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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, an opportunity...

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The consultant will support the UNICEF Country Office in Viet Nam by managing the hotline for the Humanitarian Cash Transfer (HCT) program, responding to inquiries and grievances, providing guidance on program procedures, and ensuring accountability to affected populations through effective communication and data management. The hotline will serve as a critical channel to inform beneficiaries about eligibility, application processes, distribution details, and support complaint resolution, adhering to UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children (CCC) in humanitarian action.

Background:

Since September 6, 2024, Typhoon Yagi has severely impacted the Northern Mountain region, marking the strongest storm to strike Vietnam and Asia this year. The typhoon has triggered widespread landslides, floods, and the devastation of infrastructure and livelihoods. The Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) reported 292 casualties, 140 missing individuals, and extensive destruction of homes, affecting millions of people, particularly vulnerable households with children. The Vietnamese government has organized rapid assessments in the most affected provinces and has called for urgent humanitarian support to address the immediate needs in shelter, nutrition, health, and child protection.

This emergency response project aims to provide essential financial assistance to affected families to meet their basic needs and to reduce their risk of resorting to negative coping mechanisms. The Humanitarian Cash Transfer (HCT) program, supported by UNICEF, will provide unrestricted cash assistance to vulnerable households with children, enabling them to secure food, safe shelter, and essential health services. The project will also support sectoral sensitization on critical topics such as water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), child health and nutrition, and protection from gender-based violence (GBV) in emergencies, enhancing community resilience and reducing risks to children and families.

UNICEF's HCT program is integrated with the Government of Viet Nam’s emergency response systems, leveraging existing structures and service providers to ensure timely and effective distribution of cash assistance. In response to government requests, UNICEF has mobilized resources, established partnerships with financial service providers, and strengthened accountability to affected populations through complaint and feedback mechanisms. This enables UNICEF to implement a responsive, transparent cash transfer program aligned with its Core Commitments for Children (CCC) in humanitarian action, which prioritizes dignity, choice, and empowerment for affected families.

The consultant recruited for this role will play a vital role in managing the HCT hotline, directly supporting affected families, and ensuring that UNICEF’s cash assistance program operates effectively and meets the immediate needs of vulnerable populations in a dignified, safe, and participatory manner.

The Consultant will be required in the period from 18 October 2024 to 31st December 2024.

Purpose and Objectives:

The purpose of this consultancy is to manage the hotline component of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Cash Transfer (HCT) program, providing clear, accurate, and timely support to beneficiaries impacted by Typhoon Yagi. The consultant will be responsible for ensuring that affected families receive the information they need about eligibility, application processes, and cash transfer procedures. Through this hotline, the consultant will address inquiries, resolve complaints, and support community feedback, thereby enhancing accountability to affected populations and improving program transparency.

Summary of Key Functions/Accountabilities:

1. Operate the UNICEF HCT programme hotline, responding to inquiries, complaints, and feedback from beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries in accordance with UNICEF guidance and SOP.

2. Daily document and categorize all calls received, maintaining accurate records in the designated management information system daily.

3. Coordinate with relevant UNICEF staff and implementing partners to resolve issues and provide accurate information to callers.

4. Identify and escalate sensitive or urgent issues to appropriate UNICEF personnel for immediate action.

5. Provide weekly reports on hotline activities, including call volumes, types of inquiries, resolved issues, and outstanding concerns.

6. Contribute to the improvement of the HCT programme by providing insights gained from beneficiary feedback.

7. Ensure confidentiality and protection of beneficiary information in line with UNICEF's data protection policies.

Location:

The consultant is expected to work from home, and have meetings virtually and/or at UNICEF and related stakeholders.

How can you make a difference?

Tasks:

Task 1: Hotline Operation and Management

- Handle the UNICEF hotline number for Humanitarian cash transfer programme, ensuring it is operational during designated hours.

- Respond to calls professionally and empathetically, providing accurate information about the HCT programme based on FAQs and SOP.

