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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Visibility and communication consultant for ASWA III and EU grants

Section/Division/Duty Station:  WASH – Programme - NYHQ

Duration: September 30, 2025 to December 31, 2027

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ/ Remote 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: 

The grants of Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA, Phase 3) funded by the government of the Netherlands, and the Beyond Pipes and Toilets grant, funded by the EU, are both critical grants for UNICEF to implement key aspects of the WASH components of its strategic plan. It is critical that UNICEF can create visibility for these two critical donors on these two grants, but also that the work completed by the grants is communicated well in a range of forms such as social media posting, dissemination of developed reports and achievements, and production of communication materials.

The ASWA III grant focuses on the delivery of climate resilient WASH programming in eight countries across Africa. Focus on both service delivery and systems strengthening, with a particular focus on key thematic areas of sustainability, gender transformative WASH, climate resilient WASH, and as applicable on the Head of State Initiative (HoSI). The programme is designed to run until the end of December 2027.

The EU funded Beyond Taps and Toilets focuses on similar areas of WASH and climate, and the HoSI, as well as monitoring and sustainability, with the programme due to expire at the end of March 2027. The programme is implemented in partnership with the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership.

Scope of Work:

Activities are divided as per each grant, with some overlap in tasks particularly around key events.

ASWA Grant specific issues

•           Develop a guidance for all ASWA offices on visibility: covering logos to use, identify common entry points for visibility, and approaches (such as embassy engagement, but also social media use)

•           Develop visibility plan format: develop a format that each of the eight countries should complete on planned visibility activities

•           Review of each office visibility plan: review plans prepared by each country office and hold discussions with offices ensuring all plans develop a realistic and measurable and identify areas for required support

•           Review of HQ-RO plans as per key themes: identify key moments for visibility and develop associated plan linked to the RO-HQ work planned under ASWA

•           Quarterly updates and follow-up with offices: follow-up quarterly with offices on the status of the implementation of the plan, with a particular focus on offices who identified the need for a deliverable during that quarter

•           Provide direct support on visibility during high profile events: e.g. be actively helping on social media if we have an event, or for photo ops etc. (including social media posting during ASWA annual review meetings)

•           Provide communications support to disseminate materials: depending on the nature of the deliverable, focus on assisting to boost the communication of key deliverables via a range of platforms but primarily social media posting

•           Contribute to annual ASWA report: contribute to the annual ASWA reporting process by drafting the visibility annex for the reporting year

•           Technical drawdown to offices: provide technical support on a drawn down basis to the country and regional offices for assistance in development of visibility/communication materials and associated dissemination

EU grant specific issues

•           Guidance for UNICEF HQ teams SWA teams on the visibility requirements: to be done in consultation with the UNICEF public partnerships team in Brussels

•           Review and amend as required the existing grant visibility plan: update as needed and ensure it is monitorable

•           Review visibility efforts completed to date: review visibility efforts to date and review the compliance with EU visibility guidelines.

•           Complete quarterly updates on visibility plans with UNICEF HQ and SWA teams

•           Provide direct support on project visibility: help in development of communication outputs, and ensure compliance with EU guidelines

•           Contribute to annual EU report: contribute to the annual EU reporting process by drafting the visibility annex for the reporting year 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Develop visibility guidance for both ASWA and EU grants        

- Final guidance document x 2   

15/09/2025

Develop a visibility plan format for offices participating in ASWA  (eight country offices, two regional offices and headquarters)

Visibility format template         31/10/2025

Review of all office’s visibility plans for both ASWA and EU grants      

- Revised visibility plans following review (in format developed above – EU plan already exists)

30/11/2025

Complete quarterly reviews and updates of plans with all offices (eight country offices, two regional offices and headquarters), with notable follow-ups to those with deliverables in the upcoming quarter

- Short quarterly report on status with key priorities for the upcoming quarter and documentation of achievements

Quarterly until end of contract

Provide direct support on project visibility during high profile events (annual review meetings, sector minister meetings, in-country launches) and for the dissemination of materials to reach wider audience for both ASWA and EU grants (with a particular focus on social media posting)        

- Visibility and communication outputs per event with evidence of dissemination documented

31/12/2027

Contribute to EU and ASWA Annual reports by compiling the visibility annex of each   

- Visibility annexes for EU and ASWA annual reports  

Annually with reports (end of May/June per year)

Provide drawdown technical support to offices as required to provide technical support on visibility and communication (with a particular focus on social media posting)

- IDocumentation provided in quarterly update reports

31/12/2027

Travel: Two trips to key events @ 5 days per event

Qualifications

(1) Education

•           University degree in communication, international relations, political or social sciences, or comparable academic preparation

(2) Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• A minimum of five years of recent related professional experience in communication and/or visibility
• Past experience working on communication and visibility for large scale grants
• Previous exposure to EU and DGIS in terms of visibility/communication and grant implementation is desirable
• Firm grasp of various visibility and communication requirements and methodologies with a proven track record
• Excellent English language skills, French language skills an asset
• Proven ability to work under tight deadlines and drive for results
• Technical experience of the WASH sector is an asset
• Previous working experience with the United Nations and/or an international organization is desirable.

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.

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 Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, are encourage to apply are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (if applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.