Current vacancies

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, protection.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has a medium disaster risk rating (ranked 95th of 191 countries, INFORM Risk Index), with increased exposure to floods, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires in recent decades. These hazards are expected to intensify due to climate change, with the most severe impacts falling on the most vulnerable populations. Institutional and governance gaps limit BiH’s capacity to anticipate and mitigate disaster impacts, resulting in a reactive approach to risk management.

The joint UN DRR Programme aims to reverse this trend by promoting proactive, multisectoral disaster risk reduction. Local Disaster Risk Reduction Platforms (LDRRPs) have been established as community-led coordination bodies composed of civil protection, education, health, agriculture, as well as social and child protection actors, to lead cross sectoral local DRR planning and preparedness efforts. UNICEF’s role in this programme centers on integrating shock responsive social protection (SRSP) - a model that enhances the ability of social protection systems to anticipate, absorb and respond to disasters. The devastating 2014 and 2024 floods as well as the COVID-19 pandemic revealed major gaps in BiH’s ability to protect vulnerable children and families during crises. Households faced rising deprivation, limited access to services, and resorted to harmful coping strategies with long-term consequences.

To address this, UNICEF is supporting the development and update of vulnerability and risk assessments and Protection and Rescue Plans for Centers for Social Welfare (CSWs), delivering targeted SRSP and DRR capacity building sessions, and contributing to the revision of the entity level Manuals on the Role of the Social Protection Systems in Emergency Preparedness and Response, to contextualize DRR methodologies for use in the social welfare sector.

This consultancy complements UNICEF’s SRSP expertise with field-based technical support to DRR and civil protection efforts within RS's social protection system.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

To support the implementation of UNICEF’s social protection component of the joint UN Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programme, supported by the Government of Switzerland, and implemented jointly with UNDP, UNESCO and FAO, by strengthening disaster risk and protection planning capacities within the social protection sector in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), in line with shock-responsive social protection (SRSP) principles.

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant will:

1. Develop Risk Assessments and Protection and Rescue/DRR Plans in Centers for Social Welfare in JP RS Locations (Laktasi and Brod):
   • Conduct field-based risk and vulnerability assessments for CSWs in line with official RS methodologies on Risk Assessments and Protection and Rescue Plans.
   • Develop Develop Protection and Rescue Plans for CSWs in line with official RS methodologies on Risk Assessments and Protection and Rescue Plans.
   • Coordinate with City/Municipal DRR Platforms and Social Protection DRR Working Groups.
2. Deliver DRR/DRM Capacity-Building Sessions (3):
   • Session 1: Risk and vulnerability assessment methodology.
   • Session 2: Protection and Rescue planning.
   • Session 3: DRR in the social protection system (including SRSP linkages).
3. Support Updates in Existing DRR Locations ((Banja Luka, Bijeljina, Trebinje):
   • Update existing risk assessments and Protection and Rescue Plans of CSWs in coordination with local DRR Platforms.
   • Provide refresher trainings or mentoring sessions as needed.
4. Contribute to DRR Manual on the Role of Social Protection in DRR in RS Update:
   • Draft content for the civil protection-related chapters in the revised Manual on the Role of the Social Protection Systems in Emergency Preparedness and Response, tailored to RS regulatory and operational context. 
   • Coordinate drafting with the relevant Working Groups, DRR Platforms and UNICEF leads for updating the Manual

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

• University Degree in Disaster Risk Management, Civil Protection, Social Sciences, or related field
• Minimum 7 years professional experience in DRR/DRM, experience in DRR integration in social welfare or social protection sectors is an asset
• Familiarity with RS Protection and Rescue methodologies and plans
• Experience with development of vulnerability and risk assessments and DRR/protection and rescue plans
• Proven experience in delivering capacity-building and training sessions
• Fluency in local language(s), English proficiency is an asset
• Strong coordination, facilitation, and report-writing skills

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.