UNICEF UKRAINE-TERMS OF REFERENCE

National Consultant for the assignment of Field Support Officer

Duration: 11.5 months

  1. Purpose of Contract:

Since the beginning of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, over 2 million people have been displaced within Ukraine and abroad. At least 8,500 people have lost their lives and a further 18,000 were wounded. The conflict has taken a substantial social and economic toll on the communities that are currently hosting IDPs in eastern Ukraine. On the one hand the economic implications have been far reaching across Ukraine and negatively impacted employment opportunities in general. But, it is in areas directly impacted by the fighting such as in Donetsk and Luhansk, where basic infrastructure has been destroyed that the impact has been the greatest. However, oblasts such as Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhiahave also been severely impacted as economic ties with other eastern areas have been severed. The 40 per cent drop in the value of the Ukrainian Hryvna has resulted in the increase of price of food, utilities and various services. Loss of revenues combined with higher living costs and diminishing or deficient government services have put the family, community and societal coping mechanism under great strain prior to factoring in the impact of IDPs and increased competition for limited resources.

UNICEF’s monitoring and discussions with people including youth groups have also revealed that communities are divided, frustrated, and lacking hope for the future. These factors call for interventions in schools and communities that foster peaceful coexistence with a focus to diffuse anger before it leads to conflicting situations. Local professionals and communities need to enhance their skills to address children’s/youth’s frustration and strengthen their resilience, including the formulation of a school-based mediation and a peer-to-peer programme interventions.

UNICEF, with the support of the Government of Germany through its KreditanstaltfürWiederaufbau (KfW) has developed the “Towards greater social cohesion and integration of IDPs in eastern Ukraine” programme which seeks to address these needs in Donetsk and Luhansk as Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia.

  1. Objective of the Contract with expected results/outcome/products/sub products/outputs:

The Field Support Officer is responsible for:

  • Establish effective working relations with local authorities / institutions and other humanitarian and development partners and key stakholders.
  • Provide routine support to the implementation of the activities under the programme.
  • Monitor and report on implementation of UNICEF activities.
  • Contribute to effective coordination by attending relevant meetings/briefings with the area if responsibility and provide feedback/discussion as necessary.
  • Draft or contributing to the drafting of weekly field office reports.
  • Any special assignments required in regards to quick assessments, in-depth analysis, coordination with key stakeholders, reporting associated with UNICEF field activities.
  1. Deliverables based on the work plan:
  • Weekly work plans.
  • Weekly reports on activities.
  • Weekly human interest stories in a format provided by UNICEF;
  • Summary record of coordination meeting attended.
  • Distribution reports as necessary.
  • Monitoring reports as necessary.
  1. Details of how the work should be delivered:

The Field Support Officer will submit to UNICEF weekly reports by each Friday close of business. The report will include elements outlined in point 2 “2. Objective of the Contract with expected results/outcome/products/sub products/outputs:” and are based on the activities performed by the consultant.

  1. Performance indicators for evaluation of results:
  • Quantity of work (no. of field trips per week as per weekly plan; no. of supplies verified through a spot check; no. of coordination meetings attended; targets to be set on a monthly basis with the supervisor);
  • Quality of work (Quality of the reports and documents developed);
  • Responsibility (timeliness of submission and accuracy of reports and information requested by UNICEF; consistency in reporting);
  • Feedback from UNICEF Country Office, including feedback from the immediate supervisor, colleagues and NGO partners in the field on the work of the Field Support Officer.
  1. Qualifications/specialized knowledge/experience required to complete the task:
  • Master’s Degree in social sciences, public health, management, strategic planning or other relevant fields;
  • 5+ years of progressive monitoring and reporting experience for an NGO and/or government/UN
  • 5+ years of experience in conducting assessments
  • 5+ years of experience in implementation of community-based initiatives;
  • Proven excellent communication and networking skills;
  • Excellent command of Ukrainian, Russian, and English;
  • Previous experience with UNICEF and any other UN agency will be an asset.
  1. Definition of supervision arrangements:

The Field Support Officer is supervised by the Emergency Coordinator until a head of the Dnipropetrovsk office is appointed after which he/she will supervise the Field Support Officer. If necessary, spot checks/monitoring visits will be performed by the Supervisor.

  1. Description of official travel involved:

The monthly fee of the Consultant is inclusive of the travel expenses necessary to perform the duties within the assigned geographical area of responsibility thus no reimbursement claims will be accepted by the CO.

Travel will be authorised upon completion of the UNICEF’s “Basic Security in the Field” Course, “Advanced Security in the Field” Course, and “Landmine and Explosive Remnants of War Safety Training”. No Travel Authorization will be issued.

The Consultant will agree upon the travel plan with the supervisor (on a monthly basis). The consultant is to be responsible for insurance costs on his or her own, except MAIP insurance, which is added into the contract.

The deadline for submission of applications is 15 March, 2016.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Applicants that fulfil the above requirements are requested to complete and submit the following:

  1. United Nations Personal History Form (P. 11) which is available at a web-site
  2. Curriculum vitae/resume
  3. Expected fee for the consultancy service
  4. names and contact details of professional or academic referees
  5. Cover letter describing your professional interests in working for UNICEF

Important: Applications should contain all requested information including information on the expected fee for the consultancy otherwise will not be further considered.

Please, indicate National Consultant for the assignment of Field Support Officer

in the subject of the email.

Applications can be submitted by:

  1. Fax: No. 380-44-230-2506
  2. E-mail:

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.