Current vacancies

Consultancy Title: Sustainable Energy Consultancy  

Division/Duty Station: PG CEED

Duration: 15 Nov 2025 – 15 Dec 2026

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 fordeveloping 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:

Climate change and environmental degradation present significant and escalating threats to the well-being of children globally, jeopardizing the progress achieved in child survival and development. Over a billion children are exposed to severe risks from climate and environmental hazards such as heatwaves, floods, and cyclones. Given the urgency of adverse climate impacts, it is crucial to transition our energy systems to carry out effective climate change mitigation. Climate change mitigation projects can play a crucial role in saving children by addressing the underlying causes of climate change and its adverse impacts on their health, well-being, and future. Electricity is a critical enabler that dramatically improves the quality, accessibility and reliability of education, health care and WASH services for children. In healthcare and educational facilities, electricity is needed for lighting, heating, powering vital life-saving medical interventions, digital connectivity, learning digital skills, remote learning and delivering WASH services. Leveraging its extensive field presence in remote areas, UNICEF is committed to fostering climate-resilient, low-carbon communities that safeguard all children. These endeavors constitute some of the most valuable investments for protecting vulnerable children in communities most vulnerable to climate change and its compounded risks. The global gap in access to energy for these critical services threatens a child’s ability to survive and thrive. In parts of subSaharan Africa, only a quarter of health centers and a fifth of schools have access to reliable electricity. Providing sustainable energy and related equipment for water systems in remote schools improves menstrual hygiene management and means that girls can attend school. Improving access to solar-powered water and electricity in under-resourced schools and health centers will help bridge this global gap. Decentralized sustainable energy solutions are becoming increasingly financially and technically viable. They enable uninterrupted essential services and power healthcare, water, and educational facilities. They also contribute to reducing GHG emissions and pollution, promote local employment, increase the retention and recruitment of staff, and can be more resilient in the face of disasters. Providing sustainable energy is key to pursuing a just energy transition to ensure that communities’ and households’ social and economic needs are met globally. In order to reinforce its expertise in sustainable energy UNICEF is seeking a consultant who will support UNICEF with implementation, communications, knowledge management, and research-related work in transitioning energy systems to net zero and adapting essential social services in an integrated and low-carbon manner for children. This includes support to knowledge management and communications action plan on tools and training for UNICEF staff to strengthen their understanding of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean cooking that can be then integrated across UNICEF’s programs in healthcare, nutrition, WASH, education, social protection and child protection, and supporting UNICEF in its assessing the market landscape and demand for the provision of solar energy in UNICEF’s key sectors (WASH, education and healthcare) to generate the evidence base to inform UNICEF’s value add and future interventions to meet several Sustainable Development Goals. This will contribute to UNICEF-related work in transitioning energy systems to net zero and adapting essential social services in an integrated and low-carbon manner for children. Under the close supervision and guidance of the CEED Programme Specialist, the Sustainable Energy Consultant shall have the following responsibilities: 1) Solar Hub Helpdesk: Support the solar hub helpdesk with dedicated hotline hours to provide real-time technical support and guidance on renewable energy solutions for Country Offices (COs). 2) Global Guidance Pack on Solar Systems for UNICEF. 

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision and guidance of the CEED programme specialist, this consultant will work in collaboration with country offices and headquarters teams to advocate for increased sustainable energy commitments in policy, as well as child-sensitive commitments in energy policies. The consultant will have the following responsibilities:

1) Global Solar Hub Helpdesk Support: Develop and deliver a time-bound technical support package for the Global Solar Hub Helpdesk, including documented responses to Country Office (CO) inquiries, two virtual support sessions, and a summary report with recommendations for renewable energy implementation. • Review global and country level program designs, at the fundraising stage and implementation stages to provide technical backstopping to ensure feasibility of implementation and adequate system sizing. • Review procurement documents and ensure alignment with local and international supply guidance to promote sustainability of systems. • Provide training and guidance to country offices to implement UNICEF tools for system sizing and costing, technology selection, and financing mechanism integration (RECs, carbon credits, etc) to provide quality assurance in renewable energy system selection • Support ROs and COs to integrate child-centric policy recommendations in the areas of sustainable energy for health, education and WASH.

