Working arrangement - Remote work

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.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

To support a participatory consultation process aligned with new corporate guidance, UNICEF Moldova seeks to engage an international consultant to draft the next Country Programme Document (CPD), based on the Strategic Prioritisation Outcomes, the EPR, and other relevant documents/reports, which will define priorities and a new/revised theory of change (TOC).

The consultant is expected to support UNICEF Moldova in compiling, reviewing and drafting a coherent, evidenceinformed, child-rights-centred CPD which articulates the programme rationale and structure for 2028-2032. The process for CPD development should include:

a)     Evidence Synthesis: Reflect on existing and emerging evidence to identify child rights
deprivations and the bottlenecks that cause them. (Summarise evidence as a synthesis in a 30-page document, with information also reflected under Situation of Children's Rights - SOCR Template)

b)    Results-Based Management (RBM) and Prioritisation: Select the most critical deprivations and bottlenecks to be addressed in the new country programme through a facilitated RBM process (including a 2-day workshop walking through the RBM process)

c)    Develop a Theory of Change: Define what should change about child rights deprivations, and how to catalyse this change (should be included as part of the 2-day RBM workshop)

d)    Results and Resources Framework (RRF): Capture the specific contributions of UNICEF, including through our implementing partners, towards achieving the envisaged change per outcome area

e)    In addition, the CPD needs to be guided by the UNICEF Strategic Plan (2026-2029), Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Concluding Observations on the fourth and fifth periodic report and List of issues prior to submission of the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the Republic of Moldova of Moldova and current Simplified CRC reporting process, and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), when a draft becomes available (end 2026)

Scope of Work

Under the leadership of the Deputy Representative, and with support from the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, the consultant will support the Country Office in preparing an evidence-informed, child-rights-centred, equity-driven CPD which articulates the programme rationale and structure for 2028-2032.

Guided by the latest procedure for the development of country programmes, as well as following the Office of the Executive Board (OSEB) CPD standard template, the consultant is expected to support with the following specific tasks:

1. Synthesise the latest evidence on the situation of children in Moldova, with a focus on the Deep Dive analysis developed for the European Child Guarantee, and other analyses and evidence-generated products
2. Through an experiential learning approach, facilitate a workshop on CPD Strategic Programme formulation, including RBM, working towards strategic priorities and TOC
3. Provide coaching support to the CO for refining and finalising the TOCs and developing the Results and Resource Framework (RRF)
4. Drafting and facilitating the validation of the Country Programme Document (CPD) package, including the RRF and Costed Evaluation Plan (CEP)
5. Develop suitable presentations on the draft CPD for a) Development Partners, b) Government, c) Civil Society, d) Children and Adolescents, and e) Private Sector
6. Producing the final draft CPD package after incorporating feedback from validation workshops with key stakeholders and the Regional Office
7. Submission of final CPD package (CPD document, Country Programme Briefing PowerPoint)

The consultant will have face-to-face consultations with programme sections, which will be agreed upon at the inception stage. The consultant is expected to work off-site when reviewing documents, developing an inception work plan, facilitating RRF development, and drafting CPD products.

Under the guidance of the Deputy Representative, the Monitoring & Evaluation (CRM) Specialist, and the Representative, the consultant will pull together the various pieces of information into a coherent, equity-focused Country Programme Document. The consultant is expected to proactively consult with all UNICEF sections to ensure adequate coverage of all current outcomes and cross-cutting areas.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0001647 External ToR 2.pdf

Minimum requirements

• Master's degree in Social science, Public Administration, International Relations or any related field.
• Proven knowledge of and a minimum of 10 years of experience in strategic planning processes
• Proven experience facilitating high-level workshops in strategic planning, such as strategic prioritization workshops for UN agencies and/or Resident Coordinator Offices
• Strong technical competencies and experience in developing Theories of Change, SMART results and a high impact result framework
• Proven experience of developing/preparing strategic documents for international organizations, including UNICEF, other UN agencies and/or Resident Coordinator Offices
• Strong analytical and writing skills, required to compile and consolidate various inputs and produce technical and concise documents
• Experience in the Europe and Central Asia region will be considered a strong asset
• Fluency in English is required

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal  TMC0001647 FINANCIAL PROPOSAL.docx

Remarks:  

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here