RapidPro Consultant: FunDoo, Office of Innovation, One Year, Remote, REQ#561098

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up. 

Yet the current pace of progress for children will not get us to children-related SDGs targets. This, if left unaddressed, will leave tens of millions of children behind. Unprotected. Uneducated. Unfed. Unable to reach their full potential.

For every child, innovate…

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives.
The Office of Innovation (OOI) is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.

UNICEF’s OOI creates opportunities for the world’s children by focusing on where new markets can meet their vital needs. We do this by:

• Connecting youth communities (or more broadly — anyone disconnected or under-served) to decision-makers, and to each other, to deliver informed, relevant, and sustained programmes that build better, stronger futures for children.
• Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach — in a traditionally risk-averse field — to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children.
• Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the public, private and academic sectors in order to deliver fast and lasting results for children.

How can you make a difference? 

This role will support our flagship innovation FunDoo – a digital life coach to equip young people with 21st century skills, employability skills, and provide access to information on careers, mental health, climate change and gender-based violence. Launched in 2020, funDoo is an initiative by UNICEF Office of Innovation and YuWaah which leverages UNICEF’s U-Report chat-based platform supported by RapidPro and is available on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. As a low-bandwidth solution, funDoo enables learning opportunities in areas with low internet connectivity. It has been created to provide young people and adolescents from 14 to 24 years access to holistic, quality education and learning opportunities. So far, more than 770,000 users have registered on FunDoo and FunDoo mini. FunDoo is currently active in India, Indonesia, Greece and Eastern Caribbean Area. With Jamaica, Uzbekistan, Uganda, and Mozambique launching funDoo in the first half of 2023.

The content developed for FunDoo is byte-sized and gamified; the tasks can be completed at home and follow the learning by doing principle. At present, there are more than 140 tasks with short and simple actionable prompts for users, which are tangible and reportable. FunDoo tasks are available on-demand and do not have a time limit, providing learners the agency to choose what they want to learn and when they want to learn.

Through FunDoo, UNICEF brings the following innovation to EdTech for young people:

1. A new way to look at 21st century skills learning: While most initiatives building 21st Century skills focus on a subset of specialized skills (such as communication skills, SEL, or financial skills alone etc.); with FunDoo, there is a wide focus on a cross section of these skills which includes employability skills, information on careers and mental health. The pedagogy and implementation approach are novel as FunDoo is an experiential learning platform.

2. Leveraging technology for education without deepening the digital divide: The platform design and delivery mechanism is such that a learner can use FunDoo even if they do not own their own device. All they need is access to a mobile device with WhatsApp (a device owned by someone in the family or extended circle)
Most of the learning that happens on FunDoo is off device. Since FunDoo is a chat-based learning solution, it is accessible even on low bandwidth. 21st century skills cannot be learnt through books alone, ‘Doing’ is an essential part of building these skills. The platform’s pedagogy, therefore, derives from principles of experiential learning implemented through tasks.

3. Keeping young people at the center: young people provide valuable feedback on task content, UI/UX, incentives etc. Through funDoo, young people can also become active changemakers in their society by referring other young people onto the platform through a referral mechanism.

FunDoo tasks are gamified interactions and challenge learners to do progressively complex tasks, while providing guidance & real-world nudges. To complete a task, the learner engages with the chatbot and carries out an activity in the real world, earning them U-points that they will be able to redeem later based on a social credit system along with giveaways, badges and learner boards to nudge users towards increased completion and engagement. The tasks have been tested and created via a consultative process, through Focus group discussions, polls and youth consultations with young people.

Scope of work

UNICEF Office of Innovation is seeking to obtain the following services from a consultant with extensive expertise of working on the RapidPro platform to:

1. Technical coordination, monitoring and support: Support with flow building and customization for different countries.
2. Data management and support
3. Capacity Building Creating a technology-based deployment package for deployment in new countries.

Main responsibilities:

1. Technical coordination, monitoring and support:

• Actively monitor FunDoo initiative on RapidPro through review of incoming messages, flows, analytics, feedback, etc. to identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely actions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution – document the issues and recommended actions/ key steps.
• Manage the Global funDoo RapidPro workspace.
• Provide technical support to country offices for the deployment of funDoo.
• Support content management organizations with task flow development and content management system.
• Create and edit upto 150 new Rapid Pro flows for thematic content and backend functioning of funDoo for digital and SMS based services.
• Develop and create incentivization model for funDoo on RapidPro.
• Enhancing capability of funDoo through automated certificate dissemination
• Developing templates for personalized give-aways by using APIs and Webhooks
• Making necessary changes to deliverables post UNICEF feedback(s)