- Document all calls received, categorizing them appropriately in accordance with UNICEF SOP and procedures.

- Open tickets to record and address the grievance in the UNICEF management information system (HOPE) under instruction of UNICEF Programme Officers (if required).

- Coordinate with UNICEF staff and partners to resolve issues and provide feedback to callers within a designated timeframe.

Task 2: Reporting and Analysis

- Prepare weekly reports summarizing hotline activities, including call volumes, types of inquiries, resolved issues, and outstanding concerns.

- Briefly analyse trends in beneficiary feedback and provide recommendations for programme improvement.

- Participate in regular meetings with the HCT programme team to discuss hotline findings and contribute to programme adjustments.

Task 3: Capacity Building and Knowledge Management

- Develop and maintain a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document to ensure consistent and accurate responses to common inquiries.

- Document best practices and lessons learned in hotline management for future reference.

Methodology

The consultant will employ a structured and responsive approach to manage the HCT hotline, ensuring that inquiries, complaints, and feedback from beneficiaries are addressed effectively. Calls will be systematically documented and categorized in the designated management information system, enabling efficient tracking and reporting. To resolve beneficiary issues promptly, the consultant will coordinate with relevant UNICEF staff and implementing partners, ensuring accurate information and timely support for callers. Sensitive and urgent issues will be escalated to UNICEF personnel immediately, with follow-up processes in place to ensure all concerns are fully addressed. Regular data reviews will be conducted to identify trends, allowing the consultant to provide actionable insights and support program improvements. Weekly and final reports will summarize call volumes, inquiry types, resolved issues, and key insights. Data protection will be a priority, with all beneficiary information handled according to UNICEF’s confidentiality and data security policies. Through this structured approach, the consultant will support an efficient and beneficiary-focused hotline service aligned with UNICEF’s humanitarian objectives.

Full TOR with deliverables as attached  National Consultant Hotline Support for Humanitarian Cash Transfer Program.pdf

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

Disciplines:

- Social sciences, communications, public administration, or related field.

- Minimum of 2 years of experience in customer service, hotline management, or community engagement, ideally in humanitarian or social programs.

- Demonstrated experience in data documentation, reporting, and analysis, preferably in emergency response or humanitarian cash transfer programs.

- Proficiency in data management and documentation systems, with strong organizational skills to categorize and analyse data effectively.

- Strong knowledge of confidentiality and data protection practices, with experience implementing these standards in sensitive contexts.

- Good communication skills in both Vietnamese and English.

- Ability to communicate complex information in a clear, empathetic, and professional manner, tailored to diverse audiences, including vulnerable populations.

- Strong interpersonal skills for coordinating with UNICEF staff, implementing partners, and local authorities.

- Skilled in identifying patterns and trends in beneficiary feedback and translating insights into actionable recommendations.

- Ability to handle sensitive issues with discretion, escalate urgent cases appropriately, and ensure timely resolution.

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. 

Assessment criteria:

For evaluation and selection method, the Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment:

a) Technical Qualification weight 75%:

Educational Background – Maximum 30 Points:

+ 30 Points: Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Communications, International Development, or another relevant field.

+ 20 Points: Bachelor’s degree in a non-related field but with additional certifications relevant to hotline or emergency management.

+ 10 Points: Bachelor’s degree in a related field outside the specified areas.

Relevant Working Experience – Maximum 70 Points:

+ 40 Points: Minimum of 2 years in hotline management, customer service, or community engagement, particularly in humanitarian or social programs.

+ 20 Points: Experience with data management, reporting, and trend analysis.

+ 10 Points:  Good communication skills in both Vietnamese and English.

b) Financial Proposal weight 25%:

The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened/evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview if needed.

Submission of applications:

a. Letter of interest/CV;

b. Three references of relevant previous assignment(s);

c. Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee and any other relevant costs for this assignment.  

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.