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Community of Practice Consultant - Global Accelerator Community of Practice on social protection and jobs, PG, SPS, Child Poverty and Social Protection, NYHQ, remote. Req# 586036

Apply now Job no: 586036
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: New York
Level: Consultancy
Location: United States
Categories: Social Policy

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.

Consultancy: Community of Practice Consultant – Global Accelerator Community of Practice on social protection and jobs

Duty Station: Programme Group, SPSP, Child Poverty and Social Protection

Duration: 15 December 2026 – 1 December 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

To support the development, coordination, and facilitation of a Community of Practice (CoP) under the Global Accelerator (GA) on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions. The Community Consultant will foster peer learning, technical exchange, and co-creation of solutions among UN agencies and national counterparts in pathfinder countries

Scope of Work:
Purpose and Objective
The GA Community of Practice (CoP) is a global platform for peer learning, technical exchange, and co-creation of solutions. It supports pathfinder countries and partners in implementing integrated, gender-responsive, and sustainable social protection and employment systems. The CoP aims to accelerate progress on the Global Accelerator national roadmaps by fostering collaboration, sharing innovations, and strengthening capacities of technical counterparts, UN agencies working across regions and sectors.
Added Value
While the Global Accelerator’s Steering Group provides strategic direction and coordination, the CoP offers a dedicated space for technical counterparts—from governments and UN agencies in pathfinder countries—to engage in practical, peer-driven exchanges. It enables practitioners to:
Share experiences and troubleshoot implementation challenges.
Co-develop tools and approaches.
Strengthen cross-country learning and collaboration.
Build a network of practice that complements high-level governance structures.
Integration with the Hub of Expertise
The Community of Practice (CoP) is a core mechanism of the Global Accelerator’s Hub of Expertise (HoE), designed to operationalize its knowledge generation and peer learning functions. As part of the HoE, the CoP complements the technical assistance provided through the Technical Support Facility (TSF) by fostering cross-country dialogue, surfacing practical insights, and co-creating solutions grounded in country experiences. It serves as a dynamic space for practitioners to engage in structured peer support, thematic learning, and collaborative resource development—thereby contributing to the HoE’s mandate to strengthen capacities, promote south-south learning, and ensure coherence across pathfinder countries. The CoP’s outputs, including learning briefs and peer exchange reports, will feed into the broader knowledge ecosystem of the HoE, enhancing visibility and institutionalization of the Global Accelerator’s technical support mechanisms.
Within this framework, the Community Consultant will: - Establish and manage the CoP Core Group. - Facilitate quarterly learning and practice sessions, peer support dialogues, and technical clinics. - Coordinate onboarding and engagement of CoP members. - Develop and maintain a CoP monitoring dashboard and produce learning briefs and peer exchange reports.
 

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

1.Establish CoP Core Group and operating framework

- CoP charter and structure finalized

Feb 15, 2026

2.Member onboarding and engagement

- Updated member list, onboarding materials and progress report

May 31, 2026

3.Organize 2 peer support and technical clinics

- 2 peer support reports

Sept 30, 2026

4.Facilitate 4 quarterly learning sessions

- 4 learning briefs 

Oct 31, 2026

5.Develop and maintain CoP dashboard and M&E framework

- Dashboard developed and updated on a monthly basis 

Nov 15, 2026

Qualifications

Education:   

Advanced University degree in: social policy, international development, communications, or related field

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

  • At least 8 years of experience in in the field of social protection or Skills and Employability, Job Creation, and Livelihoods
  • Proven experience in organizing participatory learning events and facilitating peer exchanges for government counterparts
  • Strong interpersonal, analytical, and communication skills.
  • Experience managing communities of practice or similar platforms - Experience with online collaboration platforms and knowledge management tools

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. 

Advertised: Eastern Standard Time
Deadline: Eastern Standard Time

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