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For every child, hope.

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Advocacy Consultant, Education

Section/Division/Duty Station: Education Section, New York-HQ

Duration: 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 (Home-based)

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. 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: 

The Education Section of Programme Group (PG) at New York Headquarters (NYHQ) requires the services of an Advocacy Consultant to deliver critical and time-bound interventions for the implementation of 2024-2025 advocacy activities on the learning crisis.

This includes:

• Ensuring strategic and aligned roll-out of advocacy and communication efforts for Foundational Learning; a) developing strategic advocacy planning documents, resources and materials as key deliverables under a number of external partnerships; and b) developing and monitoring delivery under advocacy and communications workplans. 

Scope of Work:

Working in close coordination with the Communications Specialist, the Senior Advisor of Education (Management, Advocacy and Partnerships) and Programme Teams as well as the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy (DGCA) and other internal and external stakeholders, the Advocacy Consultant will deliver the following:

• Deliver on advocacy workplans for our collaboration with key foundation partners on the learning crisis.
• Create compelling advocacy resources and materials (toolkits, key messages, briefs, and coherent advocacy narratives) to achieve key milestones.
• Drive coordination between internal and external stakeholders for the planning and implementation of major advocacy milestones.
• Project manage the development of advocacy and communications products, assets, and content.
• Coordinate and deliver high-level advocacy influencing moments or events.
• Participate in meetings to facilitate general alignment across workstreams and offices at the global, regional, and national levels.
• Develop and lead bespoke advocacy capacity building for offices, as required.
• Perform other related tasks which may be assigned by the team.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Deliverable 1 – Design, deliver and roll out a global advocacy strategy under UNICEF’s education partnership on foundational learning.

• Sub-Deliverable 1-1: Implement the global advocacy strategy to complement programmatic work under the partnership, produce one interim revision if needed, and compile a final report on advocacy outcomes and results.

30 June 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 1-2: Support 3 high-support country offices – Ghana, Zambia, and South Africa – to develop tailored advocacy briefs (3) including key messages and a call to action.

30 June 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 1-3: Monitor, document and evaluate advocacy efforts in 3 high-support countries and 14 mid-support countries compiling the findings into a comprehensive report to be shared with the partner.

31 December 2024

• Sub-Deliverable 1-4: Plan, coordinate and deliver 1-2 global influencing moments

20 April 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 1-5: Produce 2 external-facing products to demonstrate country-level success

1 February 2025

Deliverable 2 – Deliver and document the global advocacy strategy under UNICEF’s education partnership on the Foundational Learning Action Tracker.

• Sub-Deliverable 2-1: Implement the advocacy strategy and workplan, produce one interim revision if needed, and compile a final report on the advocacy outcomes and results

30 June 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 2-2: Plan, coordinate and deliver 1-2 global influencing moments around the 2024 FLAT results.

20 April 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 2-3: Plan and deliver two impact story-telling products on the FLAT

1 February 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 2-4: Develop advocacy and communication resources including 1 key messages document, 1 call to action and 1 advocacy briefings for 1-2 influencing moments.

20 April 2025

Deliverable 3 – Manage and cultivate UNICEF’s relationships with key coalition partners through the Global Coalition on Foundational Learning and the Foundational Learning Hub.

• Sub-Deliverable 3-1: Participate in the Global Coalition on Foundational Learning’s Pillar III on advocacy and deliver 12 monthly reports (once a month) on Coalition activities, progress and opportunities.

30 June 2025

• Sub-Deliverable 3-2: Participate in the Foundational Learning Hub and deliver 12 monthly reports (once a month) on Hub activities and opportunities.

30 June 2025 

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, international relations, public policy, international development, public relations, communication, or a related field.
• Language Proficiency:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is considered an asset.

(2) Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Work Experience

• At least five years’ experience in advocacy and execution in international or national NGOs, UN or multilateral organizations. Specific experience and knowledge on education is an asset.
• Experience in developing clear theories of change, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives and performance indicators.
• Experience in strategic public engagement activities, based on an understanding of the target audience.
• Strong track record in writing engaging compelling campaign narratives and delivering creative campaign tactics.
• Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including monitoring of results.
• Experience in operating independently at a senior level and in providing expert advice and support on advocacy and campaigns.
• Knowledge of international development, humanitarian issues and children’s rights.

Others:

• Demonstrated strong communication, presentation and writing skills are essential – a clear, concise, compelling writing style which is adaptable for difference audiences, including mainstream public.
• Strong verbal communication skills, interpreting and condensing technical language or complicated global issues for different audiences.
• Strategic thinking and critical analysis. • Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment and drive, with a clear focus on results.
• Positive, proactive, ‘can-do’ approach.
• Ability to juggle competing priorities, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
• Creative and innovative.
• Familiarity with UNICEF and its systems and ways of working is an advantage.

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.

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.