JOB DESCRIPTION

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 peace 

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:

UNICEF’s Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP) is seeking ways to engage the entertainment industry, to better position UNICEF and enable unrestricted fundraising through individual giving, philanthropy and corporate channels.

The purpose of the Strategic Initiatives Sports Consultant assignment is to support UNICEF’s fundraising and marketing work across the sport sector.

How can you make a difference?

SCOPE OF WORK:

Under the supervision of the Corporate Alliances Manager, the role will play a pivotal role in driving the development and execution of a comprehensive global marketing campaign and fundraising strategy across UNICEF’s new platform for the entertainment industry: Every Play for Every Child.

This role is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between marketing and partnerships activations, ensuring that UNICEF’s marketing work not only garners significant global visibility throughout the sport industry, but also delivers strong financial results through strategic partnerships and fundraising efforts. The role has a strong emphasis on campaign development, campaign management, agency management and fundraising through partnerships. This role is essential for building a pipeline of partnership opportunities and ensuring that UNICEF’s platform is monetized effectively, driving both marketing and fundraising successes. The role will work closely with the teams at PFP, including a small reference group of stakeholders, as well as relevant National Committees.

Role and Responsibilities:

This role is expected to lead and oversee the development of the Sports industry, which includes the following:

• Develop UNICEF’s offering and fundraising strategy for Sports.
• Create and maintain the operational processes for industry at UNICEF .
• Deliver global marketing campaign/activation for B2B and B2C audiences.
• Develop fundraising mechanisms and tools to support global strategy.
• Capacity build with fundraising markets, oversee their partnership development.
• Lead/participate in global partnership efforts.
• Lead creation of fundraising and marketing assets for private sector.
• Coordinate marketing and comms.
• Lead budget, work planning, reporting, and KPIs.
• Lead the global market working group, including any global workshops.

DELIVERABLES/OUTPUTS
TIMELINE

Deliverable 1:

Estimated quantities:

one (1) draft fundraising business case;

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets;

one (1) set of updated global campaign planning for sport engagement and launch;

one (1) status meeting with campaign agency;

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides.

by 31 January 2026

Deliverable 2:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) global campaign launch for sport engagement and launch

one (1) draft outline of case study for sport launch, including potential travel

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides
by 28 February 2026

Deliverable 3:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign launch for sport engagement including campaign asset support to markets

one (1) drafted case study for sport launch

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides
by 31 March 2026

Deliverable 4:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis.

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign launch for sport engagement

one (1) drafted lessons learned from sport launch

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides
by 30 April 2026

Deliverable 5:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign assets for sport engagement

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides

by 31 May 2026

Deliverable 6:   

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign launch for sport engagement

one (1) draft outline of 2027 planning and budget request for relevant Every Play for Every Child initiatives

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides
by 30 June 2026

Deliverable 7: 

Estimated quantities:

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign assets for sport engagement

one (1) drafted outline of 2027 planning and budget requests for relevant Every Play for Every Child initiatives

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides

by 31 July 2026

Deliverable 8: 

Estimated quantities:

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign assets for sport engagement

one (1) drafted outline of 2027 planning and budget requests for relevant Every Play for Every Child initiatives

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides

by 31 August 2026

Deliverable 9:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign assets for sport engagement

one (1) set of activation planning for major sporting event

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides
by 30 September 2026

Deliverable 10:

Estimated quantities:

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign assets for sport engagement

one (1) set of activation planning for major sporting event, including potential travel

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides
by 31 October 2026

Deliverable 11:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of continued push global campaign assets for sport engagement

one (1) lessons learned/case study for sports

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides

by 30 November 2026

Deliverable 12:

Estimated quantities

one (1) draft fundraising business case

one (1) set of research on sponsor analysis

fifty (50) continuous stakeholder engagement and discussion support for markets

one (1) set of updated global campaign planning for sport engagement and launch

one (1) set of finalized campaign assets

one (1) collect OKR/KPI data and prepare reporting slides

by 18 December 2026

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverables/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Consultant”s Workplace and Official Travel:

The Consultant will be remote/home-based. As part of the assignment, there is a possibility of travel during the assignment on a per need basis and this will be covered separately by UNICEF, and not included in the lump sum fee. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause:

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Marketing, Communications, the humanities, journalism, broadcast, or another relevant field.
• Alternatively, a first-level University Degree in a relevant field combined with (2) additional years of qualifying professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Any other additional training in a related field is an asset.

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of related experience in fundraising, partnership development, project management, and knowledge management is required.
• Experience in working with UHWNI/philanthropy/corporate audiences, understanding their motivations and how to apply insights into fundraising and marketing activations is required.
• Proven experience in managing competing priorities with different deadlines is required.
• Proven experience in the development of new fundraising models and international partnerships in sports.
• Proven experience in leading fundraising events is required.
• Experience developing content is an asset.
• Experience in working with creative teams or agencies and a sound understanding of the creative process is an asset.
• Experience in the NGO sector/ for UNICEF and/or UN is an asset.
• Experience with a UNICEF National Committee is an asset.
• Experience with the entertainment industry is an asset.

Skills:

• Strategic Planning & Execution: strong strategic thinking with the ability to plan, design, and implement complex marketing and fundraising initiatives that align with both organizational and partner objectives.
• Flexibility and ability to work independently and as a team player with a range of constituents and colleagues at varying levels. Must possess a strong work ethic, have confidence, take initiative and be an enthusiastic team player.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential, both written and verbal is an asset.
• Strong customer service approach to interactions with colleagues and partners; ability to navigate complex environments and help build relationships with a variety of stakeholders is an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset. Knowledge of a UNICEF National Committee language is considered an asset.

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.

Remarks: 

Please indicate your all-inclusive (lump sum) fees against the deliverables listed above, including all associated administrative and travel costs (if applicable), in the cover letter. The office selects the individual based on best value for money.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed 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.

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.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements