Current vacancies

Consultancy Title: Communications and Advocacy for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children

Section/Division/Duty Station: CEED, Programme Group, NYHQ

Duration: 01 February 2026 to 30 April 2027

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 consultancy is for the development and dissemination of communications products for the Healthy Environments for Healthy Children programme, including the global collaborative.

Scope of Work:

The last three decades have witnessed huge progress in the reduction of poverty-related environmental risks to children’s health. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, the global community made a promise to all children: to safeguard the gains made on child survival and to ensure that every child has the chance to thrive and fulfil their potential. However, climate change and environmental degradation are seriously jeopardizing these precious gains and our promise to the world’s children.

Children’s environmental health has been a longstanding priority across the world and among many global organizations. However, it has lacked global coordination across issues, borders, sectors and partners to drive a lasting impact for children that is holistic. Comprehensive solutions are needed everywhere, especially in in low-and-middle income countries.

UNICEF launched is global programme on Healthy Environments for Healthy Children in 2021. The programme focuses on: 1) Pollution and child health, 2) Climate change and child health, and 3) Built environments. To improve the salience of children’s environmental health, UNICEF has been building a Global Collaborative. The collaborative will advocate for change, broker knowledge and catalyze action by engaging governments, industry and civil society. The Global Collaborative will promote similar multi-stakeholder and multisectoral collaborations at the country level. It will also draw attention to a range of ‘spotlight risks’ on children’s environmental health, including those related to climate change, pollution and built environments.

This consultancy will support the communications and advocacy for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children (HEHC), including the Global Collaborative over a 14 month period. The Global Lead for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children based in the CEED in NYHQ’s Programme Group will be the contract manager supervising the consultant.

The consultant will collaborate with the HEHC team and colleagues working on Environmental Health in Programme Group, Division of Communications, Public Partnerships Division, Private Fundraising and Partnerships, UNICEF USA and relevant UNICEF Regional and Country Offices. Additionally, the consultant will be working closely with partners involved in the proposed Healthy Environments for Healthy Children Global Collaborative.

Under the supervision of the global lead and based on the review/inputs of stakeholders, the consultant will (i) develop and operationalize the content strategy for the HEHC global collaborative website, (ii) develop communications products related to the HEHC programme, and (iii) operationalize advocacy and partnership strategy for the HEHC programme.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Qualifications

Education:

• Masters - Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations

Work experience:

• Eight years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media
• Prior work experience with communication asset development with globally recognized media, communication agency or the UN.
• Demonstrated experience developing and disseminating/sharing knowledge products.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

• Ability to work independently and in consultation with UNICEF staff.
• Ability to collate information and use good judgement incorporating feedback from various team members and partners.
• Rapid turnaround of work and ability to multi-task.
• A native command of the English language is preferred, with excellent writing and analytical skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.

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.