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, a chance. 

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant 

Consultancy Title: AI Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Organization Performance Unit, DAPM, NYHQ

Duration: 02 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / 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:

This purpose of this activity is to enhance and advance the integration and application of Artificial Intelligence across UNICEF business processes, systems, data and workflows. This comprehensive initiative involves several key components: Data Analysis, Technology Exploration, Technical Advisory, Workflow optimization and Innovation/Development.

Scope of Work:

The Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) is responsible for driving, shaping and guiding UNICEF's evidence-informed analysis, corporate and country planning, programme implementation and related risk management, monitoring, knowledge management and organizational performance. As such, DAPM enables the organization to deliver on results in a more coherent manner, based on agile and contextualized programming processes, and on data, evidence, and analytics, as well as the application of human-rights based and results-based approaches.

Within DAPM, the Programme Effectiveness Team (PET) leads, regulates and coordinates the development and issuance of organization-wide policies, procedures, standards, guidance, systems, tools and platforms to strengthen programme effectiveness across all contexts, including programme planning, implementation and related risk management, safeguarding, monitoring, organizational performance, knowledge management, at all levels. In doing so, PET engages with all divisions/offices across HQ as well as with all regional offices, UN agencies, funds and programmes, specialized agencies, other technical organizations and the UN Development Coordination Office.

The Organizational Performance unit plays a central role in advancing UNICEF's strategic vision by driving performance management agenda at the country, regional, and global levels. This includes streamlining and strengthening annual reporting of results, simplification of systems and tools that provide real-time analytics for informed decision making and results-based management. Additionally, the unit leads on increasing transparency to stakeholders, including beneficiaries and donors on how and where UNICEF's resources leverage and achieve results for children.

Organizational performance unit in DAPM is seeking the services of an Al engineer to facilitate on initiatives that harness the power of Al for Performance Management

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

• Extract of challenges and lessons learned from EYSN and RAM Outcome/output narratives by February 2025
  • 1-2 Guidance notes on effective prompts for getting the best results from Al Models like OpenAI ChatGPT/Microsoft copilot
  • Report on findings from Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA).
  • Report should contain
    • Summary of main finding
    • Visualizations
    • Statistical summaries
    • Reference to any other hypothesis tests
    • Actionable recommendations - Suggestions based on EDA findings that can inform decision­ making and strategy
  • Set of Presentations for stakeholders and project team for inputs and feedback as per the project needs.

• Data Analysis of programme data including Partner data, Field Monitoring data and work planning data(eTools) by April 2025
  • Report on data analysis outlining the results, findings, patterns and gap
  • Enhanced Al Model as per inputs from UNICEF.

• Enhance Quality Assurance feature of end-year reports by April 2025
  • Refinements and validation of the model as per UNICEF inputs
  • Migrate and stabilize the new model with UNICEF Azure environment
• Enhance Quality Assurance feature of end-year reports by May 2025
  • Final refinements and validation of the model
• GenAI Summarization - Data Preparation Phase by May 2025
  • Design and test data pipelines, data ingestion and integration of programme data from eTools (PRP, FMM, CPX etc)
  • Work with ICTD and relevant colleagues to establish the necessary data extraction, transformation and data ingestion methodologies
• Generate draft RAM Output narratives using the workplan activity level reports - donor reports, trip reports, partner reports etc. by June 2025
  • Draft methodology, Al technique on use of generative Al for summarizing the Country programme outcome/output Assessments
• Generate CP end-term outcome and output assessment from annual outcome/output level assessments as source by August 2025
  • Draft methodology, Al technique on use of generative Al for summarizing the Country programme outcome/output Assessments into EYSN draft narratives.
• Chatbot development and Activation by October 2025
  • Design, develop and deploy the solution with NLP/LLP processing
  • Integrate the data/bot with external and UNICEF systems
  • Build a POC or MVP
• Chatbot Maintenance & enhancements by November 2025
  • Scale up the POC as per feedback from point
• All Al Initiatives deployment and code base by December 2025
  • Facilitate deployment and manage the migration of codebase to UNICEF Azure environment (DEV and PRO instances) including timely support and technical assistance to UNICEF ICT Team.

Qualifications

Education:

Master’s Degree

Disciplines: Data Science, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, API Development and Integration

Work experience:

• A minimum of 7 yrs of experience in Data science, Machine learning and Data Analytics

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

• Expertise in Al technologies; including machine learning, natural language processing, deep learning, and others.
• Proven experience with large language models and understanding of their architectures and functionalities.
• Full proficiency working with Microsoft Azure.
• Strong experience developing and integrating APls, with different mechanisms for authentication (SSO, API Key).
• Strong data analytics skills, including relevant statistical tools.
• Strong communication and project management skills.

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.