Current vacancies

Section/Division/Duty Station: PG-Climate Environment Energy & Disaster, Programme Division, NYHQ

Duration: April 1, 2025 to 30 September 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

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 over 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.

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

Develop the partnership strategy for the Partnership for Lead-free future and support operationalization.

Scope of Work:

The UNICEF Strategic Plan has elevated action on climate change and environmental degradation as an organizational priority, to be integrated throughout UNICEF programmes. To concretize this, Programme Group developed the global programme framework on Healthy Environments for Healthy Children (https://www.unicef.org/documents/healthy-environments-healthy-children-global-programme-framework) (HEHC). UNICEF and partners have also founded a Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative (https://ceh.unicef.org/about/global-collaborative) to mobilize international action to protect child health and development from the impact of climate change and environmental degradation. The Collaborative aims to inspire, motivate, equip and mobilize efforts through advocacy, brokering knowledge and catalyzing action.

Lead exposure is a silent but devastating environmental health issue, with far-reaching consequences for children's health and development. An estimated 1 in 2 children in LMICs have blood lead levels that are of significant concern, contributing to an estimated 1.5 million deaths annually. In response to this crisis, the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future ( https://www.leadfreefuture.org/) was launched in September 2024 by UNICEF, in collaboration with USAID, UNEP, WHO, the World Bank, Open Philanthropy, and other key stakeholders. The Partnership is the first-ever global, public-private coalition focused on ending childhood lead poisoning in LMICs by 2040. This initiative brings together governments, civil society, and the private sector to champion country-led efforts to eliminate lead from consumer products, improve industrial practices, and enforce lead mitigation standards. The Partnership for a Lead-Free Future is an accelerator partnership of UNICEF’s HEHC and is linked to the Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative.

UNICEF serves as the Secretariat of the Partnership by hosting a central knowledge hub, supporting coordinated action, and mobilizing new partners. By leveraging proven strategies to measure, regulate, replace, and enforce lead mitigation efforts, as outlined in the Five Actions to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, the Partnership aims to accelerate progress, empower countries, and foster lasting solutions that ensure a lead-free future for every child.

Under the guidance of the Lead for the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF) and in collaboration with the PLF Secretariat, UNICEF divisions, and the Health Environments for Healthy Children Team, the Consultant will develop the Partnership Strategy through a series of partner consultations. Support the operationalization of the partnership strategy by institutionalizing mechanisms and processes. This includes developing and implementing systems to streamline communication, track progress, and integrate country priorities into the partnership’s efforts.

- Develop the partnership strategy for the Partnership for a Lead Free Future.

1) Completion of a landscape analysis of existing targets based on inputs from steering committee members, and the drafting of the accountability and impact sections to establish clear measures of success. (Phase 1 of Partnership Strategy)

2) Conduct at least ten landscaping phone calls with key partners to identify and incorporate existing targets into PLF planning

3) Develop a Robust Impact Framework and Theory of Change articulating measurable interim targets, key performance indicators, and an overarching theory of change.

4) Complete a Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis, including inputs and engagement with at least ten partners, and compile findings in a publicly accessible format

5) Coordinate and manage at least four high-level multi-stakeholder consultations, in addition to ad hoc calls, to ensure substantive input and the refinement of the Partnership Strategy. Synthesize feedback, refine key strategic sections, and prepare a revised draft.

6) Compile a final draft of the partnership strategy by seeking inputs through an open comment period, engaging key stakeholders, synthesize and incorporating all feedback.

31 August 2025

- Develop and pilot partnership coordination mechanisms

1) In line with the PLF mission, prepare guidance on the implementing partner coordination mechanisms including participant roles, meeting cadence and engagement priorities; Develop a country engagement mechanism to track country requests in support of technical assistance, resource mobilization and advocacy.

2) Based on guidance note, pilot partner coordination mechanisms for at least two implementing partner calls, three steering committee calls; and an initial set of country requests. Refine guidance note on partnership coordination mechanisms based on feedback.

30 Sep 2025

- Advocacy and Resource Mobilization

1) Draft an engagement plan that identifies priority actors, suggests mechanisms for effective collaboration, and draws from experience in mobilizing multi-sectoral partnerships with governments, industry, donors, and technical experts to ensure alignment with partnership goals.

2)  Draft an Investment Case that outlines critical funding gaps and where targeted investments are needed to drive measurable progress against identified targets.

30 Sep 2025

An advanced university degree (Master’s) in public administration, public policy, international affairs, or similar degree is required.

Experience:

• Technical consultant with experience on partnerships, advocacy, and health programs

• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in partnerships, advocacy, and health programmes

• Previous experience of working with Ministries of Health, country governments preferable, UNICEF, and donors

Competencies/Knowledge:

• Ability to organize and plan work independently and be a team player.

• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) in English.

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and 

- Upload copy of academic credentials 

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

o the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.

o travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR. 

o Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.

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

o 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 values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).    

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

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.