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For every child, HOPE

Consultancy Title: Junior Youth Engagement Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Generation Unlimited – PG – NYHQ

Duration: 15 September 2024 – 14 September 2025

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 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:

 Under the direct supervision of the Youth Engagement & Entrepreneurship Lead, with overall guidance from the Deputy Director – Programmes, and in collaboration with the overall Programme team at Generation Unlimited (GenU), the consultant will strengthen GenU’s youth engagement work and initiatives, with a specific focus on integrating youth perspectives into the GESP and P2E initiatives. This includes mobilizing the 3rd cohort of the Young People’s Action Team (YPAT), developing their capacities, supporting the mentorship scheme, and bolstering the linkages and nexus between YPAT, youth engagement, and GenU’s global solutions portfolio. The consultant will promote YPAT’s engagement with country and regional offices, ensuring their active participation. Furthermore, the consultant will promote and advocate for meaningful youth engagement practices within GenU, particularly global solutions, ensuring young people are central to all aspects of the work. Additionally, the consultant will support the roll-out of the Youth Centrality strategy/agenda.

Scope of Work:

 The consultant will work with Generation Unlimited (GenU) to enhance youth engagement strategies and initiatives, ensuring the integration of youth voices in all aspects of programming.

The consultant will focus on organizing and facilitating youth engagement activities, supporting mentorship schemes, enhancing visibility and advocacy efforts, and ensuring the integration of youth perspectives in Generation Unlimited’s (GenU) programming. The tasks are organized into key focus areas to provide structured support for the Young People’s Action Team (YPAT) and related youth engagement endeavours.

1. Coordination and Engagement with YPAT.

2. Programme Development and Integration.

3. Capacity Building and Governance.

4. Visibility and Advocacy.

5. Best Practices and Sustainability.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

• Organize coffee chats with the Young People’s Action Team (YPAT) – 12 Coffee chats facilitated with the YPATs- By Dec 28,2024
• Facilitate skill-sharing sessions, peer-to-peer learning events, and regional meet-ups with the YPATs – 10 sessions facilitated with the YPATs – By Oct 15, 2024
• Schedule/arrange for mentorship sessions the YPATs with the GenU board including: Maintaining regular communication and follow up with the executive assistants (EAs) board members, Updating a sign-up sheet with the YPATs , Hold preparatory briefing calls with the YPATs, Assist in moderating the mentorship sessions, Coordinate the thematic topics of the mentorship sessions, Collect feedback from the YPATs to enhance the mentorship scheme – 10 Mentorship session scheduled and moderated, 10 Preparatory briefing calls conducted, 1 Sign-up sheet updated, 1 Feedback report generated – By Jan 29, 2025
• Create proposals (3) engagements for conferences pivoted around gender, skills development and learning to earning – 3 Concept notes developed – By Sep 30, 2024
• Develop 2 programmatic concept notes with a thematic focus on mainstreaming youth engagement – 2 Concept notes developed – By Nov 13, 2024
• Create a guidance document for the integration of the Young People’s Action Team in the different global programmes (GSs) –  1 Guidance document developed, including supporting a group of young researchers present their findings in one GESP advisory board meeting and supporting the MEL participatory research training and roll out in one GESP country, 2 knowledge-sharing sessions with P2E countries on youth centrality and with GESP countries – By Feb 27, 2025
• Strengthen the linkages of the YPATs with their respective country/regional offices – 1 Report measuring the number of YPATs connected to COs/ROs and level of engagement – By July 29, 2025
• Identify youth speakers from cohort of Young People’s Action team and build their capacities to meaningfully participate in high level forums, Youth capacity building plan developed – By Apr 10, 2025
• Develop YPATs Engagement Plan with clear deliverables, timelines, and agenda, Youth Engagement Plan developed – By Mar 29, 2025
• Develop the plan for the engagement of young people in governance structures of Generation Unlimited, Plan developed for the engagement of young people in governance structures of Generation Unlimited developed including a girl advisory group for the GESP advisory board –  By Sep 30, 2024
• Create a profile book for the members of the Young People’s Action Team, and maintain organized records, Profile book developed and updated SharePoint folders – By  Nov 6, 2024
• Develop key messaging and create content supporting the visibility of the YPATs and the youth engagement & entrepreneurship portfolio in collaboration with MarComms. Team, 10 media assets including 2 GESP related, including spotlights posts, mentorship sessions coverage and interviews with youth – By Dec 29, 2024
• Mobilize the YAG of the Green Jobs for Youth Pact meetings, consultations, progress and actions, 1 Progress report and minutes of meetings 5 meetings minutes – By Aug 27, 2025
• Facilitate the COs/ROs’ adoption of the Youth Centrality agenda and leadership of youth advisory structures, 5 deep dives conducted on youth centrality index – By  Mar 10, 2025
• Conduct the Youth Label Friendly Standards self-assessment exercise for meaningful youth engagement practices, 5 YFS self assessment exercise implemented with partners, COs and Ros – By Aug 10, 2025
• Co-create programmes events from youth centrality perspective, 10 events supported, among them  2 on GESP – event reports produced – By Apr 29, 2025
• Create policy brief on meaningful engagement of young people in high level fora, using examples and case studies from events including Women Deliver, HLM, RCOY, UNGA, COP28 and more., Brief on best practices for engaging youth in high level advocacy events – By August 13, 2025
• Develop YPAT engagement sustainability plan, Sustainability plan developed – By July 29, 2025
• Develop report on best practices of engagement with Young People’s Action Team, Report on best practices of engagement with Young People’s Action Team developed – By Dec 2, 2024
• Create engagement plan for the 3rd cohort of the Young People’s Action Team (YPAT), Engagement plan for new cohort developed – By Aug 16, 2025

Qualifications

Education:

At least a master’s degree.

Disciplines: International development, Social work and community development, Social sciences International relations, Education, or related field

Experience:

• 2-4 years of experience in meaningful youth engagement programmes, youth advocacy, research, leading youth advisory structures and developing YE strategies
• Experience in programme development at the cross-sections of youth engagement, innovation, and gender equality
• At least 2 years of experience working in developing country contexts
• At least 1 year of experience working within the UN system.
• Experience in engaging young people with global stakeholders
• Experience creating youth in governance mechanisms and policy briefs

Competencies/Knowledge:

• Fluency in English is required, strong written and verbal competency is necessary
• Working knowledge of another UN language an asset
• Strong understanding of youth-related issues and challenges, especially in diverse cultural and socio-economic contexts.
• Ability to engage and collaborate with country and regional staff/offices for youth engagement

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.

Remarks: 

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.