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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. 

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Facilitators/Extenders Knowledge Management Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS), NYHQ

Duration: July 21 2025 to November 31 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. 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: 

To document current practices and identify good practices, problems, gaps, and risks related to the use of programme facilitators/extenders by UNICEF. This includes, but not limited to, humanitarian contexts.

Programme facilitators/extenders refers to the use of individual and institutional consultancies to provide technical support for programme needs assessment, coordination, basic capacity building and technical monitoring at field level. It is used where UNICEF needs to significantly scale-up its reach and/or to improve access in hard to reach or inaccessible areas, programme extenders are more commonly used in larger country offices and/or as part of humanitarian programming to complement other partnerships. All programme areas use this modality, with vaccination, health and nutrition programmes particularly prominent.

Scope of Work:

Working in support and responding to the Practitioner Network, the consultant will collaborate with relevant HQ divisions, field, country and regional offices, partners and extender/facilitators themselves to collect and synthesize information on the current use of programme facilitators/extenders by UNICEF country offices. This includes examining and documenting the purpose and scale of this modality, as well as operational aspects such as hiring, training, support, and oversight guidance within specific contexts.

Key questions will be agreed in the Inception Report, but should include:

1)   Where and to what extent is UNICEF using Facilitators/Extenders?

2)   What are the key functions performed by Facilitators/Extenders?

3)   How did the countries decide when to use Facilitators/Extenders?

4)   How are the Facilitators/Extenders managed?

5)   What are the Operational arrangements for hiring, training, IT access, transport, branding, etc?

6)   What are the benefits of using Facilitators/Extenders?

7)   What challenges were encountered Facilitators/Extenders?

8)   How can UNICEF support optimal use of Facilitators/Extenders?

The consultant will also develop documentation and preliminary guidance. This guidance would include pros and cons, risks and ethical questions, when to use or not, key elements to include in the contractual modality, etc.).

Terms of Reference / Specific Deliverables

Work Assignment Overview    

Deliverables/ Outputs

Preliminary Data Collection and Mapping         

• Inception report including research questions, broad mapping of current practices, key contacts, key documents database with basic classification categories, highlighting contexts, scope of planned practice (both objective and operational), patterns gaps, and challenges, and agreement on county case studies to be included.

18 August 2025 - (4 weeks)

Validation of preliminary findings        

• Compendium of current practices including good practices, problems, gaps and risks.
• Draft guidance building on the best practices (up to 6 pages)      

27 October 2025 - (10 weeks)

Documentation of Current Practices      

• Final Compendium of Current Practices for the use of facilitators and extenders in a format that can be easily included in UNICEF EMOPS learning resources library, and user friendly
• Advanced draft guidance and key recommendations building on the best practices (6 to 10 pages).

24 November 2025 - (4 weeks)

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, public policy or public administration, international relations, international development, humanitarian affairs, or other related fields or a related field is required.

Language:

•     Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.

•     Knowledge of another official UN language

(2) Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant progressively responsible professional experience at the national / international level in knowledge management, programme management and coordination, research or operational guidance in humanitarian contexts.

Technical Expertise:

•     Knowledge of programme implementation in development and humanitarian contexts.

•     Familiarity with UNICEF’s operational models and strategic priorities.

•     Experience in knowledge management

•     Familiarity with facilitator/extender modalities an advantage

Analytical and Research Skills:

•     Ability to collect, analyze, and synthesize data.

•     Experience in identifying patterns, gaps, and risks.

Documentation and Reporting:

•     Strong writing skills for reports, compendiums, and guidance documents.

•     Ability to simplify complex information.

•     Capacity in knowledge management to ensure proper organization and use of resources collected and developed.

Stakeholder Engagement:

•     Strong communication and collaboration skills.

•     Experience working with diverse teams and partners.

Project Management:

•     Proven ability to manage timelines and deliver high-quality outputs.

Humanitarian Context Knowledge:

•     Understanding of operational challenges in humanitarian settings.

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.