Consultancy Title: Internal Communication and Capacity Development Consultant

Division/Duty Station: PG NYHQ/CEED

Duration: 1 September 2025 – 31 December 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:

UNICEF is committed to addressing the climate crisis as a core part of its mission to protect the rights and well-being of every child. As climate change increasingly threatens the lives and futures of the most vulnerable children, UNICEF is scaling up its climate action across key sectors—including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, education, social protection, and disaster risk reduction (DRR).

To help advance this agenda, UNICEF is seeking a consultant to support the implementation of its Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP). As the organization moves into its next Strategic Plan, there is an increasing focus on delivering climate-resilient social services and protecting children from climate, environmental, and disaster-related shocks. The consultant will play a key role in supporting this shift.

Working under the supervision of the CEED Programme Specialist, the consultant will contribute to internal communications, capacity-strengthening efforts, and implementation tracking related to SCAP. Specific responsibilities will include developing and disseminating strategic content, coordinating the roll-out of a global capacity-building initiative on sustainability and climate action, and supporting the preparation of key reports and knowledge products. The consultant will work closely with UNICEF divisions, regional and country offices, and contribute to strengthening the organization’s institutional capacity to deliver results for children in a changing climate.

Scope of work: 

Under the supervision of the CEED Programme Specialist, the consultant will support the implementation of UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP) by working closely with the CEED team and collaborating with relevant divisions across UNICEF. The consultant will contribute to internal communications, global capacity-building efforts, and SCAP monitoring and reporting, with the following key responsibilities:

 

1. Corporate Internal Content and Communications

• Provide regular updates on SCAP and CEED progress, highlighting key developments, milestones, and next steps, and ensure timely dissemination through internal channels such as the quarterly climate bulletin, ICON stories, and monthly updates to the Executive Director.
• Draft CEED inputs for Executive Director updates, as well as talking points and presentation materials for UNICEF senior management.
• Develop tailored communications products (e.g., talking points, slide decks) for strategic donor and partner engagements in collaboration with CEED colleagues and relevant focal points.
• Coordinate with the UNICEF Communications Division to enhance internal visibility of progress in sustainability and climate action.
• Track OED Roundhouse requests and support the preparation of background briefs and internal documentation as needed.
• Conduct background research on emerging external developments relevant to UNICEF’s climate, environment, energy, and disaster risk reduction agenda.

 

2. Capacity-Strengthening Initiative on Sustainability and Climate Action

• Support the development and implementation of a global capacity-strengthening package on sustainability and climate action, aligned with UNICEF’s mandate to protect children’s rights and well-being. This includes consolidating inputs from CEED and key stakeholders.
• • Coordinate with partners and internal teams to ensure timely delivery of the senior leadership training in September 2025 and regional roll-out sessions planned for late 2025 and early 2026.
  • Support the design of Phase 2 of the initiative, to be launched in 2026, targeting technical and programme staff to strengthen climate integration across sectors.
  • Contribute to the development of a quality assurance approach to ensure the effectiveness, consistency, and relevance of the training materials and delivery methods.
  • Support the creation and maintenance of a digital platform (e.g., SharePoint) to host capacity-building resources, such as toolkits, modules, and recorded webinars, ensuring they are easily accessible to UNICEF staff globally.

   

  3. SCAP Implementation and Reporting

  • Support the monitoring and reporting of SCAP implementation throughout 2025, including progress tracking, data analysis, and coordination with regional and country offices.
  • Assist in planning and facilitating SCAP Steering Committee meetings, including the preparation of background materials, agendas, and follow-up documentation.
  • Contribute to the development of a SCAP country profiles dashboard following the Q4 2025 / Q1 2026 reporting cycle, providing visual summaries of country-level progress
  • Support the drafting and presentation of the SCAP Annual Report for 2025, intended for internal use, capturing achievements, gaps, and priorities for 2026.
  • Assist in the development of the Annual Report on Sustainability and Climate Action for 2025 (for external audiences), including data visualizations and supporting presentation materials.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

1. Corporate Internal Content and Communications

Deliverable 1: 6 quarterly climate bulletins developed, cleared, and disseminated to internal audiences, highlighting key SCAP and CEED milestones and updates

