Current vacancies

Consultancy Title: Programmatic Construction and Infrastructure Strategy Development Consultant

Division/Duty Station: Programme Strategy and Coordination Hub, Programme Group, New York

Duration: 01 April 2025 to 15 December 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: 

UNICEF is committed to ensuring that children and vulnerable populations have inclusive and equitable access to quality education, health, social protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. The organization also emphasizes the promotion of healthy lives and well-being for all. One of its key strategies to achieve these goals is the provision and management of safe, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure. This involves supporting the construction, rehabilitation, operation, and maintenance of social infrastructure in collaboration with partners across various contexts in its program countries.

To meet the growing needs of children worldwide, UNICEF's involvement in construction and infrastructure development has significantly increased in scope, scale, and complexity. By 2023, approximately 114 UNICEF Country Offices were engaged in construction and management projects, totaling $300 million.

To achieve the best results from construction and infrastructure development projects, it is essential to strategically plan these projects using design and technology that are appropriate for the specific target community. Additionally, effective management is crucial to minimize negative impacts on the community and to promote sustainability. Therefore, as UNICEF increases its involvement in complex construction and infrastructure development, it is crucial to have a clear global strategy to guide these efforts. A comprehensive programme strategy on construction and infrastructure development will help determine when construction and infrastructure projects are the most relevant options for achieving results for children, ensuring resource efficiency, and providing effective safeguards for children, communities, and their environments.

UNICEF is therefore undertaking this consultancy with the aim of developing a comprehensive programme strategy focused on construction management, that ensures that construction projects align with UNICEF's priorities and meet its standards for quality, efficiency, and sustainability, and environmental and social safeguards.

Objectives of the Consultancy:

Objective 1: Conduct a review, to determine the strategic direction for UNICEF’s construction activities and articulate the necessary support to Country Offices.

Objective 2: Establish a framework to support Country Office construction projects, including a programmatic strategy aligned with organizational goals, risk approach, accountabilities, and resources.

Objective 3: Using the results of the strategic review (above), enhance guidance for country offices to support business case development and detailed planning for construction projects

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision of Programme Manager, Programme Strategy and Coordination Hub, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Literature Review:

• Review of existing UNICEF knowledge, practices and resources related to how construction projects are conceived, planned and managed.
• Review of documents and resources related to construction and WASH infrastructure projects, including the scope and scale, decision process, oversight and monitoring and supervision.
• Analyze and document best practices from other organizations in the development sector

2. Stakeholder Consultation:

• In coordination with the technical working group, conduct interviews with UNICEF staff managing construction and WASH infrastructure in at least 10 selected Country Offices, Regional Offices and Headquarters, to gather insights on challenges and successes in past construction projects.
• Identify gaps in current practices and areas for improvement in construction and WASH infrastructure development and management programmes.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of current tools, strategies, methodologies, and approaches

3. Strategy Development:

Develop a comprehensive programme strategy that includes:

• Vision and goals for construction and WASH infrastructure development and management.
• Clearly demonstrating the crucial role of construction and infrastructure development in delivering UNICEF’s mandate.
• Key principles and standards, including considerations to ensure inclusive and sustainable access to services.
• A clear decision tree on how construction and developments should be conceived based on the context, scope, scale and complexity.
• A clearly defined structure to provide effective oversight over the planning and management of construction and infrastructural development projects, incorporating best practices.
• Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.
• Risk management and mitigation strategies

4. Roll out or Implementation Plan:

• Propose an actionable implementation plan with timelines, required resources to support the planning and management of construction and infrastructure development activities across UNICEF.
• Identify training needs and capacity-building opportunities for UNICEF staff and partners.
• Design a framework for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the strategy, including key performance indicators (KPIs).

Activities/ Deliverables:

• Inception Report: Outline of the approach, methodology, and timeline for the consultancy.
• Draft Strategy Document: A draft of the construction management strategy for review and feedback.
• Final Strategy Document: A finalized comprehensive strategy document incorporating feedback from stakeholders.
• Implementation Plan: Detailed plan outlining steps for implementing the strategy
• Guidance for country offices to support business case development and detailed planning for construction projects

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline:

1.  A clearly defined plan demonstrating understanding of the assignment, and an outline of the approach, methodology, and timeline for the consultancy

- 1 final approved inception report

30 May 2025

2.  Draft Construction and Infrastructure Management Strategy outlining a comprehensive programmatic strategy that is aligned with UNICEF’s organizational goals, risk approach, accountabilities, and resources. The strategy should demonstrate the crucial role of construction and infrastructure development in delivering UNICEF’s mandate. It should also provide a framework on to guide and support country offices on business case development and detailed planning for programme construction and infrastructure projects

-  Draft Strategy Document: 1 draft of the construction management strategy for review and feedback

30 July 2025

3.  A final Construction and Infrastructure Management Strategy that incorporates all comments and feedback from UNICEF Technical Review Team

-  1 finalized comprehensive strategy document incorporating feedback from stakeholders

31 August 2025

4.  In consultation with the technical team, draft an implementation plan for the strategy, present it to the technical review team and revise based on the inputs of the team

-  1 detailed implementation plan outlining steps for implementing the strategy produced

30 September 2025

Qualifications

Education:

Advanced degree in programme/project management, international development, social sciences or similar

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic framework development
• Understanding of UNICEF programme processes and policies
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently and to meet tight deadlines
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset
• Experience in working on project management and construction/infrastructure development
• Experience of working with UN agencies and knowledge of UNICEF mission and mandate is desirable

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.