United Nations Children's Fund
JOB DESCRIPTION
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 advocate
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does —in advocacy, in programmes, and in operations. UNICEF delivers change through the collective efforts of headquarters, regional and country offices by advocating for high-quality programmes at scale, harnessing innovation and collecting evidence, in partnership with governments, other United Nations partners, civil society, the private sector, communities and children. It uses these strategies to leverage wider change nationally and globally through advocacy, communications and campaigning. UNICEF also wins the support of decision makers and the public around the world to drive change, volunteer, advocate and mobilize resources for the cause of children, and works with partners to achieve an even greater impact.
The Advocacy Section in the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy (DGCA) is driving an integrated advocacy agenda on Child Survival (Health & Nutrition) as one of its Global Advocacy Priorities. This area includes significant overlap with several of UNICEF’s other advocacy priorities, namely: Climate Change, Adolescent Girls, and Humanitarian. In 2024-2025 our focus will be:
(1) Develop and rollout an integrated child health and nutrition advocacy strategy to secure tangible commitments from decision makers at global and national level.
(2) Leverage and create high-level moments to secure political and financial commitments.
(3) Undertake strategic public communications that advance our advocacy messages and contributes to our advocacy strategy.
(4) Across the above pieces, work closely with a number of key strategic public and private sector partners and allies.
(5) Build new relationships with influential stakeholders and organizations to achieve greater reach and impact.
How can you make a difference?
The advocacy section in DGCA is looking for the services of an advocacy and communications specialist with advocacy strategy and policy expertise to deliver critical & time bound products for the implementation of its 2024-2025 activities that fall at the intersection of child health, child rights, humanitarian, climate change and gender.
This includes a) ensuring strategic and aligned roll-out of our advocacy and communication efforts; b) develop critical advocacy resources and materials c) provide template documents and messaging for advocacy and communication milestones and support research for emerging areas.
Expected Results
- An integrated, up-to-date advocacy strategy on child health and nutrition is in place.
- A results framework that underpins the strategy has been created.
- New advocacy products in support of overall objectives across the child survival advocacy pillar.
- New workflows, timelines and processes developed and documented structure in place to ensure smooth delivery and accountability of strategies and related activities.
- Feedback from Country Office and National Committee colleagues that advocacy messages, guidance and tools produced by HQ are supporting child health and survival advocacy plans.
Description of the Assignment
- Under direct guidance from the Advocacy Senior Advisor, write an integrated advocacy strategy and workplan for UNICEF’s global advocacy priority on child health and nutrition, ensuring alignment with existing strategies on immunization, nutrition, maternal health, climate change, humanitarian and gender where relevant.
- Create at least 6 compelling advocacy resources and materials (toolkits, key messages, briefs and coherent advocacy narratives) in support of agreed major global advocacy moments on child health and survival.
- Gather data and insights from internal and external stakeholders to support coordination and implementation of major advocacy milestones.
- Research areas of cross-cutting advocacy including climate change, humanitarian, gender and emerging areas and provide summary and recommendations for strategic alignment with existing advocacy strategies.
- Develop communications products to support storytelling for community health workers.
- Review existing project management and information structures and develop templates and guidance to inform better process to ensure the smooth delivery of assets for key moments and inputs for high-level advocacy events.
- Perform other related tasks which may be assigned by the team.
Duty Station
Remote-based. Consultant may travel to New York for two stays each with a duration of up to six nights.
Travel
The Consultant will not be entitled to any separate travel entitlements under the Contract. All expenditure related to the travel plans set out in the Contract are deemed to be covered as per financial proposal. If UNICEF determines that the Consultant unexpectedly needs to travel in addition to the travel already included in the Contract in order to perform the Deliverables, such travel shall be further added through an amendment setting out the additional fee in consideration of the additional travel requirements on the following basis:
(a) UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis.
(b) UNICEF will reimburse the Consultant for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount not exceeding the daily subsistence
Timeframe:
Start date: 15 October 2024 End date: 14 October 2025
Deliverables:
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education
- Advanced university degree in social sciences, international relations, public policy, international development, public relations, communication, or a related field.
Work Experience
- At least five years’ experience in advocacy and campaign strategy development and execution in international or national NGOs, UN or multilateral organizations. Specific experience on child health and nutrition is an asset. Knowledge of the United Nations system or other international organizations are an asset.
- Experience in developing clear theories of change, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives and performance indicators.
- Experience in strategic public engagement activity, based on an understanding of the target audience.
- Strong track record in researching and writing advocacy strategies and policy recommendations.
- Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including monitoring of results.
- Experience in operating independently at a senior level and in providing expert advice and support on advocacy and campaigns.
- Knowledge of international development, humanitarian issues and children’s rights.
Language
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered as an asset.
Additional qualifications
- Demonstrated strong communication, presentation and writing skills are essential – a clear, concise, compelling writing style, which is adaptable for difference audiences, including mainstream public.
- Strong verbal communication skills, interpreting and condensing technical language or complicated global issues for different audiences.
- Strategic thinking and critical analysis.
- Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
- Commitment and drive, with a clear focus on results.
- Positive, proactive, ‘can-do’ approach.
- Ability to juggle competing priorities, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
- Creative and innovative.
- Familiarity with UNICEF and its systems and ways of working is an advantage
Evaluation and Selection process:
Application Guidance
All applications must contain the following (incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration)
Technical Assessment Criteria (applications will be evaluated based on the following technical criteria) Updated 10 July 2023.xlsx Technical Proposal Form – Updated 10 July 2023.xlsx
Candidates are requested to submit their Financial Proposal form and it will be evaluated based on the overall financial offer. Financial Proposal Form – Updated 10 July 2023.xlsx
Each Proposal will be evaluated against a weight allocation of 80% for the technical proposals and 20% for the commercial proposal. The total maximum obtainable is 100 points. The minimum acceptable technical score is 50.
FEE
Requests for services under an individual contract requires that the consultant indicates their all-inclusive fees (including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable) for the services to be provided.
When submitting their bid, the consultant is also advised to take into consideration as part of their bid for the assignment the cost of health insurance and/or photographic, video-graphic equipment if such equipment is needed to complete the deliverables of the assignment.
Health Insurance
The Consultant is fully responsible for arranging, at their own expense, such life, health, and other forms of insurance covering the term of the Contract as he or she considers appropriate. The Consultant is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.
IMPORTANT – G4 Visa is only valid if the consultant will reside within the tri-state area during the duration of the assignment. It is illegal to apply and obtain a visa for consultants who do not intend to reside within the tri-state area during the duration of the consultancy assignment.
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.
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.
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