Recruitment of an Individual Consultant To support the Selection of the Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist

Background

The Nile Basin Initiative [NBI] is an intergovernmental partnership of the riparian States of the Nile comprising Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It was established in 1999 as a Transitional Mechanism by the Council of Ministers on Water Affairs to foster cooperation and sustainable development of the Nile River for the benefit of the 10 countries. The NBI shared vision is to achieve “sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources”. NBI has three Centres: NBI SEC based in Entebbe, Uganda, NELSAP-CU based in Kigali, Rwanda and ENTRO based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

The NBI Secretariat (NBI SEC) advertised for request of applications to fill the position of Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist. The key purpose of the job is to communicate and engage stakeholders on a regular basis and create awareness about NBI’s activities and buy-in of the cooperation processes. In addition, collaborate with other functional units of NBI to capture, record, store and disseminate knowledge and knowledge products generated by NBI. This role involves coordinating communication efforts, managing media relations, and fostering positive relationships with stakeholders to support the achievement of NBI’s shared vision and objectives.

The Job includes key responsibilities in the areas of:

1. NBI Communication management
2. Stakeholder Engagement
3. Public Relations which is divided into three areas that include: Media Relations and Publicity; Publication of NBI information products and Events management.

The NBI‐SEC intends to employ the services of a short-term consultant to assist in the recruitment/Interview process of the shortlisted applicants, preparation of the interview structure, interview questions, and conduct of interview and evaluation of candidates’ performance.

1. Objective

The objective of this assignment is to design and implement an objective, transparent and fair process for selection of the most suitable candidate to fill the position of Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist at the NBI‐SEC.

2. General Approach

a. Confidentiality

The design and conduct of the interview process shall be carried out in strict confidentiality to ensure a fair and objective process for selection of the most suitable candidate for the vacancy. No part of the draft interview questions shall be made available by the consultant to any panelist or staff of NBI‐SEC before the interview date.

b. Aligning the interview structure to the experiences and skills required

The interview structure is required to include oral (verbal interview), presentation skills (power point preparation and presentation), and practical/hands‐on skills (written assessment). The practical/hands‐on competence test shall be designed to gage candidates’ competence of the candidates on key requirements of the ToR, i.e. on practical experiences in both development and corporate communication specific to NBI’s context. The Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist will ensure that NBI Objectives and actions are constantly aligned to Global and regional agreements /conventions to which member countries are signatories. The Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist will also take lead in the development of an overall NBI Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

3. Scope of work

a) Before the interview

• Review the ToR for the Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist and identify competency requirements. 
• Develop interview structure that will match the requirement of the vacancy and ensure objective and appropriately rigorous interview process.
• Develop draft questions for all components of the interview in confidentiality; the interview questions shall only be disclosed and discussed with the panel on the day the interview component will be implemented. 
• Develop sample answers/solutions to interview questions, which and will be discussed by panel members on the date of the interview.
• Prepare and submit to the panel scoring sheets and interview guides for use by panel members

b) During the interview

• Guide the interview process orienting the panel members on the conduct of the interview
• Provide Technical expertise in respect of the position being assessed
• Assist panel members in clarifying any issues they may have regarding interview process, questions and evaluation process
• Collect scoring sheets from panel members, synthesize scoring results
• As a member of the panel, score the performance of each candidate for oral interview
• Mark written Interviews for all candidates.
• Prepare summary of strengths and weaknesses of candidates, discuss with panel and finalize.

c) Immediately after the interview

• Compile and present interview report, accommodate feedback from the panel and finalize the report on the same date of the interview.
• Consolidate all interview results and report and present the same for signature by panel members on that same day
• Prepare a short (maximum 3 pages) overall report with recommendations.

4. Deliverables

5. Qualifications and Experiences required

The consultant shall be a Communication/Media Expert with strong background Knowledge and hands‐on experiences in Water Resources covering aspects of Organizational development / corporate Communication, Media & stakeholder Engagement.

The minimum required qualifications and experiences are:

• Advanced University degree (MA) in Development/ Corporate Communication, Public / Media Relations, expert in the context of Water or closely related fields
• At least 10 years of work experience in Development & Corporate Communication, Stakeholder and media engagement or closely related areas. 
• Hands-on experience on Social Media engagement and public relations as a tool and management is an advantage. 
• Implementation of media trainings/Workshops
• Experience working with multi-lateral institutions is a significant advantage

Competencies

• Strong leadership, managerial and coordination skills, with a demonstrated ability to effectively coordinate the implementation of large multi-stakeholder projects, including financial and technical aspects. 
• Ability to maintain neutrality and independence 
• In-depth knowledge in development of corporate communications product
• Ability to effectively manage technical and administrative teams, work with a wide range of stakeholders across various sectors and at all levels, to develop durable partnerships with collaborating agencies.
• Strong knowledge about the political and socio-economic context related to the Nile Basin 
• Excellent command of English or French.

6. Level of Effort 

The total level of effort for this assignment is expected to be 04 working days, including the days needed for analyzing the CVs of Shortlisted candidates, drafting questions/ interview material (Written, Oral and Presentation) Participate and guide in the Interviews process, Prepare an Interview Report for approval by the Panel.

7. Schedule

The recruitment/interview process is expected to take a maximum of 04 days inclusive of preparatory and report writing days. is the physical interviews are planned to be conducted on 22nd July 2024 at the NBI SEC in Entebbe, Uganda.

8. Remuneration

Consultancy fees will be paid at a daily rate. In addition, NBI SEC will cater for the consultant’s travel to and from Entebbe and upkeep costs during the assignment.

9. Implementation arrangement

The consultant shall enter into a lump‐sum contract with the NBI‐SEC. The Executive Director shall be the supervisor of this assignment. All reports and communications shall be addressed to the Executive Director, Nile Basin Initiative, P.O Box 192 Plot 12, Mpigi Road, Entebbe. Email: fadongo@nilebasin.org; Contractual matters shall be addressed to the attention of NBI‐SEC Procurement Officer at embonye@nilebasin.org.

10. How to apply:

Interested and Suitably qualified individuals are invited to visit the NBI website at www.nilebasin.org to download the full description/Terms of Reference and submit their application electronically to the Executive Director at: consultants@nilebasin.org  Application letters accompanied with detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) clearly indicating the Consultancy Applied for should reach the Executive Director not later than 15th July 2024 at 12:00pm (Local time in Entebbe, Uganda).