Organization: UN Children"s Fund
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 20 Jun 2015
Background & Rationale:
Since the recognition of naturally occurring arsenic contamination in ground-waters of Bangladesh in the mid-1990s, UNICEF has been at the forefront of identifying and responding to arsenic contamination in Bangladesh and in other countries throughout the world. In 2008, UNICEF published an Arsenic Primer which was a synthesis of the knowledge that UNICEF and its partners had gained over the prior ten years.
Since 2008, there have been numerous advances in the understanding of arsenic contamination and mitigation, as well as in general approaches to safe water management and promotion of behavioural change. While still valuable, the information in the Primer would be more useful if updated to reflect the latest knowledge and thinking. As such, WHO and UNICEF have agreed to jointly support a revision of the document.
Purpose:
UNICEF and WHO seek a consultant to coordinate the updating and revision of the Arsenic Primer, in consultation with UNICEF and WHO staff, and other experts as necessary.
Expected results
Review structure of Arsenic Primer
The Primer was designed to be light and accessible to non-specialists. It consists of 10 modules, ranging in length from two to six pages. In preparation for the updating of the Primer, UNICEF and WHO requested feedback on the document from regional and country offices having experience in arsenic programming. There have also been suggestions about adapting the Primer for use by a wider audience. The consultant will review the structure of the Primer, hold discussions with UNICEF and WHO staff, and review feedback from the regional and country offices, to consider the main audience(s) for the updated primer, and if and how the structure of the Primer could be adapted. Possible examples which could require structural changes include:
· The original document focuses mainly on UNICEF staff. The revised document could have a broader audience, including national authorities, WHO, and other UN agencies such as FAO. In this case, it might be of use to reorganize some of the content in the chapters “The UNICEF Role in Arsenic Mitigation” and the module “Partnerships and Advocacy”.
· The concept of Water Safety Planning has advanced tremendously since 2008, as have theories of behavioural change and best practices in water and sanitation programming. Some elements from the modules “Programme Communication”, “Provision of Safe Water”, and “Programming for Arsenic Mitigation” may require reorganization.
A revised structure should be proposed by the consultant, and agreed by UNICEF and WHO teams, by the end of June 2015.
Coordinate updating of individual chapters of the Primer
The last seven years since the Primer was produced have seen widespread experiences in arsenic mitigation, and significant advances in health, epidemiology, analytical science, arsenic removal, and approaches to programming. The technical content in the modules of the current Primer will need to be reviewed and updated. Feedback from users in UNICEF and WHO offices, and other stakeholders involved in arsenic mitigation, should be taken into account when considering additional content for inclusion. However, part of the strength of the Primer is its brevity, at only 40 pages. Requests for additional information should be balanced against the need to keep the Primer slim, with a target of 50 pages at maximum.
Since the technical content is highly specialized, UNICEF and WHO, with support from the consultant, will identify technical experts who could review and update individual modules. The technical experts will be asked to conduct their reviews through the summer months, principally from June through August. The role of the consultant will be to coordinate the inputs of these technical experts, and serve as a liaison between the experts and staff at UNICEF and WHO.
Edit revised Primer
The Primer should have an internal consistency in style, and not appear to be a collection of modules produced by different authors. The consultant will edit the text in the various modules, ensuring a harmonized prose style and approach to formatting (e.g. references, tables, figures). It is anticipated that the bulk of the editing work will be conducted in September and October, with a first draft planned by the end of September.
Timeframe
Start date: 30 June 2015 ****End date****: 30 October 2015
The consultant should be recruited by June 2015, and complete the document by October 2015. Technical experts will be contacted by June, and would be expected to complete their revisions by the end of August. The updating work is expected to take approximately 30 working days (6 weeks) over the June-October period.
*Key competences, technical background, and experience required:
As the Primer is multi-disciplinary, a wide range of technical backgrounds could be acceptable. However, the consultant should have:
Education:
· Academic qualifications: Post-graduate degree or higher.
· Minimum 5 years of Senior-level professional experience in programming work on drinking-water in low- and middle-income countries.
· Direct experience with arsenic mitigation programming is highly preferable.
· As one of the key audiences is WASH staff in UN country offices, prior work experience at the country level is highly preferable.
· Excellent written communication skills in English.
· Excellent track record of managing teams of authors contributing to a common product.*
*Please see deliverables in the attached chart.
How to apply:
How to Apply
Applicants are requested to send their submissions to pdconsultants@unicef.org with subject line: “**Updating and Revision of Arsenic Primer” – Consultancy**by 20 June 2015, 5:00pm EST.
Applications must include:
· Cover letter,
· CV, and
· P-11 form ( http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc )
Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.
UNICEF 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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