National Consultant on Youth Participation, Leadership and Advisory Mechanisms
Organizational Context
The consultant will report to the Deputy Representative of UNFPA Ukraine and work closely with the UNFPA Ukraine Country Office, the Youth Sectoral Working Group (SWG), government, youth stakeholders, and an Implementing Partner. This role is crucial for establishing a practical, inclusive, and sustainable model for the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) within the UNFPA mandate of promoting youth participation and leadership.
Job Purpose
The primary purpose of this consultancy is to develop and establish a functional, inclusive, and sustainable Youth Advisory Board (YAB) model for UNFPA Ukraine. This involves creating comprehensive frameworks for participation, governance, inclusion, and recruitment, ensuring diverse representation from various youth groups, including those from underrepresented and war-affected communities. The role also entails developing a 12-month learning and leadership package to empower YAB members with skills in policy engagement, advocacy, and communication. Furthermore, the consultant will design a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework to assess the quality and influence of youth participation, and create an implementation roadmap for the YAB's first year, ensuring its long-term sustainability.
Responsibilities
The consultant will develop a comprehensive YAB Participation and Governance Framework, defining its purpose, membership, roles, decision-making processes, and relationships with stakeholders. This includes creating a practical Recruitment and Inclusion Framework to ensure transparent and diverse selection, with targeted outreach to underrepresented youth. The consultant will provide technical guidance to the Implementing Partner (IP) on recruitment and onboarding. Additionally, a structured 12-month YAB Learning and Leadership Package will be developed, covering leadership, policy engagement, advocacy, communication, and relevant UNFPA technical areas, incorporating mentoring and exposure to policy processes. A Youth Participation, MEL, and Accountability Framework will be established to measure the diversity, quality, and influence of youth participation. Finally, the consultant will translate these frameworks into a 1-year YAB Implementation Roadmap and provide technical guidance and quality assurance during the initial establishment and implementation phase, concluding with recommendations for sustained operation.
Work Experience
A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in youth participation, youth development, youth leadership, social inclusion, policy engagement, or programme design. Demonstrated experience in designing or strengthening youth advisory, leadership, participation, or governance mechanisms is required. Experience in developing participation frameworks, governance arrangements, selection processes, or youth engagement strategies, as well as MEL frameworks for participation or governance programmes, is essential. Experience working with diverse youth groups is also required.
Skills
Strong understanding of meaningful youth participation and leadership principles. Excellent strategic and analytical skills, with the ability to translate concepts into practical frameworks and plans. Proficient facilitation, consultation, and communication skills, both written and oral. Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences. Strong knowledge of inclusion, accessibility, safeguarding, and do-no-harm approaches. Proven ability to collaborate effectively with government, UN agencies, NGOs, and youth organizations. Demonstrated capacity for providing constructive technical guidance and quality assurance.