Individual national consultancy for technical and IT systems assessment of child- and youth-centred data interoperability

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As part of ongoing reforms related to the Youth Guarantee, European Child Guarantee, digital transformation, and public administration reform, Montenegro aims to strengthen the interoperability of administrative data systems across sectors relevant to children and youth, particularly education, employment, social welfare, child protection, and health.
The activity will support the assessment and definition of the legal, institutional, technical, and procedural conditions required to establish secure, rights-based, and sustainable interoperability among key administrative data systems managed by institutions responsible for relevant base registries and public services. The ultimate objective is to improve identification and tracking of NEET youth and children at risk of dropping out, strengthen early detection and response mechanisms related to violence against children, and enhance monitoring and tailored support for children with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

The consultancy will contribute to defining an interoperability framework aligned with Montenegro’s national legal and strategic frameworks, the National Interoperability Framework (NIF), the EU Interoperability Framework (EIF), the Interoperable Europe Act, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The process will be co-facilitated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MoESI) and UNICEF Montenegro, with support from the European Union Delegation. A Coordination Team composed of representatives of relevant institutions will guide and support the process. The consultancy is part of the project “Quality Education for All Children in Montenegro”, implemented by the Government of Montenegro and UNICEF Montenegro, with the financial support of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro.

The purpose of this national consultancy is to provide specialised technical and IT systems support to the comprehensive assessment of conditions required to establish interoperability between administrative data systems and registries across the education, employment, social welfare, child protection, health, and related sectors in Montenegro.

To make the assessment operational, interoperability will be assessed through a limited set of priority child- and youth-centred use cases, to be agreed with UNICEF, MoESI and the Coordination Team during the inception phase. These use cases should include, at a minimum:

• identification and follow-up of young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET;
• early identification of children at risk of school dropout, prolonged absenteeism or disengagement from education;
• improved intersectoral response to violence against children and child protection risks;
• improved monitoring and tailored support for children with disabilities and other children requiring additional support in education.

The assessment shall therefore not be limited to a general mapping of systems, but shall examine the legal basis, data flows, institutional responsibilities, safeguards, operational procedures and technical feasibility required for each selected use case.

The National Technical Consultant will ensure that the proposed interoperability model is technically feasible, secure, realistic and aligned with Montenegro’s existing digital government infrastructure. The consultant will focus on the engineering and systems side of the assessment, including mapping information systems and registries, analysing data flows, technical exchange mechanisms, JSERP (Jedinstveni system za elektronsku razmjenu podataka - Unified system for electronic data exchange) use, data quality, identifiers, access control, authentication, authorisation, logging, audit trails, encryption and technical prerequisites for phased implementation.

The consultant will not access identifiable child-level data and will work only with system metadata, legal documentation, institutional procedures, anonymised or aggregated examples where needed, and information provided through consultations.

The assignment will include consultations with relevant institutions, including but not limited to: Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation; Ministry of Public Administration; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Dialogue; Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography; Employment Agency of Montenegro; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Justice; Examination Centre; Universities; Tax Administration; Ombudsperson’s Office and other relevant institutions and stakeholders.
Scope of Work:
The National Technical Consultant will support the International Consultant and work closely with the National Legal Consultant. The International Consultant will lead the overall methodology, synthesis and final interoperability roadmap; the National Legal Consultant will lead legal and regulatory analysis; and the National Technical Consultant will lead the national technical, engineering and systems assessment.

Key responsibilities include:
• Map relevant administrative information systems, registries, databases and existing data exchange mechanisms across institutions involved in the selected priority use cases;
• Identify source systems, receiving systems, system owners, technical administrators, data stewards, available data fields, unique identifiers, codebooks/classifications, metadata, update frequency and data quality constraints relevant to each selected use case;
• Analyse existing and potential data flows between education, employment, social welfare, child protection, health and other relevant systems, including the technical process by which each data item is generated, stored, validated, exchanged, received, updated and corrected;
• Assess the technical feasibility of using existing interoperability infrastructure, including JSERP, APIs, web services or other lawful exchange mechanisms for each selected use case;
• Assess system readiness for secure data exchange, including authentication, authorisation, role-based access, logging, audit trails, encryption, data retention/deletion mechanisms, backup, availability, interoperability standards and information security controls;
• Assess data quality issues that may affect interoperability, including completeness, timeliness, consistency, duplication, data-field definitions, coding practices, institutional ownership and availability of child- and youth-relevant identifiers;
• Develop technical inputs for business-process descriptions and data-flow maps for each use case, including the triggering event, source system, receiving system, technical channel or mechanism for exchange, frequency, validation steps, error handling and feedback loops;
• Contribute to the sector-by-sector Data Exchange Matrix, in close coordination with the Legal Consultant, ensuring that technical data-field mapping is clearly linked to the legal basis and minimum data necessary for the stated purpose;
• Identify technical barriers, risks, dependencies and prerequisites for implementation, including system upgrades, integration requirements, interoperability standards, data migration or harmonisation needs, capacity gaps and coordination requirements between institutional IT teams;
• Develop recommendations for technical and organisational safeguards for secure, auditable and accountable data exchange;
• Provide technical inputs to draft SOPs, operational manuals, data-sharing protocols, governance arrangements and the phased implementation roadmap;
• Support consultations with IT departments and technical focal points of relevant institutions, including MoESI, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Interior, Employment Agency, social welfare, health and other relevant systems.
• The National Technical Consultant will be responsible for ensuring that all technical findings and recommendations are feasible, actionable and aligned with Montenegro’s digital government infrastructure, national interoperability arrangements and information security requirements.

