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UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, works together with partners in 190 countries and territories to promote and advocate for the protection of the rights of every child.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, advocacy. 

UNICEF South Africa -committed to realising the rights of all children to help them build a strong foundation and have the best chance of fulfilling their potential.

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UNICEF South Africa produces on a regular basis various documents for advocacy, accountability, awareness raising and fundraising purposes including policy briefs, programme briefs, donor proposals, human interest stories, blogs, social media content, etc. In addition, UNICEF develops content for its external communication channels to support programmatic behaviour and social change (SBC) objectives and interventions, e.g., on childhood immunisation, and to further promote its brand. Compelling written materials are an integral part of UNICEF’s brand as well as its advocacy efforts, and as such, the organization must ensure that its publications and other documents are professionally crafted following the organisation’s global communication guidelines and clearly understood, and that they resonate with their intended audience.

UNICEF South Africa country office requires external support for various communication products in the English language that will need to be developed by the Communications and Partnerships section in upcoming months. Deadlines may often come at short notice, and communication products vary in terms of effort and time. To avoid having to undertake a separate sourcing process for each individual assignment from different programme sections, the office wishes to assess the market and establish a consultancy with a professional writer and editor who will be awarded a contract to meet the immediate demands of this office’s content production. The consultancy deliverables are linked to the Advocacy and Communication Section’s Annual workplan, advocacy and branding, and support programmatic objectives.

The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Communication Specialist at UNICEF South Africa.
UNICEF is looking for a short–term writer to support the communication team in realising agreed communication plans for July – December 2025. Under the overall general guidance of the Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, this role is responsible for one or all of writing, editing, proofreading and quality assurance of human-interest stories, copy for photo essays, advocacy briefs, key messages, newsletters, media briefs, press releases, website resource hubs, blogs and social media content in English.

How can you make a difference? 

The professional writer and editor is required to provide high-quality editing, proofreading, and writing services for various UNICEF publications and documents, under tight deadlines, as well as quality assurance to ensuring clarity, consistency, and adherence to UNICEF’s style guidelines.

Responsibilities:
The consultant will work closely with UNICEF’s communication team, and programme staff to develop written products, with compelling narratives that highlight UNICEF’s programmes, youth engagement, impact, and advocacy efforts. This includes participating in weekly section meetings and brainstorming sessions, contributing creative ideas for content development, and working with colleagues to provide edits and guidance, or to refine specialist content.

Specific responsibilities are:

1. Writing: Drafting original content for UNICEF publications, reports, websites, social media, and other communication channels.
2. Editing: Improving word choice, flow, logic, clarity, and consistency, and ensuring materials are tailored to the intended audience and purpose.
3. Proofreading: Correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors; verifying accuracy and ensuring consistency in formatting and style.
4. Quality Assurance: Ensuring coherence with UNICEF’s writing style guidelines, and alignment with UNICEF’s messaging and branding.

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

• A degree or diploma in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, Creative Writing, International Relations, Political Studies, English, Literature, or a related field
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in communication and writing for external audience, on different platforms 
• Outstanding writing skills in English with demonstrated ability for logical and analytical writing as well as ‘de-jargoning’ technical language for a wider audience
• Knowledge and understanding of South Africa and its development, particularly its child-rights context
• Detail oriented
• Computer skills required (MS applications)
• Knowledge and experience applying UNICEF’s style guidelines will be an advantage
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about children’s rights and making a lasting difference on children’s lives, one of the global leading entities on children’s rights would like to hear from you.

Please indicate your ability and availability; and attach a technical proposal and financial proposal in ZAR to undertake the terms of reference above (including admin cost if applicable). Proposals submitted without a detailed financial proposal aligned to the assignment will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is also proud of a diverse workforce who are profoundly committed to supporting the full realization of children’s rights, and in uplifting a rights-based approach in all that we do.

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 

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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 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 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.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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 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. 

UNICEF does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.