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Consultancy Title: Data Analysis and Model Developer Consultant, Subnational Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI-DRM)

Section/Division/Duty Station: Climate Environment Energy & Disaster, Programme Group, UNICEF NYHQ

Duration: 20 January 2025 to 31 December 2026

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

 

About UNICEF 

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to support the technical development of the subnational Children’s Climate Risk Index – Disaster Risk Model (CCRI-DRM) across the global, regional and country levels.

Nearly half of the world’s 2.4 billion children live in countries at extremely high risk of its impacts. Children in these high-risk countries face a vicious cycle of increasing exposures and vulnerabilities, which greatly compromise their ability to survive, grow, and thrive. However, many countries lack context-specific data at the necessary scale to efficiently and effectively mitigate these risks.  

The lack of sufficient subnational climate and disaster risk information poses significant challenges to managing and reducing vulnerabilities, strengthening resilience, and implementing appropriate emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and climate and environmental action plans. Through the development of child-responsive data, countries can ground their climate, environmental, and disaster risk reduction policies in evidence and engage in more effective programming to meet the needs of children, young people, and their communities. 

UNICEF’s CCRI-DRM plays a critical role in filling the gap on child-responsive climate, environmental, and disaster risk information. The CCRI-DRM initiative generates evidence to assess climate and disaster risks at the subnational level across salient indicators identified by national stakeholders and makes the risk information publicly accessible. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to strengthen communities’ resilience by identifying the root causes of climate, environmental, and disaster risks; prioritize the climate and environmental risks faced by all communities; identify effective emergency preparedness and response processes; and inform cross-sector coordination and decision-making with a unified understanding of climate and disaster risks.

UNICEF is seeking a dedicated and proactive consultant to support the technical development of the CCRI-DRM initiative across the global, regional, and country levels, generating child-sensitive climate and environmental evidence to inform programming, decision making and advocacy. 

There is not enough funding to cover all planned activities. Some deliverables are planned to be completed if additional resources become available.

 

Scope of Work:

Under the guidance of the Programme Specialist, Climate, Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED), the consultant will perform the following duties:

1. Methodological support and Technical Collaboration

• Technical guidance provided for the refinement and finalization of CCRI-DRM subnational models.
• Guidance for the development of new (Phase II) country models.
• Guidance for the development of additional new (Phase III) country models.
• Technical communication and collaborative processes.
• Updated child population exposure indicators.

2. Visualization

• Guide the design and creation of visualizations and maps.
• Support the integration of the data into geospatial dashboards that accurately represent the findings of the subnational models and key risk areas.
• Review and refine visualizations based on feedback from stakeholders.

3. Resource generation

• Assess the technical knowledge and training needs of UNICEF staff and partners.
• Develop and refine training materials.
• Conduct capacity-building sessions or workshops.
• Develop and refine content for the subnational model development guidance.

4. Sector-specific analysis

• Guide the preparation of sector specific analyses based on the CCRI-DRMs, including their integration into geospatial dashboards.
• Guide the analysis of the CCRI-DRM findings, identify relevant integration points within sector-specific programs and policies, and collaborate with the respective teams to develop strategies and action plans for integrating CCRI-DRM findings.

 

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Methodological support and Technical Collaboration:

• Deliverable 1: Provide 5 detailed technical reports on model refinements for 5 CCRI-DRM subnational models (15 May 2025)
• Deliverable 2:  Create development plans for 3 new (Phase II) CCRI-DRM country models (15 Jul 2025)
• Deliverable 3:  Develop strategic guidance documents for 4 additional (Phase III) country models            (31 Dec 2026)
• Deliverable 4: At least 4 technical collaboration meetings facilitated including summary reports (15 Jun 2025)
• Deliverable 5:  Complete and disseminate updated child population exposure indicators for all relevant countries (15 Sep 2025)

Visualization:

• Deliverable 6:  Create at least 3 high-quality visualizations and maps (15 Feb 2025)
• Deliverable 7: Integration of data into 3 geospatial dashboards (15 Oct 2025)
• Deliverable 8: Report of CCRI-DRM phase III Country maps visualizations integrated on to internal UNICEF and external non-UNICEF data platforms (31 Dec 2026)

Resource generation:

• Deliverable 9:  Complete a needs assessment report for UNICEF staff and partners (15 Mar 2025)
• Deliverable 10:  Conduct at least 3 capacity-building sessions or workshops (15 Apr 2025)
• Deliverable 11:   A set of comprehensive training materials developed and refined guidance documents in relation to subnational model development (15 Nov 2025)
• Deliverable 12:  Report detailing technical support reporting inputs for phase III countries (31 Dec 2026)

Sector-specific analysis:

• Deliverable 13:  Prepare 2 sector-specific analysis reports based on the CCRI-DRMs (15 Dec 2025)
• Deliverable 14: Develop 2 integration strategies and action plans for incorporating CCRI-DRM findings into sector-specific programs (15 Aug 2025)

 

Qualifications

Education: 

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) in environmental science, geography, geographic information science, mathematics, data science, computer science, or related field.

 

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: 

• Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated experience with international and multi-national model development.
• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience leading the technical development of data and evidence generation initiatives, especially within international and multi-national contexts.
• Experience with data initiatives in the context of climate, environment, energy and disaster risk reduction and their intersection with children are a considerable asset.
• Prior UN experience would be a considerable asset.
• Demonstrated advanced data understanding and capabilities, especially across climate, environment, energy, and disaster risk reduction contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate and use Microsoft Office 365.
• Excellent coordination, communication, and partnership development skills.
• Strong writing and communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical data concepts to a variety of audiences.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is considered an asset.

 

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

• • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

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.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.