Background & Rationale
This consultancy directly contributes to UNICEF’s Knowledge Exchange priorities mandate: taking a systematic approach to sharing tacit knowledge — the knowledge that staff and partners acquire through their work experiences, successes and challenges around the world — in order to directly support programmes, operations and advocacy by UNICEF and our partners. The Knowledge Exchange Team is about to launch a new package of tools and platforms to foster greater sharing of knowledge, collaboration and peer support across the organization. UNICEF’s Knowledge Exchange Communities platform, is key component of this package and this consultancy will play a critical role in promoting the use of platform and engaging with and supporting UNICEF staff and partners to use it effectively.
The UNICEF Knowledge Exchange (KE) platform was introduced in 2015 as a means to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across UNICEF, integrating official UNICEF tools (SharePoint + Yammer) Well-purposed and skillfully led Knowledge Exchange Communities positively impact a range of strategic objectives fostering collaboration and sparking innovation. They are venues for quickly and easily sharing ideas and know-how. The immediacy of communication fosters the creation of an evolving pool of ‘living knowledge’. The members of the community transform this living knowledge into ‘living action’, and in turn into ‘living solutions’. Research also suggests that effective use of online communities reduces the time required both in searching for information and collaborating on tasks. Each community has a business owner who is responsible for facilitating and managing that community.
Purpose
The chief purpose of this assignment is to support UNICEF KE Community Facilitators/Managers to actively manage and effectively coordinate these communities with the objective of having at least six thematic KE Communities that are actively exchanging knowledge across sectors and geographies. The UNICEF KE Communities Manager will be a driving force to support Community Facilitators/Managers to effectively run specific pilot Knowledge Exchange Communities and networks across sectors and geographies. He/she will actively foster robust knowledge exchange and promote the adoption and effective use of tools and platforms that can enhance the work to this end.
Expected results: (measurable results)
The UNICEF Yammer Community Manager will be a driving force for facilitating and strengthening the UNICEF Yammer Networks, fostering knowledge dissemination and promoting the adoption of new tools and platforms that can enhance the work to this end which includes the following:
· Two manuals and at least five short videos on how to use effectively the UNICEF KE Communities platform produced in collaboration with ITSS
· At least six 90-day plans for new communities developed
· At least six community promotion and engagement strategies and tactics as they relate to a specific KE Community
· At least six Community discussions facilitated over the course of six months
· At least six e-discussion syntheses and briefs, addressing emerging issues, and keep abreast of requests for additional learning developed and disseminated
· At least six Monthly Community Calls via webinars to empower facilitators organized
· Six KE Communities newsletters and editorials produced and disseminated
· At least six KE Communities a “health check” given to specific KE Communities
· A UNICEF Communities “Responders list” built and maintained
· Six examples of community success stories of how UNICEF Communities has been used effectively to promote knowledge sharing collected and written in the form of short case studies/stories for dissemination on Icon and other channels
· Success of the UNICEF KE Communities monthly monitored by analyzing benchmarks using quantitative and qualitative measures, using such tools as Google analytics or other similar packages.
· Regular feedback and insights gained from monitoring provided through a monthly report to the project leads, to help them evolve their strategies in a timely fashion
Duty Station
This position is full time and will be based in UNICEF New York Headquarters. The consultancy will be a combination of onsite and offsite work.
Timeframe
Start date: December 22nd 2015 End date: June 22nd 2016
Deliverables
Duration
(Estimated # of Days)
Deadline
TECHNICAL/HELPDESK/ADMIN:
· Two manuals and at least five short videos on how to use effectively the UNICEF Communities platform produced in collaboration with ITSS
Description:
Support and advise facilitators of new communities on how to configure and deploy new community sites.
