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 safety

How can you make a difference?

Natural hazards and environmental risks pose significant and growing threats to children's survival, health, nutrition, education, and overall development in Lao PDR. More than one million children are highly exposed to riverine flood risks, while over two million are exposed to one or more hazards, including cyclones, heatwaves, and air pollution. These risks disproportionately affect children living in poor and rural communities, where access to essential services and household coping capacities are often limited.

Despite the increasing frequency and severity of disasters, their impacts on children are not adequately captured or understood. Fragmented climate and disaster risk assessments, limited integration of climate risks with child deprivation data, the absence of real-time child-focused disaster information, and gaps in education-sector preparedness data constrain the ability of government institutions and development partners to identify vulnerable populations and prioritize interventions. Rapid-onset disasters can also act as a risk multiplier for child wasting and food insecurity by disrupting food systems, health services, WASH services, and caregiving practices that are critical to maintaining children's nutritional status.

To strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacity, UNICEF has supported the enhancement of warehouse management and the pre-positioning of emergency WASH supplies through improved systems in four strategic Ministry of Health locations: Central Nam Saat, Oudomxay, Saravane, and Savannakhet. These facilities provide an important foundation for decentralized emergency logistics and demonstrate the value of strengthened sub-national supply systems in ensuring timely access to essential commodities during emergencies.

In this context, UNICEF Lao PDR seeks an experienced Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Specialist to support emergency preparedness, coordination, and response interventions across WASH, Nutrition, Protection, and Education sectors, with a particular focus on child-centred disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, warehouse management, water, sanitation and hygiene, humanitarian coordination, and emergency supply preparedness.

The consultant will be based at the UNICEF Country Office in Vientiane and will undertake international travel, in-country field missions and virtual consultations as required.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: International Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Consultant.pdf

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

Minimum requirements: |(Qualifications/Experience/ Knowledge/Expertise/Skills)

Education:
- An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in civil engineering, disaster risk management, emergency or humanitarian studies, environmental science, geography, geospatial information systems, or another relevant technical field.
- Additional professional training or certification in one or more of the following areas would be an asset: Humanitarian coordination or cluster coordination, Emergency preparedness and response, Geographic information systems and remote sensing, Multi-hazard early warning systems, Community-based disaster risk reduction, Humanitarian logistics and supply-chain management, Accountability to affected populations, Humanitarian information management
Work Experience: A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness and response, humanitarian coordination, water, sanitation and hygiene, warehouse management, or a closely related field.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
- Working knowledge of Lao is a strong asset.
- For an international consultant without Lao-language proficiency, demonstrated experience working effectively through interpreters and with national counterparts should be required.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
- Experience supporting emergency preparedness, contingency planning, humanitarian response, or disaster risk management at national and sub-national levels.
- Experience coordinating with government authorities, UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, civil society organizations, and local partners.
- Experience in at least three of the following technical areas:
  - Humanitarian or cluster coordination
  - Climate and disaster-risk assessment
  - GIS and humanitarian information management
  - Multi-hazard early warning and anticipatory action
  - Provincial, district, or community preparedness
  - Emergency logistics and warehouse management
  - Accountability to affected populations
- Experience facilitating consultations, workshops, simulations, training, or capacity-development activities.
- Experience preparing analytical reports, contingency plans, standard operating procedures, technical guidance, or knowledge products.
Desirables:
- Previous professional experience with the United Nations, an international humanitarian organization, or a government disaster-management institution, is an asset.
- Experience working with UNICEF, including knowledge of procedures, programme implementation, and programme cooperation agreements with development partners.
- Familiarity with Lao PDR and its emergency coordination arrangements.
- Experience in Asia Pacific regional collaboration initiatives on disaster risk reduction.

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

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 docume Financial proposal for International DRR Consultant.docxnts 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) (attach the financial template to be completed)

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.

International ​​Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Consultant (office based with travel for 12 months)

International Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Consultant (office based with travel for 12 months)