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria:

* Technical Criteria weight; [0.7]

* Financial Criteria weight; [0.3]

Only a consultant obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical rating would be considered for the financial evaluation.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1- Terms of Reference (TOR). TOR and General Terms and Conditions for Individual Consultants can be downloaded at:

http://www.la.undp.org/content/lao_pdr/en/home/operations/jobs/

Request for clarification must be sent in writing to the following email: latsany.phakdisoth(at)undp.org

Full procurement notice, TOR and award criteria are available on UNDP CO web-site here: http://www.la.undp.org/content/lao_pdr/en/home/operations/jobs/

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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Tags: PhD, capacity building, editing, gendered analysis, human development report, knowledge transfer, qualitative data, quantitative data, social impact assessment, social science, More…socio-economic analysis

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