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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.  Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.  And we never give up. 

For every child, hope

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy: Volunteer Engagement and Strategy Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Generation Unlimited, PG, NYHQ

Duration: 11 Nov 2024 to 10 Nov 2025

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:

Anchored in UNICEF, Generation Unlimited (GenU) is a leading global Public-Private-Youth Partnership, bringing together global organizations and leaders with young people to co-create and deliver innovative solutions on a global scale. Within GenU, the Global Volunteer Initiative’s objective is to work more closely with young people (“volunteers”) in communities to protect and advance the rights of children.

The hired consultant will be responsible for supporting the Global Volunteer Initiative (GVI) and supporting implementation of the Green Rising initiative  by making inputs into the global Green Rising strategy – through strategy advice and facilitation expertise- and by providing tailored advice on volunteer engagement to implementing UNICEF country offices, including bringing new offices onboard to the initiative. S/he will support the development of multiple strategy streams – from capacity building to collaborating with other agencies and organizations -- to leverage volunteer power to achieve programmatic results, including environmental impact, across UNICEF and partners while empowering and upskilling young volunteers. The consultant will focus especially on supporting UNICEF country offices to partner with young volunteers on climate and environmental actions which deliver on The Green Rising initiative. Linked to this work, s/he will contribute to drafting fundraising proposals and marketing communications and will support key events and fora such as skill-shares, webinars, community calls and design workshops using facilitations techniques guided by human-centred design. The consultant will be supervised by the head of the Global Volunteer Initiative (GVI) within Generation Unlimited/UNICEF and work closely with the GVI team. The work will require some travel. For additional background, refer to the Generation Unlimited/Global Volunteer Initiative website.

Scope of Work:

• Support UNICEF country offices from conceptualization through execution to launch, scale and/or adapt custom-built youth volunteer engagement offerings around climate and environmental action by facilitating strategy workshops and by providing technical/strategy support.
• Support UNICEF country offices to onboard and capacitate new/existing volunteer practitioners.
• Prepare fundraising proposals and relevant donor reports for volunteer engagement around the Green Rising
• In collaboration with the GenU MarComms team, draft external communications and event proposals to showcase the Green Rising, with a focus on the volunteerism pillar.
• Advise on & draft global strategy for volunteer engagement around the Green Rising
• Support the facilitation of events that bring together the Community of Practice for volunteer engagement practitioners across UNICEF who are working with young people on climate and environmental action
• Disseminate toolkits and other guidance materials related to volunteer engagement around the Green Rising for implementing offices.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. In collaboration with relevant regional office, design and facilitate a volunteer strategy workshop using Human-Centred-Design methodologies in close partnership with the UNICEF Country Office, young people, funding partners and other stakeholders and subsequently prepare a workshop report and 10 calls conducted to onboard and capacitate new/existing volunteer practitioners and to support and coach the office staff to implement the program by 30 Oct 2025.
2. Provide technical/strategy support to 2 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region to successfully implement their Green Rising volunteer programmes and report against commitments by 31 May 2025.
   1. 9 calls conducted to support and coach each of two UNICEF country offices staff to implement volunteer programmes and measure/report on results.
3. Support the Green Rising  community of practice to share learnings between country office colleagues by 31 Dec 2024.
   1. Support the organization of at least 3 community calls.
4. Provide technical/strategy support to 2 countries in the South Asia region to successfully implement their Green Rising volunteer programmes and report against commitments by 30 July 2025.
   1. 9 calls conducted to support and coach each of two UNICEF offices – to sustain, grow and report on their Green Rising volunteer programmes.
5. Provide technical/strategy support to 2 countries in the Latin American and Carribbean region to successfully implement their  Green Rising volunteer programmes and report against commitments by 30 Sept 2025.
   1. 9 calls conducted to support and coach each of two UNICEF country offices– to sustain, grow and report on their Green Rising volunteer programmes.
6. Provide technical/strategy support to 2 countries in the East Asia and Pacific region to successfully implement their Green Rising volunteer programmes and report against commitments by 31 Oct  2025.
   1.  9 calls conducted to support and coach each of two UNICEF country offices– to sustain, grow and report on their Green Rising volunteer programmes.
7. Provide technical/strategy support to 2 countries in the Europe and Central Asia region to successfully implement their  Green Rising volunteer programmes and report against commitments by 30 June 2025.
   1. 9 calls conducted to support and coach each of two UNICEF country offices– to sustain, grow and report on their Green Rising volunteer programmes.
8. Prepare funding proposals and pitch decks in close collaboration with the GVI team (At least two potential donors are targeted to secure funding for The Green Rising) by 30 Jan 2025
9. Draft of two donor reports in collaboration with relevant National Committees and implementing countries, two donor reports for Green Rising programmes are prepared by 30 Mar 2025.
10. Advise on and draft communications around the Green Rising for 2025 by 10 Nov 2025.
    1. In close collaboration with GVI and the GenU MarComms team, source content from implementing countries, and draft at least one Green Rising website update source 3 written stories from countries, contribute to the comms plan for COP29, and plan/organize two Green Rising events.

Travel: Approx. 4 international missions to the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s Degree OR 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.
• Discipline: Public policy, social sciences or another relevant field.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in volunteer and public engagement work.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

• Significant experience working with teams to develop, deliver, and optimize successful volunteer initiatives
• Experience facilitating and developing strategies and tactics with multiple stakeholders across functional communities and in global contexts
• An ability to tailor engagement approaches to context, adjusting to suit different issues, audiences, cultures, political situations, and systems of government
• A sophisticated and current knowledge of relevant digital tools and technologies, and a knowledge of trends and best practices in the volunteering and the broader public engagement spaces
• Experience facilitating workshops using human-centred design approaches, building capacity, and hosting internal communications
• Experience writing successful fundraising proposals, including slide decks
• Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills; meticulous attention to detail and ability to work under tight deadlines with a commitment to quality
• A solutions-driven attitude and client services orientation
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Experience working in the UNICEF context is an asset.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English is required, strong written and verbal competency is necessary. Working knowledge of another UN language an asset.

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.