International consultancy: Technical support to and capacity building of the Parliamentary Budget Office of Malawi

International consultancy Technical support to and capacity building of the Parliamentary Budget Office of Malawi latest vacancies in Lilongwe Malawi UNICEF Careers in Lilongwe Malawi International consultancy Technical support to and capacity building of the Parliamentary Budget Office of Malawi Jobs in Lilongwe at UNICEF Malawi

UNICEF

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disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help
them fulfill their potential.

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every day, to build a better world for everyone.

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For every child, public participation!

BACKGROUND

The Parliament of Malawi established its Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) in
2017, to support its oversight function and produce evidence on macroeconomic
and fiscal topics. Currently, the PBO is composed of 5 junior staff, 4 of
which contracted by the Parliament itself with the role of budget analysts and
an additional staff contracted by UNICEF. The main role of the PBO is to
provide independent, non-partisan oversight of the budget all through the
year. The role of the PBO is especially paramount during the tabling of the
Budget Proposal and of the Mid-Year Budget Review when Parliament is requested
over a period of three weeks to discuss and vote the proposal prepared by the
Government. The PBO reports chiefly to the Budget Committee.

UNICEF Malawi has been supporting the PBO and the Parliament at large since
2017. More specifically, UNICEF has financed a junior national PF4C Analyst
position sitting in the PBO to provide additional analytical capacity as well
as to help coordinate UNICEF’s parliamentary engagements (budget hearings and
presentations, PFM training for MPs, etc.). Furthermore, UNICEF has
contributed to building additional capacity in the PBO in terms of budgetary
analysis, specifically for the social sectors, and regularly supports the PBO
in the analysis of the Government’s budgetary documents and in the preparation
of the reports for the Budget Committee during the tabling of the Budget
Proposal and the Mid-Year Budget Review. Along these lines, UNICEF also
produced a Parliamentary Guide to assess the child-friendliness of the
National Budget, to ensure proper attention is given by both the PBO and the
MPs to investments in children.

JUSTIFICATION

At 4 years from its establishment, the PBO has managed to support the
Parliamentary Committees and Clusters all through the budget process, under
the supervision of the Clerks, and with support from UNICEF, according to the
requirements. However, the PBO is yet to reach the desired level of autonomy
and capacity to satisfactorily carry out its functions, as originally
intended. The current structure of the PBO, with 5 analysts of comparable
level and no senior staff, does not allow for a correct and smooth functioning
of the office. Despite the capacity building occasions and the missions abroad
to learn from other similar institutions, the situation has not significantly
changed over the past years.

The assessment of the Parliament of Malawi is that the PBO in its present
composition requires the continued and focused support of a senior profile to
provide extensive on-the-job coaching and capacity building to its staff and
to guide them through the different duties assigned to them during the budget
process. Such support will also contribute to better position the PBO vis-a-
vis key partners in Government, such as the Treasury and the Accountant
General, who are instrumental for the effective fulfillment of their tasks.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The senior consultant will be posted full-time in the PBO and will provide
continuous on-the-job coaching and support to the PBO staff in carrying out
their functions, especially in relation to the budget process and the
production of evidence on macroeconomic and fiscal topics for the Staff of
Parliament. The assignment will start before the Mid-Year Review process for
the 2020/21 budget is initiated (February 2021) and will finish with the vote
on the budget proposal for 2021/22 (July 2021).

The work of the consultant and that of the PBO will contribute to an enhanced
oversight capacity of the Parliament of Malawi when it comes to the proposals
for the Annual Budget and the Mid-Year Budget Review the Government of Malawi
will table in 2021. At the end of the six months, the consultant will have
supported the PBO in its daily work and overseen the production of the
required reporting whilst building additional analytical capacity in the PBO
staff and improving their drafting and presenting skills.

Furthermore, the consultant will prepare a set of recommendations on the
future of PBO for the Parliament of Malawi, having reviewed the current Terms
of Reference for the office, to be handed over to the Clerk of Parliament and
UNICEF. This will take the form of a capacity gap analysis and consider the HR
needs and structure of the PBO (how many staff, which profiles, which
seniority) as well as the required set of skills and competencies needed to
ensure the proper functioning of the office and quality outputs. Best
practices from comparable systems in the neighborhood could be used to enrich
the framework of the recommendations. Such recommendations should be presented
in terms of possible options and should be costed.

How can you make a difference

The consultancy will respond to three key objectives; (i) provide continued
capacity building and on-the-job coaching of the PBO staff, (ii) support in
the drafting of the Mid-Year Budget Review Analytical Report and the Budget
Proposal Analytical Report, two key deliverables for the PBO, and (iii)
support the production of one evidence-based piece on Debt and its fiscal
consequences for Malawi.

Furthermore, the consultancy will start with a preliminary needs assessment
carried out from a distance and in preparation for the start of the actual
capacity-building work in the country. Such assessment will be structured into
a capacity building plan to be submitted for approval to Parliament and
followed during the six months of the country-based support. Lastly, by the
end of the assignment, the consultant will provide the Parliament of Malawi
and UNICEF with an assessment of the functioning of the PBO with the
consequent review of its Terms of Reference and the presentation of a number
of options for the future of the office. These will allow the Parliament of
Malawi to chart the way forward for further strengthening the analytical
capacity of the PBO in the coming years.

This six-month assignment is considered by the Parliament of Malawi and UNICEF
to first step towards bringing the PBO to fulfill its role, in line with what
other Parliamentary Budget Offices do around Africa and the world. The
consultancy will be instrumental in defining which next steps are needed,
although it is clear that the PBO needs the stable presence of senior staff to
be fully functional.

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

> > A Master’s degree in Economics, Public Affairs, or comparable is required.
> At least 10 years of relevant experience in supporting Parliaments/National Assemblies/Senates and their offices and bodies, particularly in relation to the budget cycle.
> At least 5 years managing teams of 3 or more people in relevant contexts.
> At least 5 years of experience in capacity building/coaching for national institutions.
> Any experience in the design/redesign of institutions and organizations is an added advantage.
> Experience in developing countries, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, is an added advantage.
> Knowledge of the functioning of Unicameral Parliamentary Systems is required.
> Knowledge of Public Finance Management, upstream and downstream, is required.
> Knowledge of developing countries’ contexts is required.
> Capacity to effectively work and mediate in interinstitutional and political contexts.
> Capacity to manage multicultural teams.
> English is mandatory. Any other language is an added advantage.

Interested Candidates Should Provide The Following

> > Curriculum Vitae;
> Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment;
> Sample of the document(s) authored by the candidate for similar assignments;
> Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, travel, living cost, visa, and other costs). Complete the attached form. Use template attachedFinancial Proposal Template.xlsx

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The functional competencies required for this post are…

View our competency framework at

http//www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEFCompetencies.pdf

For further details regarding the assignment kindly refer to the attached ToR

ToR PBO Support and Capacity Building.pdf

UNICEF 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

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.

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