The consultant will work under the direct supervision and guidance of the ADAP Officer (NoB), as well as closely with the Education section and all relevant programme colleagues. The consultant will also work in close cooperation with the International Consultant, National Technical Consultant, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and other relevant government institutions.

All documents shall be produced in the English and Montenegrin languages.

Work Assignment Overview: Technical inception input, including technical assessment methodology, list of systems and IT stakeholders, data-flow mapping approach, and templates for system inventory and technical data-field mapping.
Deliverable: Technical inception planning; identification of systems, registries, IT stakeholders and technical assessment tools.
Due date: by October 7th, 2026

Work Assignment Overview: Technical systems and registry mapping for the agreed priority use cases, including source/receiving systems, system owners, data fields, identifiers, update frequency, existing data flows and JSERP/API use.
Deliverable: Mapping of information systems, registries, databases, technical owners, data fields, data exchange channels and existing interoperability arrangements.
Due date: November 10th, 2026

Work Assignment Overview: Technical feasibility, data quality and information security assessment, including authentication, authorisation, role-based access, logging, audit trails, encryption, retention/deletion mechanisms and implementation risks.
Deliverable: Assessment of technical feasibility, data quality, information security, JSERP readiness and implementation prerequisites for each use case.
Due date: November 30th, 2026

Work Assignment Overview: Technical inputs to business-process descriptions, data-flow maps, Data Exchange Matrix, draft SOPs, technical safeguards and phased implementation roadmap.
Deliverable: Development of technical inputs to data-flow maps, Data Exchange Matrix, SOPs, operational recommendations and phased technical implementation plan.
Due date: December 15th, 2026

Work Assignment Overview: Final technical inputs to the assessment report and Interoperability Roadmap, including revised technical annexes and participation in final validation/presentation.
Deliverable: Finalisation of technical inputs following stakeholder feedback; co-facilitation of validation/presentation with International and Legal Consultants.
Due date: By or before January 15th 2027.

Minimum requirements:

Education:
Degree: Masters; A PhD degree in a relevant field will be considered an asset.
Discipline: Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Data Management, Cybersecurity, Digital Governance, Electrical/ICT Engineering, or other relevant fields.
Work Experience:
• At least five years of professional experience in information systems, digital government, administrative data systems, data governance, interoperability or secure data exchange;
• Proven experience in mapping information systems, registries, databases, data flows and technical integration requirements;
• Experience with interoperability platforms, APIs/web services, system integration, data standards, metadata, unique identifiers and information security controls;
• Experience assessing authentication, authorisation, role-based access, logging, audit trails, encryption, backup, availability and other technical safeguards;
• Experience working with public institutions and/or digital government systems;
• Experience with education, social protection, employment, health, child protection or other administrative data systems is an asset;
• Experience in multi-sectoral coordination and stakeholder engagement.
Language Requirements:
• Advanced knowledge of English;
• Fluency in Montenegrin/Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
• Strong understanding of Montenegro’s digital government and public administration context;
• Familiarity with the National Interoperability Framework, EU Interoperability Framework, Interoperable Europe Act, GDPR principles and information security requirements;
• Excellent analytical, communication, facilitation and technical documentation skills;
• Previous experience of collaboration with the UN/UNICEF is an asset.
Desirables:
• Experience with JSERP or similar government data exchange platforms is a strong asset;
• Ability to translate technical findings into practical recommendations for non-technical decision-makers;
• Demonstrates tact and a high sense of responsibility and discretion.
• Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
*Listed requirements will be used for technical evaluation in the competitive process.

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Selection methodology:

Evaluation Criteria
A) Technical Evaluation (75 points) assessed through the interview selection process:

Technical Evaluation Criteria:

CV and sample of previous technical systems/interoperability assessment authored by the candidate (15 points)
Proposed methodology for technical assessment, systems mapping and data-flow analysis (15 points)
Technical questions at the interview (40 points)
Language: 5 points

Qualifying score in technical evaluation is 53 out of 75 points.

Technical proposal requirement (if applicable):
1. CV and sample of previous work authored by the candidate
2. Proposed methodology for the technical assessment B) Financial Proposal (25 points)

The applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal as a separate document, consisting of all-inclusive professional fee for the services to be provided.
Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 25].

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

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Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.

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