2. Data management and support:

• Ensure data management of RapidPro, conduct data analysis, develop summary reports, data standardization and usage for protection of data integrity.
• Implement monitoring processes within FunDoo programmes at a global level, ensuring key monthly and annual programme indicators are tracked and analyzed, and regularly reported to the Youth Innovation team to guide programme and management decisions.
• Produce monthly reports on FunDoo’s global growth, ensuring effective analysis and communication of results.
• Co-ordinate with funDoo dashboard team for smooth transfer and functioning of data dashboard.
• Quality assurance of polling and data generation through periodic review of incoming messages, feedback, flow messages, etc.
• Enhance functionality for data acquistion and analysis
• Develop innovative solutions for technological advancement of the initiative.
• Coordinate with RapidPro vendor for smooth functioning of the platform
• Liaise with and seek technical guidance from RapidPro hosting company and Global Office of Innovation team as needed and monitoring on any technical issues.

3. Capacity Building:

• Technically support development of training materials and documentation for RapidPro FunDoo flows in target countries;
• Provide training and support to country offices to set up FunDoo flows.
• Develop training manuals and tutorials for capacity building of teams on making new task flows, backend flows, incentivization structures, API/Webhooks and content management system.

Description of assignment

 

	Tasks	Delivery/Outputs	Delivery deadline	Percentage of payment
1	Customization of RapidPro flows for up to 6 countries and supporting Global OOI and Country Offices with funDoo deployment.	1. Develop workplan 2. Support country offices by developing 20 flows adapted for upto 6 countries 3. Creating atleast 20 JSON Files/backend flows such as referral mechanisms, U-Points, certificate automation etc. for both SMS and digital channels 4. Monthly report for funDoo global growth	Month 1-2	10%
2	Creating RapidPro Flows of funDoo tasks for country offices and supporting Global OOI and Country Offices with funDoo deployment.	1. Creating JSON files for up to 30 new tasks 2. Monthly report for funDoo global growth 3. Automated certificate flows deployed in at least 2 country offices.	Month 3-4	10%
3	Developing incentivization strategy for funDoo on RapidPro and supporting Global OOI and Country Offices with funDoo deployment.	1. Draft incentivization strategy on RapidPro platform for funDoo. 2. Monthly report for funDoo global growth 3. 10 Test flows created and adapted for all new tasks with funDoo content consultant	Month 5	10%
4	Creating RapidPro Flows of funDoo tasks for country offices and supporting Global OOI and Country Offices with funDoo deployment.	1. JSON files created for up to 40 new tasks 2. Monthly report for funDoo global growth 3. Automated certificate flows deployed in at least 5 country offices.	Month 6-7	10%
5	Finalizing Incentivization Strategy for funDoo and supporting Global OOI and Country Offices with funDoo deployment.	1. Finalizing incentivization strategy on RapidPro and develop flows. 2. Monthly report for funDoo global growth 3. 4 Capacity Building sessions conducted for funDoo countries	Month 8	10%
6	Creating RapidPro Flows of funDoo tasks and capacity building for countries	1. Creating JSON files for up to 30 tasks 2. Monthly report for funDoo global growth	Month 9	20%
7	Creating RapidPro Flows of funDoo tasks for country offices and supporting Global OOI and Country Offices with funDoo deployment.	1. Creating JSON files for up to 50 tasks 2. Monthly report for funDoo global growth 3. Automated certificate flows deployed in at least 5 country offices.	Month 10	18%
8	Training materials and final report	1. Development of final package of training materials and documentation (video and written format) for RapidPro FunDoo flows in target countries 2. Develop final FunDoo global growth analysis report.	Month 11-12	12%
	Total			100%

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

• An advanced University degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related technical field.
• *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• At least 5 years of overall experience in developing innovative technological solutions in the education sector, youth innovations, Information technology management and business operations in a large international organization and/or corporation or related subject matter.
• At least 3 years of relevant working experience in working on RapidPro, including youth/learning innovations
• Strong analytical background including planning for and conducting analytical exercises
• Experience of working on youth-focused projects
• Demonstrates initiative, sound judgment and ability to work in harmony with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent time management and strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple tasks under tight deadlines
• Knowledge of basic principles of Accessible Design
• Respect and adherence to UNICEF Brand Guidelines
• Strong understanding of creating digital platforms in low-bandwidth settings is a plus.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Payment details and further considerations

Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Travel: The consultant is not expected to travel through the duration of the assignment.

Duty Station: Remote 

Duration: One year

Insurance:

UNICEF will not be responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the consultant’s service. Therefore, the selected candidate must provide proof of enrollment in a health/accident plan prior to starting his/her work.

How to apply: 

• Interested applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please complete your profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system.
• Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class), daily subsistence allowance (limited to UN official rates), and other estimated costs such as visa and travel/health insurance. Please indicate your ability, availability and financial proposal (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above.
• Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.