31 Dec 2025/31 Mar 2026/30 June 2026/30 Sept 2026/30 Nov 2026/31 Dec 2026

Deliverable 2: 16 monthly CEED updates prepared and submitted for the Executive Director’s office, summarizing progress, priorities, and planned actions

31 Dec 2026 

Deliverable 3: At least 14 sets of tailored talking points and slide decks drafted for use in senior management meetings and donor/partner engagements

30 Nov 2026

Deliverable 4: Minimum of 9 internal visibility pieces (e.g., ICON stories, blog posts) published in collaboration with the Communications Division

31 Dec 2026

Deliverable 5: OED Roundhouse request log maintained, with background research and briefing notes submitted for each relevant query.

31 Dec 2026

Deliverable 6: Minimum of 16 concise monthly briefs produced on emerging external trends in climate, environment, and disaster risk reduction, for internal awareness and strategic alignment

31 Dec 2026

2. Capacity-Strengthening Initiative on Sustainability and Climate Action

Deliverable 7: A consolidated training plan (max 15 pages) developed, incorporating CEED and stakeholder inputs, outlining objectives, structure, content, and delivery approach for capacity-building

31 October 2025

Deliverable 8: Detailed planning calendar, partner coordination log, and briefing materials prepared for the September 2025 senior leadership training and regional roll-out sessions in late 2025–early 2026

31 Mar 2026

Deliverable 9: A concept note (max 10 pages) outlining Phase 2 of the initiative, including proposed content for sectoral technical staff, expected outcomes, and delivery mechanisms

31 Oct 2025

Deliverable 10: A user-friendly quality assurance checklist/tool developed to guide review of training content for alignment with UNICEF’s climate resilience goals and child rights principles

31 Dec 2025

Deliverable 11: A well-organized and regularly updated SharePoint site created to host all capacity-building resources (toolkits, modules, webinars), with clear navigation and metadata

30 Nov 2025 

3. SCAP Implementation and Reporting

Deliverable 12: SCAP monitoring tracker (Excel format) maintained and updated quarterly with data from country offices and internal focal points

31 Dec 2025/31 Mar 2026/30 Jun 2026/30 Sep 2026/30 Nov 2026/31 Dec 2026

Deliverable 13: 6 SCAP Steering Committee meetings supported through preparation of background notes, agendas, coordination with presenters, and follow-up action summaries

31 Dec 2026

Deliverable 14: Interactive PowerBI dashboard developed and updated to present country SCAP profiles, visualizing key progress metrics and reporting insights (Q4 2025/Q4 2026 cycle).

30 Jun 2026

Deliverable 15: Internal SCAP Annual Report for 2025 drafted and finalized, including data analysis, highlights, implementation lessons, and 2026 recommendations.

30 Apr 2026

Deliverable 16: Contributions to the UNICEF-wide Annual Report 2025 (Goal Area Result Report 4), including sustainability and climate content, visualizations, and slide materials for external presentations

31 May 2026

Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in education, environmental sciences, climate science, international development, public administration, communications, or a related field relevant to climate resilience and sustainability.
• Minimum of 2 years of professional experience developing learning materials, training modules, or strategic content related to climate change, children’s rights, and cross-sectoral areas such as WASH, health, education, or social protection

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: 

• Master’s degree in climate science, environmental studies, international development, public administration, communications, or a related field with a focus on climate resilience or sustainability.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience developing content, drafting reports, and supporting strategic communication efforts related to climate change, children’s rights, and sectors such as WASH, health, education, and social protection.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written and visual content, including training materials, reports, briefing notes, talking points, and presentations.
• Experience designing and implementing content strategies aligned with organizational goals on climate action and sustainability.
• Skilled in synthesizing case studies, policy insights, and best practices into actionable tools and materials for learning, capacity building, and advocacy.
• Strong ability to translate technical or complex information into accessible formats for varied internal audiences, including technical staff, decision-makers, and partners.
• Experience in developing messaging for different platforms, including presentations, internal communications, social media, and knowledge-sharing channels.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multi-format content development and work collaboratively across divisions and teams

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.