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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 innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives. This commitment continues through the Sustainable WASH Innovation Hub (“the Hub”) based in Copenhagen, where we bring new approaches, bold partnerships, and impactful innovations to the forefront of the global WASH agenda. Emerging from UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and now proudly part of the UNICEF Center of Excellence (CoE) for WASH, the Hub is uniquely positioned to accelerate promising solutions across UNICEF’s extensive global network and that of our partners.

The Hub brings together a passionate global community of strategic partners including children and young people, academia, private entrepreneurs, public policy makers, social development and humanitarian actors, and other UNICEF colleagues in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector. The Hub aims to source, accelerate and scale transformational and frontier climate-resilient innovations that respond to key programmatic challenges that, if solved, will unlock faster progress for a water secure future for children and young people.

The WASH portfolio is the home of typically 4-7 solutions that the Hub is currently working with to achieve this goal. It is reviewed and new solutions sourced annually, to ensure that the focus solutions reflect current, cutting-edge innovations in the WASH sector. Focus is on solutions addressing the largest challenges and with the greatest potential for impact and demand. The Hub works closely with UNICEF country and regional teams and external partners to accelerate and scale these solutions, reiterating and contextually adapting the innovation as necessary.

How can you make a difference? 

The Consultant will contribute to the objectives of the WASH Hub by developing a scaling strategy for WASH innovation, outlining the approach and pathways to scale for potentially transformative solutions. This will be done through consultations with WASH CoE colleagues and other key players, including UNICEF country offices, key sector actors including INGOs, UN Agencies and private sector and the WASH Hub Technical and Strategic Advisory Groups made up of key global WASH actors such as academia, development partners, INGOs, UN, private sector and government.

Specifically the consultant will:

1. Consolidate and document the current approach to scaling in the WASH Hub
2. Review this approach in light of available best practice and develop an overarching Scaling Strategy for the WASH Hub, incorporating pathways to scale for different types of innovations (including those considering system strengthening, enabling environment and technical approaches and products)
3. Develop templates for scaling pathways, identifying the key elements of the pathway that need to be addressed to provide a successful pathway, including an analysis of key opportunities, challenges and constraints
4. Provide case studies using two of the current portfolio solutions demonstrating the pathway to scale for each project solution, detailing the vision, milestones, risks and considerations

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Scaling Strategy ToR .pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in WASH, entrepreneurship, business administration, strategic management or other relevant field.
*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in innovation or supporting investments in a portfolio approach to reach ambitious, defined scale.
• Demonstrable experience of strategy development, knowledge management and strategic planning at an organizational level.
• Demonstrable experience of implementing strategic change within an organization within complex systems 

Skills: Strong research, analysis and concise report writing skills.

Language Requirements:Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 
• Understanding of WASH approaches and systems is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of international development, technology for development and key challenges affecting children in developing countries desired.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Payment details and further considerations

Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed 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.

How to apply:

• Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template.  Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.

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.

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.