Current vacancies

Consultancy Title: UNICEF Transition Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Hosted Funds, EVAC – Safe Online

Duration: 15 February 2026 – 31 July 2026

Home/ Office Based: 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:

Safe Online is a global fund dedicated to protecting children from online harms, including child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), and promoting children's digital wellbeing and mental health. Since 2016, Safe Online has been hosted by UNICEF and has mobilized over USD 100 million across 150+ projects in more than 100 countries.

Following UNICEF's notification on 22 October 2025 that hosting will cease by 31 December 2027, the Safe Online Steering Committee (SOSC) has endorsed the establishment of an independent Swiss charitable foundation domiciled in Geneva as the future organizational model. 

The transition timeline is critical: the new entity must be operational and able to receive funds by Q2 2026, with grantmaking resuming by Q1 2027. A first closure date of 31 December 2026 has been agreed with UNICEF, contingent on the finalization of the transition and closure plan. 

This consultancy is essential to ensure a smooth, compliant, and orderly transition from UNICEF, faciltating the complex operational, contractual, HR, financial, and governance implications of the discontinuation process. 

The UNICEF Transition Consultant will serve as the dedicated liaison between Safe Online and UNICEF during the discontinuation process. The consultant will: 

• Support continuity of Safe Online operations during the transition period 
• Coordinate closely with UNICEF DFAM on the design and implementation of the Closure and Coordination Plan 
• Facilitate operational workstreams related to the phase-out from UNICEF 
• Protect organizational knowledge, assets, and stakeholder relationships 
• Minimize risks and ensure compliance with UNICEF regulatory frameworks

Scope of Work:

Transition Planning and Coordination 

• Serve as primary operational liaison with UNICEF DFAM and other relevant UNICEF divisions 
• Support the design and execution of the Closure and Coordination Plan led by UNICEF DFAM 
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive transition workplan with milestones, dependencies, and risk register 
• Facilitate regular transition meetings with UNICEF counterparts and Safe Online leadership 
• Prepare regular progress reports for SOSC and Safe Online ED 

Contractual and Donor Agreement Management 

• Map all existing donor agreements, grants, and contractual obligations 
• Liaise with donors on transition scenarios: novation, split payments, or closure 
• Work with UNICEF Legal on contract amendments, terminations, and new agreement structures 
• Ensure compliance with donor reporting requirements during transition 
• Support development of managed services agreements where funds must remain with UNICEF 

Human Resources Transition 

• Map existing personnel and functional needs for organizational transition 
• Map and facilitate HR processes for staff transitioning to the new foundation (employment abolishment, transfer) 
• Liaise with UNICEF HR on entitlements, benefits, and remote working implications 
• Support development of transition communications for affected staff 

Financial Management and Discontinuation Costs 

• Track and manage all discontinuation costs borne by Safe Online 
• Develop financial separation of duties between UNICEF and the new foundation 
• Support the management of remaining fund balances (donor returns or novation) 
• Ensure proper financial close-out procedures in accordance with UNICEF requirements 

Governance and Asset Transfer 

• Facilitate governance dissolution processes with UNICEF 
• Catalogue and manage transfer of intellectual property, systems, branding, and digital assets 
• Develop handover protocols for grant records, evaluation data, and institutional knowledge 
• Support communications planning around the transition 

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Travel – 2 trips to NYC and Geneva

Qualifications

Education:

• Masters degree in social sciences, international development, journalism, business administration, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis or related disciplines.

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in organizational transitions, UN operations, or institutional management 
• Demonstrated experience working with UN agencies, preferably UNICEF 
• Strong understanding of UN financial, HR, and contractual frameworks 
• Experience managing complex multi-stakeholder projects with tight timelines 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English 
• Previous experience with hosted entity discontinuation or transition processes 
• Experience in child protection, digital safety, or related sectors

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.