International Expert on the Development of In-House Consulting Capacities in Public Administrations

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

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Description

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Fast-changing conditions and critical challenges of today – amongst which global pandemics, climate change, digital transformations, and the interplay of these trends – require large-scale and future-oriented reforms. Public administrations are under pressure to design and implement such reforms, while simultaneously addressing internal needs and building capacities to prepare themselves for the future. In this context, efforts to recalibrate the engagement of the public administrations with private consulting services and to develop internal/in-house consulting capacities for the design and implementation of reforms are being initiated across countries.  

Seven Member States (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, and Latvia) have requested support in addressing the afore-mentioned needs. Submitted and funded through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument, the ensuing multi-country project will be implemented over a period of 18 months by UNESCO with the aim of achieving the following outcomes:

Approved action plan to establish in-house consulting focusing on a selected service portfolio adapted to each participating Member State;
Capacity built for the implementation of the action plan in the participating Member States; and
Increased awareness on the importance of in-house consulting and creation of an EU network of experts.
 
To this end, UNESCO is organizing a central coordination team based in UNESCO Headquarters (Paris) and 7 in-country teams to support the global and country-specific delivery in each of the participating countries.

Scope Of Work:

Under the overall guidance of the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences (ADG/SHS), the Director for Social Policies and the Chief Executive Officer, and the supervision of the Senior Project Officer, the international expert will:

  • Develop, in close cooperation with the in-country teams, the main outputs in the 7 participating countries, including country-specific baseline analysis in relation to in-government consulting capacities, to-be reports, roadmaps/action plans for the implementation of the selected reform scenario, and change management plans.
  • Produce, with input from and in close consultations with the in-country teams, the global blueprint for reform that would identify the minimum requirements for the establishment or the expansion of in-house consulting capacities regardless of country or service portfolios/thematic focuses.
  • Conduct high-quality comparative analysis of institutional, legal and policy frameworks in relation to in-government consulting and analytical capacities within and beyond the participating countries; develop, on the basis of the analysis and the existing good practices, hands-on benchmarks to support assessment and development of analytical and consulting capacities on priority policy issues within the public sector. 
  • Conduct high-quality analysis and research for the integrated delivery of global and country-specific outputs, ensuring cross-country fertilization and substantive consistency of approaches.
  • Build capacity in the 7 participating Member States by providing ongoing technical support to the core teams in the beneficiary authorities, as well as by developing and delivering – with the in-country teams and other contracted suppliers – 2 trainings per participating country on (a) change management and (b) thematic portfolio development of the in-house consultancies. 
  • Prepare, run and follow-up on 2 horizontal workshops for cross-project learning and cross-country exchange of experiences.
  • Provide actionable advice, identify possible membership, prepare TORs and support the establishment of an EU network of experts to share knowledge on in-house consulting across countries.
  • Liaise regularly, consult and communicate both internally and externally as required for the delivery of the aforementioned outputs.
  • Seek and integrate feedback on the aforementioned deliverables and tasks as required.
  • Draft presentations and substantive interventions on the project for internal and external use.
  • Undertake missions and travel as required.
Required Qualifications:
  • Advanced university degree) in economics, governance, public policy, knowledge-policy nexus, evidence-based policy making or similar areas.
  • PhD in the aforementioned areas would be considered an asset.
Professional Experience:
  • Track record, with a minimum of 10 years of experience, in government innovation, public administration, comparative public policy, good governance, knowledge-policy nexus, institutional analysis and development, capacity building or similar areas.
  • Demonstrated experience in conducting stakeholder analysis and consultations.
  • Experience in applied/policy-oriented research, provision of tailored, high-expertise technical support, and implementation of capacity building projects for the benefit of public administrations/governments.
  • Experience working with or within public administration is considered an asset.
Skills:
  • Excellent research, writing and analytical skills.
  • Solid advocacy, communication and presentation skills adapted to technical and general purposes.
  • Familiarity with EU-funded project, including multi-country technical support, considered an advantage.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including interacting with various actors and working effectively and respectfully in a complex environment on sensitive issues.
  • Understanding and adherence to the UN principles.
Language:
  • Excellent writing skills in English. Fluency in the language of the preferred country of assignment is an asset. 

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