National Consultant: Personal Attendant, Nairobi Kenya

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. 

For every child, hope!

Background & Rationale
UNICEF is committed to promote equity and inclusion for all and to comply with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Article 9 of the CRPD recognizes the importance of accessibility, specifically referring to accessibility of buildings, roads, transportation, and other indoor and outdoor facilities, including schools, housing, medical facilities, and workplaces.

The Sustainable Development Goals have explicit references to children and adults with disabilities across the SDG framework, to accessibility of the built environment in goals on Education and on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements. UNICEF has also endorsed the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action , launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, thereby committing to make humanitarian action inclusive to children with disabilities.

Accessibility helps children and adults with disabilities to enjoy their rights as outlined in Human Rights instruments and development frameworks. Accessibility is a precondition for children and adults with disabilities to live independently and participate fully and equally in society. While committed to promoting equity and inclusion at the global level, UNICEF has also made efforts to build an inclusive organisation and working environment.

Employees with various disabilities at UNICEF may need a short-term or on-going personal attendant to support them to work at their full capacity.

Scope of Work

The scope of work is the following:
1. Support the mobility/orientation of the UNICEF staff on during external visits and field visits including setting up an enabling environment including giving verbal information to a visually impaired person about the environment when indoors and out travelling.
2. Assistance with correspondence and any other reading and writing tasks, which may be required to support a visually impaired person at work. e.g., reading information on walls, print outs, including signage etc.
3. Converting materials in inaccessible formats to alternative accessible formats.
4. Assist in preparation of Power Points Presentations, editing, formatting including inserting graphics & pictures.
5. Support with reading documents and describing graphics and illustrations which are not accessible to screen reader software.
6. Assist preparation and conduct of activities, including photocopy and distribution of materials, writing on Flip charts, taking pictures, note taking during field missions and workshops
7. Copy to computer files/info from Flip Charts of Trainings/Workshops.
8. Provide Support to review and fill up forms related to agreements and contracts that may not be accessible for the employee.
9. Facilitate the employee’s collaboration with other Sections, Divisions, and internal partners on accessibility and assistive technology.

Expected results: (measurable results)
– Support for mobility and orientation in new environments, external meetings, and field visits
– Documents edited, proof reviewed and finalized.
– Edited text to be delivered to the supervisor in Microsoft Word with tracked changes.
– Power Points
– Support in organizing workshops and meetings in external environments.

Minimum Qualifications Required

• Certificate/ Diploma in social sciences, or a related technical field 
• * 
• A minimum of [insert years] of relevant professional experience in 
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Knowledge Skills Expertise Required

• Patient, focused person, who can anticipate the needs of others and identify barriers in a physical or virtual environment.
• Ideally has had experience working with persons with disabilities/Visually impaired.
• Good editing, writing and computer skills.
• Eloquent in both English and Kiswahili and local language.
• Knowledge of disability and accessibility.
• Ideally good understanding of issues relating to children’s rights, especially the rights of children with disabilities.
• Knowledge and understanding of Nairobi and Kisumu Counties and their environments.
• Ability to work in a team, in a national environment.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

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

How to Apply

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV, Application form, to the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System) or email provided.

Interested candidates are required to indicate ability, availability, and submit a financial proposal that includes their monthly rate expressed in KES. Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered.

Remarks:  

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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.