Current vacancies

Contract Duration: 12 months

Working arrangement: Home-based

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, health

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

The Global Programme Division (GPD) plays a central role in driving programme excellence across UNICEF. It provides global strategic leadership and policy direction, develops and monitors frameworks and standards, and ensures coherence and alignment across sectors, regions and partners. GPD generates high-impact, evidence-based solutions and serves as a hub of specialized expertise, offering technical guidance on policy reform and scalable programming.

GPD leads UNICEF’s policies, standards and negotiations for programme, ensuring the organization’s assets and priorities are aligned with and contribute to child development goals. In addition, GPD strengthens country-level implementation through integrated technical support, linking global policy with on-the-ground action to deliver results for children at scale.

Job organizational context:

The Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF) is a global, multi-stakeholder coalition established to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in low- and middle-income countries by 2040. With a Secretariat housed in UNICEF and members including governments, multilateral agencies, donors, civil society organizations, and the private sector, the PLF mobilizes resources and attention toward ending childhood lead poisoning by 2040.

The PLF Secretariat aligns partners around the PLF Roadmap and Partnership Strategy, notably through three interconnected pillars: elevating and advancing knowledge to inform policy and action; connecting partners across sectors and geographies; and catalyzing action at country and global levels. The PLF Secretariat supports implementation of the Strategy, facilitates collaboration across the partnership, tracks progress toward shared goals, and mobilizes advocacy, investment, and coordinated action.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

The PLF Consultant is responsible for supporting the effective implementation of the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF) Strategy and contributing to coordination and integration across Secretariat functions and partnership activities. Working under the guidance of the PLF Director and in close collaboration with Secretariat teams and partners, the incumbent will help align efforts across PLF’s pillars, support collaboration within the partnership ecosystem, and contribute to steady progress toward the 2040 goal of ending childhood lead poisoning.

The role requires strong programme coordination and analytical skills, combined with sound technical knowledge of lead exposure, related policy frameworks, the global lead ecosystem, and associated maternal and child health risks.

Scope of Work:

Strategic Integration and Execution Across the PLF Secretariat

• Support alignment of Secretariat workstreams and initiatives with the PLF Strategy and Roadmap through ongoing review of plans, activities, and priorities
• Contribute to integrating the three PLF pillars into a cohesive and mutually reinforcing delivery model
• Maintain an overview of partner initiatives, country efforts, and Secretariat-led projects to ensure coherence, complementarity, and focus on highest-impact priorities
• Identify execution gaps, risks, and opportunities across the ecosystem and support adaptive solutions to accelerate progress
• Provide analytical inputs and recommendations to the PLF Director on prioritization, sequencing, and ecosystem alignment

Partnership and Ecosystem Alignment

• Engage with partners across the global lead ecosystem, including those focused on surveillance systems, regulatory reform, product safety, and environmental remediation, to support alignment of initiatives, investments, and country efforts toward shared PLF priorities and Roadmap milestones
• Identify opportunities for collaboration, joint action, and leveraging complementary expertise across lead-focused institutions, chemical and toxin ecosystems, relevant public health programs, and initiatives
• Strengthening coordination and working relationships between the PLF Secretariat, UNICEF country offices, UNICEF Supply Division, and partners, leveraging UNICEF’s global network to accelerate country progress
• Assess how Secretariat led initiatives and global projects fit within the broader lead ecosystem and contribute to positioning PLF efforts to add value and avoid duplication

Data, Monitoring, and Learning for Programme Delivery

• Support roll out of the PLF Roadmap and associated data collection process, to support rapid learning, adaptive execution, and results-oriented decision-making
• Translate monitoring finding, partner inputs, and progress data into actionable strategic insights grounded in understanding of lead policy and programmatic realities
• Contribute to Strengthen partnership-wide accountability processes to identify progress, gaps, and priority areas for accelerated action
• Leverage evidence and learning to inform strategic priorities, advocacy focus, and ecosystem alignment.

Advocacy and Communications Coordination for Impact

• Support direction and coordination of advocacy and communications functions to ensure alignment with PLF priorities and Roadmap milestones
• Work closely with the Senior Partnerships Specialist and partners to align advocacy positioning and external engagement with ecosystem priorities and opportunities
• Ensure communications and visibility efforts reinforce collective action, accountability, and momentum toward the 2040 goal

Secretariat Coordination and Support to Leadership

• Provide coordination and analytical support to the PLF Director, supporting focus on high-impact priorities and effective use of leadership time and attention
• Coordinate cross-cutting initiatives involving Secretariat teams and partners to ensure coherence and timely delivery
• Prepare analyses, briefings, and decision-support materials for leadership and governance discussions
• Support alignment of Secretariat and partner skills, expertise, and resources to priority areas of impact, maximizing collective effectiveness
• Strengthening coordination and execution practices across Secretariat functions

How can you make a difference? 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the Terms of Reference here:  ToR Consultancy-Global Programme Division-Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF) TMS v1.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master’s degree or higher in public policy, public health, environmental policy, international development, or a related field is required.
• Work Experience: 
• A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in public policy, environmental health, or public health, including experience related to lead exposure, lead policy, and associated maternal and child health risks, is required.
• Desired: 

• Demonstrated experience working with key global lead and environmental health initiatives, institutions, and partnerships, including multilateral agencies, technical organizations, regulatory initiatives, and funders focused on lead mitigation and prevention
• Experience supporting or contributing to, multi-stakeholder initiatives at global and country levels, including working with high-, low-, and middle-income governments, across ministries of health and environment
• Familiarity with key actors and networks within the global lead ecosystem Experience contributing to the translation of strategies into coordinated actions and measurable results.

• Assets:

• Strong knowledge of lead policy and programs, mitigation strategies, environmental health systems, relevant data systems, and associated maternal and child health risks
• Understanding of the global lead and environmental health ecosystem and its key actors
• Proven ability to align diverse partners toward shared goals and collective impact
• Experience using accountability frameworks and evidence to drive strategic execution

• Skills: 

• Programme Integration
• Ecosystem Coordination
• Partnership Engagement
• Data Interpretation
• Advocacy Alignment
• Leadership Support

• Language requirements: Fluency in English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate Care

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter 
• A separate financial proposal  Financial proposal Consultancy-Global Programme Division-Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF) TMS.docx

Remarks:  

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.