Consultant - Coordinator Global Initiative to Support Parents

Purpose of consultancy

To contribute to coordination, advocacy and accountability efforts of the Global Initiative to Support Parents.

Background

The Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) aims to increase access to parenting and caregiver support so that every child can receive the support they need during the first two decades of life and across the life course. GISP works with governments, civil society partners, researchers, donors, and other partners to ensure all parents everywhere get the support they need when they need it.

GISP is coordinated by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), Parenting for Lifelong Health at the University of Oxford, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). GISP works with partners to scale parenting support worldwide through taking the following collective actions:

1. Scale: Invest in proven, cost-effective parenting interventions while building capacity to sustain delivery of the services.
2. Innovate: Design new digital and hybrid approaches that leverage technology to lower costs, increase uptake and reach underserved populations.
3. Generate Evidence: Test innovation through real-world trials, optimization studies on core components, and implementation research across contexts at scale.
4. Advocate: Investing in advocacy for the uptake of parenting interventions through policy advocacy and public and private financing.

GISP consists of multiple working groups of the coordinating agencies (including technical, advocacy, communications, and senior management groups), regional organizing teams, and a Donor Advisory Group. GISP is coordinated by a Global Coordinator on behalf of all agencies to support GISP’s ongoing maintenance and platform. With coordinating partners’ grants continuing into future years, there is need for a sustained GISP coordinator through the end of 2025 to ensure continuity and sustainability of GISP.

Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following key tasks:

1. Facilitate coordination of inter-agency core partners through scheduling meetings, note taking, agenda development, and follow-up on decision points and action points.
2. Facilitate coordination of the GISP Donor Advisory Group, including overall membership, quarterly meetings, and communications between coordinating partners and donors.
3. Facilitate coordination of GISP’s learning initiatives, including webinars.
4. Facilitate coordination of global events and support with coordination of regional events and country-level events where needed.
5. Maintain GISP’s internal knowledge management system and coordinate maintenance of GISP’s website and external knowledge platform.
6. Develop, track, and report on key metrics to monitor and track GISP’s activities. Lead on drafting narrative reports on GISP’s progress and coordinate partners’ inputs into reports.
7. Facilitate the collection, curation, and organization of parenting related resources and information from partners for the knowledge platform.
8. Establish and maintains relationships with GISP partners, including global, regional, national, and cross-sectoral stakeholders.
9. Contribute to new business development for joint activities with partners by coordinating proposal development processes.
10. Contribute to the development of communications products and actively disseminates outputs from GISP’s collaborative efforts, ensuring that GISP’s partners and members are well informed and are given opportunities to actively engage in deepening these collaborative efforts.
11. Coordinate joint advocacy efforts with partners, identifying opportunities for joint webinars, joint calls to action, joint advocacy efforts at high level meetings, and other relevant opportunities.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications

Essential:

• First university degree especially related to parenting or a similar field.

Desirable:

• Advanced university degree especially related to parenting or a similar field.

Experience

Essential:

• 3 to 5 years of work experience in a similar role, including partner coordination and working at global level.

Desirable:

• Experience in building and managing partnerships to advance collaboration strategies.

Skills/Knowledge

Essential:

• Good negotiation skills and ability to build consensus and manage conflict of interest
• Strong conceptual/analytical skills with the ability to analyze data and information and produce coherent reports and frameworks
• Exceptional writing and verbal skills for communicating with broad and diverse stakeholders
• Project management and organizational skills and ability to multi-task
• Knowledge and experience with international organizations and/or global partnerships
• Ability to work autonomously combined with experience working remotely and in support of programs abroad
• Proven ability to maintain a high level of attention to detail when working to tight deadlines
• Passion for WHO’s mission to end all forms of violence against children.

Languages and level required

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of French, Spanish, Portuguese or Arabic

Location

Offsite: Home-based

Travel

The consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)

Remuneration

Band level A: USD 3,955 - 6,980 per month

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited)

N/A

Expected duration of contract

11 months

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
  The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.
  Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
• WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
• In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates .
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html