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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 attached
Financial 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 : UNICEF_Competencies.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.