2) Global Guidance Pack on Solar Systems for UNICEF to include the following: • a. Solar Sizing and Assessments: Aggregate and consolidate solar sizing and site assessments to ensure optimal design and implementation of solar energy systems across UNICEF’s programs. • b. Implementation Support: Technical support required during the installation and commissioning of solar energy projects, ensuring adherence to best practices and safety standards. • c. Maintenance and Troubleshooting: maintenance plan, including regular inspections and troubleshooting support, to ensure the long-term reliability and efficiency of solar energy systems 

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline 

1) Global Solar Hub Helpdesk Support: Develop and deliver a timebound technical support package for the Global Solar Hub Helpdesk, including documented responses to Country Office (CO) inquiries, two virtual support sessions, and a summary report with recommendations for renewable energy implementation.

• Review country level program designs, at the fundraising stage and implementation stages to provide technical backstopping to ensure feasibility of implementation and adequate system sizing.

• Review procurement documents and ensure alignment with local and international supply guidance to promote sustainability of systems.

• Provide training and guidance to country offices to implement UNICEF tools for system sizing and costing, technology selection, and financing mechanism integration (RECs, carbon credits, etc) to provide quality assurance in renewable energy system selection

• Support COs to integrate child-centric policy recommendations in the areas of sustainable energy for health, education and WASH

Deliverable 1: Step-by-Step guide (PPT and Sharepoint) on designing energy programs and utilising UNICEF’s Supply Division capacities for different market contexts

31 December 2025

Deliverable 2: Energy and Data strategy including opportunities from digitalization of energy data based on helpdesk requests from COs 

28 February 2026

Deliverable 3: Concept note for one country pilot aggregating multi-sector solar assets for carbon credits including financial assessment

31 March 2026 

Deliverable 4: First and second quarter report on frequent issues faced by ROs and COs in solar procurement and installations based on helpdesk queries 

30 April 2026

2) Global Guidance Pack on Solar Systems for UNICEF to include the following:

a. Solar Sizing and Assessments: Aggregate and consolidate solar sizing and site assessments to ensure optimal design and implementation of solar energy systems across UNICEF’s programs.

b. Implementation Support: Technical support required during the installation and commissioning of solar energy projects, ensuring adherence to best practices and safety standards 

c. Maintenance and Troubleshooting: maintenance plan, including regular inspections and troubleshooting support, to ensure the long-term reliability and efficiency of solar energy systems. This may include recommendations and links to financing mechanisms such as RECs and carbon credits. 

Deliverable 5: Powerpoint training material for ROs and COs on using UNICEF’s energy sizing, costings, and emissions calculations tools

31 May 2026 

Deliverable 6: Report showcasing energy-as-aservice models in different countries including implementation status, challenges, and key drivers

30 June 2026

Deliverable 7: Global dashboard aggregating data from facility sizing activities to showcase investment gaps and opportunities 

31 August 2026

Deliverable 8: Strategy on using innovative financing tools such as RECs and Carbon Credits for different solar market capacities

30 Sept 2026

Deliverable 9: Strategy for use of remote monitoring data to develop financing models for social sector electrification

31 Oct 2026

Deliverable 10: Third and Fourth quarter report on frequent issues faced by ROs and COs in solar procurement and installations based on helpdesk queries

15 Dec 2026

Qualifications

Education: Advanced university degree (master’s degree or higher) in renewable energy, climate change, sustainable development, sustainability, or relevant technical field

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: Expert knowledge in sustainable energy programming, system design, costings, digitalization of energy data and policy required.

• Minimum 1-2 years’ work experience in developing, supporting, or implementing sustainable energy or sustainability related initiatives at the country level.

• Strong project management, coordination, and data analysis skills

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is considered 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