Section/Division/Duty Station: Generation Unlimited (YPA) Secretariat, Programme Group - NYHQ

Duration: April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

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 over 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.

Building on work across the UN with and for young people, and in line with the UN Youth Strategy, UNICEF in 2018 launched Generation Unlimited (GenU), a new global Public-Private-Youth partnership dedicated to skilling and connecting young people, aged 10-24, to opportunities in employment and entrepreneurship.  

To drive awareness and advocacy around the youth skills-to-opportunity gap and inspire action to better support the learning to earning journey of young people in a digital and green economy, GenU is seeking a copywriter and editor to produce quality engaging written content for social media and digital platforms.

Under the supervision of the Communication Manager, the consultant will:

• Create social media post copy to spotlight programmes, partnerships and impact stories on Generation Unlimited (GenU) and partner channels. 

• Write articles featuring results and impact of programmes and partnerships for the GenU website. 

• Ensure quality of content, fact-checking key data points through reliable secondary sources and using a consistent tone of voice aligned with editorial guidelines.  

• Liaise with the team to maintain content calendar schedule for social media and the website

• Edit and proofread documents such as pre-reads, annual reports, proposals, while adhering to UNICEF editorial guidelines.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Develop social media post copy for GenU and partner channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X)

5 x social media packs spotlighting human interest stories on GenU and partner channels 15 June 2025

5 x social media packs spotlighting programme milestones 31 October 2025

1x social media pack on annual results 1 July 2025

5 x social media packs on new partnership launches and moments 30 November 2025

Write content for the GenU website

10x human interest web stories based on available transcripts of interviews and research material 31 October 2025

2 x web articles on programme milestones linked to digital skills and livelihoods 15 April 2025

2 x web articles on programme milestones linked to green skills, actions and livelihoods  1 October 2025

Edit and proofread documents such as pre-reads, annual reports, proposals, while adhering to UNICEF editorial guidelines.

2x pre-reads (Board & Global Leadership Council) edited and proofread 7 April 2025

1 Annual Report edited and proofread 30 June 2025

2x pre-reads (Board & Global Leadership Council) edited and proofread 1 September 2025

1 pre-read (Board) edited and proofread 31 March 2026

- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, marketing, design, innovation, social science or related field.

- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

- At least 4 years of experience in graphic design, visual storytelling, and branding for international organisations.

- Experience developing visual assets for social and digital media, including infographics, social cards, and campaign materials.

- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and other relevant design tools.

- Strong understanding of design best practices for platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

- Ability to adapt designs for multiple formats and audiences, ensuring consistency with brand guidelines.

- Experience managing multiple priorities across teams and time zones.

- Strong attention to detail, including proofing visual content for accuracy, consistency, and quality.

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and 

- Upload copy of academic credentials 

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

o the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.

o travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR. 

o Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.

o Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

o 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 values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).    

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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.