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UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to education

UNICEF operates one of the world's largest humanitarian supply networks, managing warehouses and distribution centers across multiple countries to deliver life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations. With increasing complexity in humanitarian crises, climate-related disasters, and supply chain disruptions, there is an urgent need to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to optimize warehouse operations, improve inventory management, and enhance emergency response capabilities.
UNICEF Supply Division conducted a survey of potential use cases for artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) implementation for the humanitarian warehouse. These use cases covered areas such as predictive analytics for demand forecasting to automated warehouse management systems. This consultancy will assess the feasibility of implementing these use cases by assessing practical needs, working with the current capabilities, and identifying gaps and opportunities to enhance technology adoption. Beyond feasibility assessment, the consultant will develop digital prototype(s) that can showcase a proof of concept for how UNICEF Supply Division can transform how it manages its humanitarian supply chain.
The consultant will work directly with the UNICEF Supply Division, reporting to the Chief of OATC (Operational Analysis & Technology Centre) . The consultant will be advised on best practices and shared know-how by the UNICEF Office of Innovation Frontier Tech team.

Consultancy key responsibilities

1. Technical leadership:
• Demonstrate technical leadership in assessing the feasibility of implementing AI use cases in the context of the current state of UNICEF Supply Division
• Serve as a strategic advisor, providing recommendations and frameworks for enhancing the feasibility of implementing AI use cases.
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current data systems and operations that could serve to support AI systems. Identify AI optimization opportunities in this assessment.
• Develop digital open source prototypes that demonstrate a proof of concept for addressing a given use case
• Alignment to global ai principles applicable for any of the above “ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s global AI strategy and responsible AI principles

2. Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:
• Collaborate with engineering staff of the Supply Division OATC to ensure feasibility assessment and identification of optimization opportunities complements data systems developments.
• Work closely with warehouse managers, logistics coordinators, and other operational units to understand operational requirements and needs.
• Collaborate with IT units on potential system integration and infrastructure requirements.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration between technical teams, operational units, and management

The consultant will be responsible for ensuring that the following deliverables are achieved:

Activity 1: Reviewing existing UNICEF’s AI governance structures, including risk taxonomy and ethical guidelines, ensuring all use cases going forwards are aligned the Supply Division core processes and technical outputs.
Deliverable: Wireframe of landscape of supply chain digital outputs, tools, and systems.
Deliverable timeline: Month 1.

Activity 2: Use Case Review:
- Review all identified AI/ML use cases.
- Consult with technical and business units.
- Develop use case assessment wirefames.
- Identify success metrics and KPIs.
- Data requirement specification (fields, sources, volumes).
- Conduct value–complexity prioritization.
- Identify required data sources and availability constraints.
- Produce feasibility scoring framework for each use case.
Deliverables:
1. Use case assessment wireframe (key metrics and frameworks for assessment, including data requirements and critical KPIs).
2. Use case assessment (scoring and description).
Deliverable timeline: Month 2

Activity 3: Recommendations and feasibility assessment report:
- Conduct deep-dive analysis for top-priority use cases.
- Draft feasibility assessment report.
- Present feasibility assessment.
- Recommend use case priorities to stakeholders and management.
Deliverables: 
1. Recommendations to key stakeholders/management.
2.  Feasibility Assessment Report.
3.  Presentation of Feasibility Assessment.
Deliverable timeline: Month 3 and 4.

Activity 4: Prototype / Proof of Concept Development.
- Build functioning prototype for selected use cases.
- Develop minimal UI (if required) or API interface.
- Conduct initial performance evaluation.
Deliverables: 
1. Functional Prototype (open source software code ).
2. Prototype Performance Report.
Deliverable timeline: Month 4 and 6.

Activity 5: Prototype demo, User-testing & refinement.
- Run prototype with sample/realistic data.
- Test prototype by collecting feedback from business stakeholders.
- Showcase prototype internally across identified stakeholder units.
- Showcase prototype externally with Office of Innovation, ICTD and other units.
- Draft blog posts or other communications about the prototype work showcasing the “art of the possible”.
Deliverables:
1. Prototype Demo Session
2. User-testing.
3. Internal and external showcasing.
4. Blog posting (potential).
Deliverable timeline: Month 7

Activity 6: Final Recommendations & Roadmap:
- Produce roadmap for scaling prototypes to production.
- Create implementation effort estimates.
- Document key risks and mitigation strategies.
Deliverables: 
1. Final recommendation and roadmap of AI use cases to management.
2. Transfer prototype to Supply Division OATC units.
Deliverable timeline: Month 8

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related field.
• Work Experience: Minimum 5 years of work experience in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related field.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

How to apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter/application.
2. Daily rate and all-inclusive lumpsum for this consultancy.
3. At least 3 Reference contacts.
4. A copy of your highest diploma.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.