Consultancy Title: Child Protection and Children and Armed Conflict Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Child Protection Section - Programme Division, NYHQ

Duration: June 2025 to January 15, 2027

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 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.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

UNICEF plays a leading role in global efforts to monitor and report on grave violations against children in armed conflicts and complex emergencies. As the Child Protection sector lead, UNICEF undertakes this work in accordance with its mandate and responsibilities in line with the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Agenda under UN Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005), its Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and Child Protection Strategy (2021-2030). This work is further guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.

UNICEF HQ coordinates and facilitates the organization’s engagement in the CAAC agenda. Within this framework, the Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPHA) team, in collaboration with the EMOPS Humanitarian Policy Section, provides programmatic policy guidance, technical support, and oversight for the documentation, reporting and analysis of grave violations. This includes the establishment of secure information management networks and the development of standardized tools to support regional and country offices.

In 2016, the inter-agency Technical Reference Group for the monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children adopted the MRMIMS+ as the preferred information management system for documenting and managing reports of grave violations against children. The MRMIMS+ is a secure, web-based platform, standardized information management system which supports the gathering, storage, management, and analysis of data on grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict. UNICEF began rolling out version 2 of the MRMIMS+ in late 2022 to enhance system capabilities and improve field-based reporting.

In this context, this consultancy will provide critical support to the continued roll-out of the MRMIMS+ system to situations where it is most needed, building on its existing use in 15 situations included in the Secretary General’s annual report on CAAC. Beyond expanding access, the consultancy will focus on strengthening user support, refining tools and guidance, and enhancing system functionalities to ensure the MRMIMS+ is used effectively. By providing technical assistance to both new and existing users, this work will help optimize the system’s efficiency, enabling colleagues to better document, analyze, and report on grave violations against children in armed conflict and other complex emergencies. Additionally, it will contribute to the development of analytical reports to inform global advocacy efforts on child protection in armed conflict.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will support UNICEF’s Child Protection in Humanitarian Action Team in delivering key annual work plan commitments. Specifically, the consultant will:

•Provide technical assistance in overseeing the roll-out of the MRMIMS+ in six situations of concern, including planning, system customization, user training and user support to ensure effective implementation.

•Collect and analyze user feedback to identify system improvements, ensure usability, and inform feature development.

•Coordinate the development, testing, and refinement of new features in collaboration with the Primero team and developers, ensuring responsiveness to user needs.

•Provide ongoing technical assistance, troubleshoot system issues, and liaise with the Primero team and developers to resolve challenges.

•Develop and refine key guidance and operational tools to enhance system usability, data security, and compliance.

Support knowledge management and data analysis efforts by updating key documents, including complex data sheets and analytical products to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and resource mobilization efforts.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. MRMIMS+ Roll-out

MRMIMS+ rolled out to 6 new situations

2. MRMIMS+ User Training

Six remote user trainings conducted

3. User Feedback Tracked and System Enhancements

First round of user feedback conducted

Six new features developed in collaboration with Primero and developers, including testing 

Second round of user feedback conducted following system enhancement

4. Technical Support

-Monthly Primero releases tested and deployed to all active MRMIMS+ instances (15 existing instances, plus 6 new deployments expected; approx. 20 releases through Dec 2026). Feedback on each release provided to the Primero team and developers.

-Remote technical support provided to MRMIMS+ users in 21 country teams (15 currently active, plus 6  new expected)

5. Guidance and Operational Tools

-MRMIMS+ Terms of Use translated into French

-MRMIMS+ Data Protection and Information Sharing Protocol (DPISP) developed

-DPISP translated into French

-MRMIMS+ User Manual updated (English & French) (twice)

6. Knowledge Management and Analysis

- Data file updated with SG annual report data 

- Africa Factsheet updated

- Regional analyses updated (4 products)

- Fact File on Killing and Maiming of Children updated

- Orientation on data files provided to two new staff members

- Technical support and quarterly review of data, analysis, and products related to grave child rights violations 

Qualifications

Education:

• Advance University Degree (Masters) in law, including Humanitarian Law or Humanitarian Action.

Work experience: 

• Minimum of 5 years of child protection experience, including at least 3 years working specifically on the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on Children and Armed Conflict

• Proven experience in the development and implementation of digital tools for managing data on grave violations against children

• Experience in data management and analysis, with ability to maintain complex data files and produce regional/thematic analyses

• Excellent writing skills in English and French

• Ability to deliver training in both English and French

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Familiarity with the Primero platform

• Excellent analytical skills and proficiency in MS Word, Excel

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, take initiative, and propose user-centered solutions

• Excellent communication, organizational, leadership, and interpersonal skills

• Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders and support field teams technically and methodologically

Desirable 

• Experience in developing operational guidance, protocols, and user manuals, including translation and adaptation into multiple languages;

• Experience in training design and facilitation within the human/child rights sector.

Requirements: 

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 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.

Remarks:  

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.