Home-based Consultancy: Organizational Science, Foresight, and EU context advisor for CPE focused on UNICEF’s presence in HICs (Romania Croatia, and Bulgaria) (30 working days; with travel as needed) - ECARO

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, dedication.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Country Programme Evaluations (CPEs) in UNICEF fulfill a key role in identifying lessons which can inform the design of the next Country Programme or adjustments in the current Programme, and opportunities to improve UNICEF’s performance. The CPEs usually assess (i) the contribution of the Programme of Cooperation to national development results; (ii) UNICEF’s contribution to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSCDF) results; and (iii) UNICEF’s strategic positioning in relation to its child rights mandate.

Being strategic evaluations, CPEs are mostly used to inform the direction of Country Programmes (CPs), which is outlined in the country programme documents that are designed and planned every 5 years, on average. At national level, CPEs may also inform the UNSDCF planning and evaluation processes and, at regional and global levels, they may inform multi-country evaluations, synthesis and strategic evaluations undertaken to assess and/or document UNICEF’s performance, management decisions and policy and programme development. CPEs in UNICEF align with UNICEF’s 2023 Evaluation Policy with which it has become a requirement for Country Offices (COs) to commission CPEs, at least, once every two programme cycles, or once per programme cycle for yearly office budgets if monitoring information or audit point to a significant shift in the programme context, or a significant increase in the level of risk. To guard independence, CPEs are managed from Regional office (RO) level in close collaboration with COs and with final quality assurance undertaken by UNICEF’s Evaluation Office in New York (Table 1).

Table 1. An extract from the revised Evaluation Policy on Country Programme Evaluation (Source: UNICEF Evaluation Policy, June 2018)

At least once every two programme cycles, sequenced to feed into subsequent country programme document.

At least once per programme cycle if monitoring and audit information points to a significant shift in the programming context or a significant increase in the level of risk.

Romania, Croatia, and Bulgaria (the countries) Country Offices (COs) are currently reviewing their programmes and preparing to adapt their business model to be better suited to operating and programming in a High-Income Country (HIC) with the added EU member state context. This process is framed by a complex and shifting environment characterized by geopolitical risks in Europe and ongoing changes in the international development global setup. Internally, UNICEF needs to become more agile to respond to emerging opportunities.

Considering the need for actionable EU-aware insights on organizational changes COs should take, UNICEF has identified the need for an organizational science advisor. The advisor would work with the evaluation lead to ensure all phases of the evaluation can feed towards concrete recommendations on how best to improve the organizational structure of UNICEF in all COs under analysis.

Background

Romania context

Romania's socio-economic context is characterized by a mix of progress and challenges. Despite robust economic growth in 2022, the country's GDP growth decelerated to 1.8% in 2023 due to high inflation and sluggish private credit growth. Romania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe, with 34.4% of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The country faces structural weaknesses, adverse agricultural conditions, and external headwinds. However, private consumption and investment are expected to drive GDP growth to 3.2% in 2025. Romania's fiscal revenues are among the lowest in the EU, and the country has a high budget deficit. Despite these challenges, Romania has made considerable progress in economic performance and convergence with the EU, as illustrated by its transition into HIC status in 2019.

Its demographics are characterized by a shrinking population. The country has 19 million people, of which 3.75 million are children. Despite progress in social sectors, significant challenges remain for children's rights, deprivations, and inequities. Nearly half of the children live in rural areas, where they face lower living standards and limited access to quality social services compared to urban areas. Romania has the highest rate of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU, with 41.5% of children affected, nearly double the EU average. The country is implementing the European Child Guarantee, aiming to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 500,000 by 2030, with an investment of EUR 19 billion.

Croatia context

Croatia's socioeconomic context is marked by a blend of growth and challenges. The country has a population of 3.9 million and a GDP per capita of $21,424.61. Croatia's economic activity has outpaced average growth in the EU over the last three years, with real GDP growth projected to reach 3.5% in 2024. This growth is driven primarily by robust domestic demand, rising wages, expansionary fiscal policy, and the inflow of EU funds. However, productivity growth has been relatively subdued, and the tourism sector, a key driver of economic growth, is showing signs of reaching peak capacity. Despite these challenges, Croatia's overall macroeconomic imbalances remain contained, supported by a robust banking sector, a positive current and capital account, and public debt close to 60% of GDP.

