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 a future.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF’s Innovative Finance (IF) Hub, based in Helsinki, aims to catalyze global capital in support of children to fill the SDG gap and radically accelerate progress towards the SDGs. It sits at a unique vantage point where an organization working on global issues meets the startup thinking, new ideas, and partners to turn this energy into scalable solutions. We aim to understand and solve a pressing challenge: why is finance not working for children? On one hand, the funding gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) continues to grow (currently at over 4 trillion USD!), where children are particularly vulnerable to the educational, health, protection and climate challenges the SDGs try to address. On the other hand, children are seldom considered in the investment practices of investors, even the most responsible and socially conscious – while virtually all companies have material impacts on children lives, as consumers, through their employed parents and caregivers, as community members and as future leaders.

One of the IF Hub’s flagship initiatives is Child-Lens Investing, a strategy to strengthen awareness, action and investment on children rights and outcomes in the financial sector. You can learn more of child-lens investing here: https://www.unicef.org/innovation/innovative-finance/child-lens-investing. External positioning, engagement and visibility of CLI are core pillars of the Innovative Finance Hub work, and instrumental pathways to advance the agenda across the financial ecosystem.

While ChildLens investing encompasses all dimensions of child rights, reflecting their universality and interdependence, a thematic focus in developing market guidance and driving adoption can help strengthen the practical application of the framework into engagement strategies, investment decisions and capital allocation.

Within this context, the IF Hub is seeking a sustainable finance senior consultant to support the development and ensure effective implementation of the IF Hub strategy. He/she will support the development of the Child-Lens Investing field through thought leadership pieces development, adoption strategies with partners and field building activities. This consultancy is for a period of 15 months, with monthly deliverable of reports. Based on satisfactory performance, the consultancy may be extended as per UNICEF's policy.

How can you make a difference?

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the Terms of Reference here: ToR Senior Consultant – Sustainable Finance TMS text.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master’s degree International development, finance, economics, public or business administration, or another relevant field. Without an advanced degree, three additional years of relevant experience are required.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 10 years relevant national and international experience in international development, innovative finance, ESG/impact investing, project management, consulting or related fields.

• Sustainable-finance experience across private equity/debt, listed equity and/or debt instruments.

• Ability to synthesize diverse sources into practical implementation tools.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and strong writing and analytical skills.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Impact-investment lenses including gender, climate, WASH and nutrition.

• Technical understanding of social issues in impact investing.

• Ability to work across cultures and geographies.

Desirables:

• Partnerships and stakeholder engagement with investors, DFIs, standard setters and social-impact experts.

• Rights-based programming for children.

• UNICEF, UN, international organization or corporate experience.

• Another official UN language.

For every Child, you demonstrate Care

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 documents via the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter (max. 2 pages) describing relevant experience.
A separate financial proposal Financial proposal Senior Consultant – Sustainable Finance.docx
Technical proposal: concise approach, methodology, workplan and examples of comparable assignments.

Remarks:

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.

Consultancy - Senior Consultant – Sustainable Finance,Innovative Finance Hub, PFP, Helsinki, Finland, 14.5 Months (Remote)