Support the oversight of all technical and system administration aspects of the UNICEF KE Communities platform, working with ITSS and the platform vendor (Microsoft) to address, resolve, and communicate any issues related to the features and functionality of the platform
Provide technical support to members and staff
Manage and troubleshoot regular platform upgrades
Ensure the platform is kept up to date and functional, and foster its evolution by collating and acting promptly on user feedback
Recommend and implement new community features as appropriate
Provide members with a simple and intuitive user experience
Ongoing
Monthly progress report
MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT:
· At least six 90-day plans for new communities developed
· At least six community promotion and engagement strategies and tactics as they relate to a specific KE Community
· At least six Community discussions facilitated over the course of six months
· At least six e-discussion syntheses and briefs, addressing emerging issues, and keep abreast of requests for additional learning developed and disseminated
· At least six Monthly Community Calls via webinars to empower facilitators organized
· Six KE Communities newsletters and editorials produced and disseminated
Description:
Work with community facilitators to define membership, and communicate the value that members will find in the KE communities
Support facilitators ad business owners to develop a 90-day plan for new communities, clarifying the community’s purpose and identifying what resources are required to make it a success
Help recruit and engage a core group of members who will be active participants
Develop and implement community promotion and engagement strategies and tactics as they relate to the specific KE Communities and the organization’s strategic goals
Stimulate online and face-to-face participation and contributions between members by seeding activity, posting messages, asking questions, and sharing insights and relevant content
Provide high quality facilitation with the help of various communication tools and techniques
Facilitate e-discussions on key topics specific to the networks
Guide members to contribute high quality submissions across the entire suite of tools and techniques available and generate compelling content
Develop and disseminate e-discussion syntheses and briefs, addressing emerging issues, and keep abreast of requests for additional learning
Produce and disseminate a regular KE Communities newsletter and editorial
In coordination with PD, DRP, ITSS, DOC, PFP and other divisions’ staff develop communication campaigns, activities and products to promote adoption of and engagement with the communities platform
Communicate and promote new community features and procedures to members and staff
Actively promote the communities internally and externally and keep recruiting new members
Identify and recruit KE Communities Champions to ensure the adoption of the platform for effective collaboration
Ongoing
Monthly progress report
FACILITATING, MONITORING AND RESPONDING:
· At least six KE Communities a “health check” given to specific KE Communities
· A UNICEF Communities “Responders list” built and maintained
Description:
Give the KE Communities a “health check” every 3 to 6 months to ensure they are making progress on their chosen goals
Monitor discussions, respond in a timely fashion where appropriate (or ensure relevant responders are “nudged” to respond)
Alert Community Facilitators/Managers and appropriate staff as issues arise and work with staff to resolve issues
Maintain a “Responders List” of members and/or staff who can be reached quickly to respond to specific questions
Work ‘behind the scenes’ to engage members. This may include facilitating ‘peer assists’ to connect a community member with a specific question to another member who may have the answer, and encouraging ‘silent members’ to become more active
Ongoing
Monthly progress report
MEASURING RESULTS:
• Six examples of community success stories of how UNICEF Communities has been used effectively to promote knowledge sharing collected and written in the form of short case studies/stories for dissemination on Icon and other channels
• Success of the UNICEF KE Communities monthly monitored by analyzing benchmarks using quantitative and qualitative measures, using such tools as Google analytics or other similar packages.
• Regular feedback and insights gained from monitoring provided through a monthly report to the project leads, to help them evolve their strategies in a timely fashion
Description:
Monitor effective benchmarks for measuring the growth and health of UNICEF Exchange Communities using quantitative and qualitative measures. Provide regular feedback and insights gained from monitoring to the project leads, to help them evolve their strategies in a timely fashion
Collect and analyze quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback from members, including stories of change, improvement and transformation, using a narrative-based approach to ensure audience can readily use them
Use social listening and analytics tools to fosters the conversations happening around key themes in the network
Monitor trends in online community tools, facilitation, trends and applications and advise on potential opportunities or risks
Ongoing
Monthly progress report
total
Six months approx. 126 days
Key competences, technical background, and experience required Deadline
• An advanced degree in social sciences, community management, communications, or a related technical field
• At least five years of proven mid-level experience in effectively managing communities for the UN, non for profit organizations and/or private sector companies, tracking their success and analysing results
• Expertise at using SharePoint integrated with Yammer and the Office 365 package (certified expertise is preferable)
• Proven ability to conceptualize, plan and execute ideas as well as transfer knowledge and skills
• Exceptional interpersonal and written/verbal communications skills, and ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, direct, and lively style
• Proven skills in communication, networking, strategic thinking, advocacy and negotiation
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, excellent facilitation skills, sensitivity to working in a multicultural environment
• Ability to adapt quickly to technological changes and foster use of new and appropriate tools and technologies to enhance knowledge exchange for staff and partners
• Experience in reporting on qualitative and quantitative analytics
• UNICEF core competencies: communication, working with people and drive for results
• UNICEF functional competencies: planning and organizing, learning and researching, analysing, relating and networking, persuading and influencing, creating and innovating, entrepreneurial thinking
• Fluency in English required, working knowledge of French and/or Spanish an asset.
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