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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.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

UNICEF ECARO launched the PATHWAYS Initiative to support Ukrainian adolescents and youth (ages 10–24) in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. The programme provides access to education, skills training, and employment opportunities, including secondary and vocational education, career guidance, internships, and flexible learning. Mental health support is available through integration centres and youth-friendly spaces. UNICEF also aims to integrate these elements into national strategies, aligning with the Youth Guarantee and Erasmus+.

The Youth Guarantee is an EU-wide commitment to tackle youth unemployment by ensuring that all young people under 30 receive a quality offer of employment, continued education, or training within four months of leaving school or becoming unemployed. Reinforced through the Council Recommendation of October 2020, it includes apprenticeships and traineeships as part of the Youth Employment Support package.

This initiative has driven structural reforms and policy innovation in the EU and candidate countries. In Albania, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, launched a new Employment Promotion Programme for NEET youth with a 12-month traineeship, coordinated by UNICEF in three municipalities. The programme combines training with a six-month employment requirement. In Ukraine, legislation has been amended to introduce the Youth Guarantee as a policy aimed at NEET youth. It includes a case management system connecting young people to training, jobs, mental health support, and services for gender-based violence, led by the Ministries of Economy and Youth with support from UNICEF and the ILO.

Anecdotal evidence from the Pathways programme suggests that vulnerable young people need low threshold "wrap around" services to access and complete learning or work opportunities. Without this support, they face challenges such as lack of information, isolation, difficult family situations, and mental health issues. When accompanied and supported through their journeys, these young individuals are more likely to successfully re-enter education or the workforce.

The purpose of this consultancy is to document the scope and strategic importance of outreach models and case management approaches implemented through the PATHWAYS Initiative and Youth Guarantee programmes across selected countries. The consultant will formulate actionable recommendations for programming outreach and wrap-around service models that can be scaled and adapted for national-level implementation -including, but not limited to, the Youth Guarantee mechanism. These models aim to enhance the relevance and accessibility of Youth Guarantee services for young NEETs in Ukraine and refugee-hosting countries.

The findings will serve as critical inputs to the new employment strategy currently under development in Ukraine, offering a timely opportunity to embed outreach approaches into national legislation. This includes improving the quality of the service provision by ensuring that employment services are equipped with a “social map” of trusted and high-quality service providers, enabling more effective referrals for employment and first job opportunities and support for vulnerable youth.

Beyond informing immediate programming, the recommendations will contribute to system strengthening and long-term sustainability by enhancing national delivery capacities in Ukraine and host countries. They will support institutional development, improve coordination mechanisms, and promote integrated service delivery models that can be scaled and sustained. Moreover, the findings will be instrumental in shaping the workplan of the Youth Guarantee Working Group and guiding strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Youth in Ukraine, ensuring that interventions are aligned with national priorities and have a lasting impact.

UNICEF ECARO is seeking an International Consultant with expertise in youth work and the social integration of vulnerable adolescents, including refugees. This home-based role will report to the ADAP Regional Advisor and collaborate with the ECARO ADAP and Education teams. The consultant will enhance UNICEF's global knowledge on effective programming at the humanitarian-development nexus, informing inclusive youth policies and practices in the region. This evidence will be also crucial for engaging donors in long-term youth employment and social inclusion investments, showcasing UNICEF's role in systemic change and building resilient national capacities.

Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the ADAP Regional Advisor and in close collaboration with the Programme Manager (Pathways) of ECARO, the Consultant will (1) document the scope and strategic importance of outreach models and case management approaches implemented through the Pathways Initiative and Youth Guarantee programmes across selected countries; (2) identify transferable models from EU countries and assess adaptability to Ukraine’s context; (3) formulate actionable recommendations for programming outreach and wrap-around service models targeting young NEETs in Ukraine and refugee-hosting countries that can be scaled and adapted for national-level implementation including, but not limited to, the Youth Guarantee mechanism.

The scope of work entails:

1. Undertake desk review based on available reports and documentation (i.e. progress reports, annual reports, activity reports, materials produced, case studies, research reports, etc.) provided by UNICEF Ukraine CO and Refugee Response Offices in Czechia, Slovakia, other UNICEF country offices and by UNICEF ECARO.

2. Develop the documentation methodology and data collection tools. Submit the Inception report.

3. Collect data: key informant interviews and focus group discussions online and during two field trips.

4. Data analysis and presentation of the preliminary findings focused on the following:

• In-country Implementation of Pathways and other initiatives like the YG linking young people with education and opportunities for transition to work
• Role and criticality of outreach and case management approaches
• Role of youth work in implementation
• Integration Centres / youth centres (one-stop shop centres)
• Offer in centres
• Referrals for YP to verified services
• Gaps in implementation, need for technical support, standard setting, policy development
• Criticality of youth policy and youth strategy and budget for implementation
• Gaps in technical support – includes engaging with country offices
• Which public finance instruments at national level used
• What other public finance instruments are available
• Fiscal space analysis
• Accessibility of the youth guarantee for UA migrants/refugees, and migrants/refugees in general
• Link with development of youth guarantee approach in UA itself
• How can the refugee hosting countries continue to be supported beyond pathways project to integrate young refugees into training and into the labor market leveraging the youth guarantee?
• How do we take into account the labor market situation in Ukraine.

5. Youth Participation: young people (NEET, refugees, returnees) to be consulted meaningfully. Gather feedback from young Ukrainians on the services they have accessed, and their future aspirations is essential for formulating the recommendations.

6. Equity dimension: include young people with disabilities and other marginalized groups into consultations. Additionally, a gender and disability inclusion analysis should be conducted to better understand disparities and identify programmatic opportunities - particularly in the labor market – that affect young people upon their return. This will support more equitable service design and employment support.

7. Draft a report and a power point presentation (PPP) of the preliminary findings, highlighting lessons learned and examples from the selected countries for internal validation with UNICEF.

8. Submit a proofread final policy/donor-facing report and the PPP that can be usable by UNICEF education and adolescent development staff and policymakers, as well as be disseminated to donors as a tool for fundraising.

Work Assignment Overview

Estimated Duration of the Contract

37 working days between October and November 2025.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be remote/home-based.

As part of this assignment, some international travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 37 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Required:

• An advanced University Degree in one or more of the following areas: Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, or other relevant degree.
• At least 5 years of experience in youth and ADAP project management, research, monitoring and evaluation, or consultancy roles.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, with the proven ability to produce high-quality, evidence-based reports and presentations for policy and donor audiences.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of Ukrainian is an asset.

Desired: 

• Previous experience of working in Eastern Europe or refugee response countries is an asset.
• Experience in integrating gender and social inclusion perspectives into analysis and recommendations, and in programming or research on the EU Youth Guarantee, NEET youth, or similar employment/skills policies is a strong asset.
• Experience working with or in UN organization, EU, or other international organizations on youth, skills, or employment issues.
• Familiarity with UNICEF’s mission and mandate is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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:

Please submit a full CV, a Cover Letter, and at least one recent writing sample (e.g., research brief, case study, evaluation report) that demonstrates analytical and report writing capacity in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.