UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Calling

Centralized Individual Consultant  Services (ICS) is one of the three new services established within GSSC in the context of UNICEF's Future Focused Initiative. Having an effective end-to-end process for engaging with individual consultants as vendors is of strategic importance to the organization. Centralized and standardized processes for individual consultant contracting is important to streamline business processes, improve compliance with policies, minimize risks, bring cost efficiencies and enhancing the partnering experience for individual consultants.

UNICEF's Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Budapest, Hungary provides services to UNICEF offices globally in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Payroll, Learning & Development, and Information Technology. For more information about GSSC please visit our webpage at  Global Shared Services Centre | UNICEF  and check this Youtube

Their efficiency, accuracy, and adherence to UNICEF policies and procedures reduce operational risks, reinforce data integrity, and strengthen the GSSC's capacity to deliver high-quality support to country offices. This, in turn, enables UNICEF to mobilize expertise more effectively and deliver impactful programmes for the most vulnerable women and children worldwide.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related tasks:

The Contracts Officer oversees the end-to-end lifecycle of individual consultancy contracts - including reviewing Terms of Reference (TORs), supporting sourcing and selection, preparing offers, issuing contracts, and managing closure processes. In addition, the Contracts Officer manages all escalations from the offices and contracting managers.  Support the refinement and further automation of the current end-to-end individual consultant process.

Summary of tasks:

• People management
• Service delivery - Consultancy lifecycle management
• Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership
• Projects and Innovation
• Knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:   Contracts Officer P2

Specific work conditions: As part of their regular duties, staff may be assigned as duty officers on a rotational basis.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in Business Administration, Management, Human Resources, Finance Procurement, International Development, or other related field.
• Work Experience: 2 years of relevant work experience at the national and international level in contracting, procurement, administration, human resources or other directly-related technical fields is required, preferably with the UNICEF/UN or another international organization is required.
• Skills: Ability to supervise and direct a team of transaction processing staff is highly desirable.
• Good knowledge of latest developments and technology in individual consultancy management is highly desirable.
• In depth understanding of individual consultancy processes, from programme needs assessment, through planning, hiring, selection and contracting, and service delivery, monitoring and evaluation is desirable.
• Good knowledge and understanding of UNICEF programmes, financial and legal aspects of contracting ethics and risk management of consultant contracting is an asset.
• Good analytical and negotiating skills is an asset.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious working relationships, both within and outside the organization is an asset
• Fast learner, adapts, responds and owns change, tolerates ambiguity is an asset.
• Ability to contribute to formulation of strategies and policies is an asset.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Previous experience in planning, organizing and delivering consultancy administrative support services is highly desirable.
• Work experience in team leadership in a shared services center context is an asset.
• Knowledge of UN/UNICEF's rules, regulations and procedures is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

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 are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

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, eligible and suitable candidates 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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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.