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Youth Engagement and Active Citizenship Consultant, Rome, remotely in Italy, 5 months and 20 days

Working arrangement: Remote

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 Youth Engagemen

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance of the Adolescent Development Manager and in collaboration with the National YAB Coordinator and the Project Manager, The consultant will: (i) support the National Youth Advisory Board (YAB) and six Local Youth Advisory Boards (YABs) in developing a common vision and understanding of active citizenship, meaningful youth

participation, child rights, social cohesion, and peacebuilding; (ii) develop a capacity-building package comprising training modules, facilitation tools, and practical guidance materials; (iii) strengthen the capacities of YAB members through a series of participatory and youth-friendly learning workshops; and (iv) facilitate the co-creation of youth-led

action plans (one national and six local), aimed at advancing child rights, strengthening social cohesion, and fostering a more inclusive culture through youth-led advocacy actions, awareness-raising campaigns, and community engagement initiatives at national and local levels.

Scope of Work:

Starting in 2020 UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia’s National Response in Italy supported the Government of Italy in the establishment the European Child Guarantee to tackle child poverty and social exclusion through evidence generation of child-focused policies and programmes and piloting of innovative approaches, effectively reaching out to disadvantaged children and adolescents. Amongst the models piloted, the

Youth Advisory Board (YAB) was set up in December 2021 by UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (MLSP) and the Department for Family Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, to provide a space for adolescents & young people to be meaningfully involved and participate in all phases of the Child Guarantee

in Italy. Following the pilot phase, as of April 2026 UNICEF is providing technical assistance for implementation of the project “C’ENTRO – the network of YABs for active participation”, which is funded by the MLSP for a 36-month period. The project aims to strengthen the national YAB and to create 6 YABs at local level – in Milan, Brescia, Rome, Rieti, Palermo

and Catania- developing over 3 years an innovative participatory model connected across three levels of governance in collaboration with local (Municipalities and Regions) and national authorities (MLSP, Social Protection and Inclusion Network, managing authorities of the National Programmes of the European Social Fund (NP-FSE), and other relevant

organizations and bodies). At its core is the shared goal of making a concrete contribution to reducing and preventing child poverty and social exclusion by enhancing the skills of adolescents and young people, promoting their meaningful engagement and creating opportunities that allow them to develop their talent and full potential.

In line with its mandate and with the programme activities, since April 2026 the National YAB has continued working on identifying priorities affecting lives of youth and adolescents and strategizing its activities around such themes.

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

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

QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL) / LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT

Minimum requirements:
Education: Masters in social or political sciences, law, psychology, pedagogy, human rights, or a related field.
Work Experience:
- At least 3 years of professional experience in designing and delivering training programmes for adolescents and young people.
- Demonstrated experience in facilitating youth engagement, active citizenship, civic participation, advocacy, leadership development, and/or community mobilization initiatives.
- Proven experience working with youth groups in diverse socio-cultural contexts.
Language Requirements: - Fluency in Italian and English is required
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
- Knowledge of human rights-based approach to programming
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Desirables:
- Knowledge of the Italian context regarding adolescents and youth, including relevant legal, policy and social
service provision frameworks would be an asset
- Previous experience working with international organizations, UN agencies, NGOs, public institutions, or
youth-focused programmes is considered an asset.
- Experience delivering training across multiple locations and coordinating with local stakeholders is highly
Desirables:
- Knowledge of the Italian context regarding adolescents and youth, including relevant legal, policy and social
service provision frameworks would be an asset
- Previous experience working with international organizations, UN agencies, NGOs, public institutions, or
youth-focused programmes is considered an asset.
- Experience delivering training across multiple locations and coordinating with local stakeholders is highly
desirable

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

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Youth engagement Financial proposal.xlsx

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.