National Communications Consultant

USAID Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER)

SCOPE OF WORK

National Communications Consultant

I. BACKGROUND

The Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER) is a five-year initiative to help strengthen Vietnam's leading public universities. The project activities are funded by USAID to support targeted reforms to improve institutional leadership and administrative capacity, improve teaching practices to enhance student learning outcomes, elevate university research capacity to international standards, network Vietnamese researchers to maximize access to global knowledge, enable university graduates to better engage with the labor market, and help university faculty to leverage their research for innovation.

To achieve these objectives, PHER activities focus on :           

Governance: This pillar supports the building and strengthening of institutional performance management systems based on agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) supported by a comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) that provides consistent, reliable data for decision making and for accreditation of institutions and programs. This includes the establishment of a robust internal quality assurance (IQA) system at each of the target universities. Improved governance will help the leadership of public universities in Vietnam to make better informed decisions as they exercise greater autonomy and focus on academic quality. 

Teaching & Learning: This pillar supports the growing of faculty professional development opportunities through the establishment of formalized Centers for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) as well as supporting the work of less formal, more specialized faculty-driven affinity groups through Faculty Academies on Excellence in Teaching (FACET). The goals are to support expansion of faculty capacity to design state-of-the-art courses, digitize curricula, support the development of priority online courses and programs, improve student learning assessment techniques, and develop graduate students in the teaching profession. This pillar will also support technical assistance to help prepare faculty and administration for international accreditation reviews of academic programs and institutions. The objective is for improved teaching and learning at Vietnam’s public universities to increase learning outcomes, enhance recognition of high-quality academic programs, and improve the employability of graduates.

Research & Innovation: This pillar supports the enhancing of research capacity so that the scientific outputs of public universities in Vietnam meet international standards, increase knowledge sharing among specialists, grow the number of publications in recognized journals, and align research activities to the social and economic needs of the country.  This will take place through faculty exchanges, visiting scholar programs, research conferences, webinars, workshops, and short course training on research methodologies and academic specialties. The key vehicle for this pillar is the establishment of Vietnam International Academic Networks (VIAN) to help scientists across Vietnam to connect more readily with fellow experts from around the world. The objective is for VIAN activity to lead to greater knowledge sharing, broader promotion of research taking place in Vietnam, and enhanced opportunities for joint research and publications with partners abroad.

The PHER project also seeks deeper exploration of policy areas vital to the improvement of Vietnamese public higher education by supporting analytical work on the areas of technology and digitization, as well as gender equity. These cross-cutting policy areas are essential to success across the four pillars and to support the long-term sustainability of higher education reforms in Vietnam.  

PHER focuses on reforms at three major Vietnamese public universities and their member universities and respective institutes and academic programs:

• Vietnam National University-Hanoi (VNU),
• Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), and
• The University of Danang (the UD).          

II. OBJECTIVE OF ASSIGNMENT

PHER seeks one Communications Consultant to assist PHER project activities. The overall objective of this assignment is to increase visibility and showcase the results of the PHER project activities in Vietnam through news reporting and dissemination.

The work of this assignment should be conducted in Vietnamese.

III. TIME AND LOCATION

The consultation work is conducted remotely and should take place between June, 2024 and July 2024 with the possibility for extension. Further details are provided below.

IV. TASKS, DELIVERABLES, AND LEVEL OF EFFORT

See the table below for specific tasks, deliverables, and a tentative timeline for the assignment of the consultant:

V. SUPERVISION AND REPORTING

The consultant(s) will work in coordination with and under the direction of the PHER team.

VI. BUDGET

Applicants should submit separate financial and technical proposals describing the approach to assignment along with the proposed consultancy fee (daily rate).

VII. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

Essential:

• university degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing or related field, advanced degree preferred
• demonstrated experience in covering news of development projects in education
• strong written and verbal communication in English and Vietnamese

Preferred:

• knowledge of higher education in Vietnam
• demonstrated international and/or intercultural experience

VII. APPLICATION

The application documents include:

• A letter of motivation
• CV with two references
• A technical proposal clearly outlining the candidate’s relevant skills, experience and approach to accomplishing the assignment
• Two published news articles authored by the candidate
• Financial proposal, indicating the expected consultancy fee (daily rate)

Application documents should be sent to [email protected] [1] titled “Communications Consultant Application” not later than 9AM May 31, 2024 (Vietnam time). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.