Croatia has a population of approximately 3.9 million people, with children making up about 14% of the total population. Despite progress in child wellbeing indicators such as health, protection, and access to education, some vulnerable groups remain excluded, and child inequality is expected to have intensified due to the COVID-19 crisis. Basic services for children, including education and healthcare, are free of charge and generally of good quality, but there are still gaps in coverage, particularly among the Roma children, children living in distant and isolated communities, children with disabilities, children of migrants and other vulnerable groups. The country faces emerging child health issues like obesity and the consumption of harmful products. In addition, despite legislative efforts, investment in preventing violence (including online) and harassment is needed. Croatia's legal framework for protecting children is progressing, but its provisions are not fully implemented in practice.

Bulgaria context

Bulgaria's socioeconomic context in 2023 and 2024 is characterized by a mix of progress and ongoing challenges. The country has achieved significant economic growth, with a GDP per capita reaching 63% of the EU average in purchasing power parity terms. The unemployment rate remains low at 3.6%, but the share of NEETs (young people not in education, employment, or training) remains high, with notable gender imbalances. Despite these economic gains, Bulgaria faces substantial social vulnerabilities, particularly among children. The share of children living at risk of poverty or social exclusion has slightly increased to 33.9% in 2024 due to the cost-of-living crisis. The country continues to grapple with structural challenges, including gaps in social benefits coverage and adequacy, which fail to lift many families out of poverty. Bulgaria's socioeconomic policies are focused on addressing these disparities and ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth in the medium term.

Bulgaria has a resident population of over 6.4 million people, with approximately 1.09 million being children, making up 16.9% of the total population. The country faces a declining population due to low birth rates, an aging population, and net emigration. Children in Bulgaria face significant challenges, with a high percentage at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The Bulgarian government, in collaboration with UNICEF, has been working on several initiatives to address these issues, including the development of a National Child Strategy 2030 and improving the social impact of benefits for children. Despite these efforts, gaps in access to quality education, healthcare, and social services remain, particularly for vulnerable groups such as Roma children and children with disabilities. The focus is on ensuring that all children have access to the necessary resources and support to thrive.

Acknowledging this context, the COs have spent the last few years testing models to transition UNICEF’s presence from a middle-income context to a high-income one. Their most recent CPDs have focused on strengthening national institutions and on the use of advocacy and partnerships as implementation strategies. The end goal is to find an appropriate programmatic and operational set up that is efficient, sustainable, and self-funded, all while enabling change at scale by positioning children and child right commitments (CRC) recommendations front and center in the national agenda.

In addition, all COs have been selected at the regional level to pilot UNICEF office’s transition process to a new business model as a high-income country office. This model needs to be in line with the process tested at global level and corresponding with the aim to maintain relevance and functionality as a UNICEF office in a high-income country that is also an EU member state.

The Romania Country Office has already conducted several comprehensive evaluations on the key programme interventions. The Croatia CO also have available evaluation insights on some of key programmatic interventions being implemented by UNICEF and partners. And the Bulgaria CO has a recent country programme evaluation that can feed into this update. Taking into account the available evaluation reports on the programming processes and the need for the Office to define a more agile business model to be competitive and relevant in a hgh income country (HIC), this evaluation will focus on building evidence-based knowledge on what approaches worked or need to be adjusted in office management and operations (including human resources).

Click here for the full Terms of Reference:  TOR org sci revMLM_clean.docx

Work Assignment Overview Tasks / Milestone Deliverables / Outputs Timeline / Deadline Review of evaluation methodological approach Short report with recommendations for improvement 10 working days Co-design report assessing proposed programmatic shifts (considering scenario narratives, findings, and recommendations) Reports (one for each CO) with preliminary findings (reviewed and cleared prior to CO validation) – lead evaluator to hold the pen 10 working days Evaluation results including assessment of the offices positioning in the national landscape with a forward-looking lens Reports (one for each CO) with scenario narratives, methodology, findings, and preliminary recommendations (reviewed and cleared prior to CO validation) – lead evaluator to hold the pen 10 working days

Estimated Duration of the Contract

30 working days

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be remote/home-based.

As part of this assignment, some international travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 30 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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:

Please submit a

in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.