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 future

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF’s Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) provides Individual Consultant Services (ICS) supporting the contracting and administration of individual consultants across UNICEF.

As part of the continued evolution of ICS, UNICEF is seeking to strengthen the way individual consultant talent is identified, accessed, managed and evaluated. Current opportunities include greater use of Long-Term Agreements (LTAs), stronger consultant talent data, simplified access to exceptional expertise, improved rate transparency and stronger guidance for both UNICEF users and consultants.

The consultancy will support the transition of ICS from primarily transactional consultant administration toward a more integrated consultant talent, sourcing, value for money and knowledge-management capability. The consultant will bring external consulting-industry expertise on rates, market intelligence, benchmarking and professional networks to help UNICEF establish sustainable consultant sourcing, talent management and value-for-money approaches aligned with leading international organizations and private-sector approaches. The consultant will work within ICS-GSSC team and partner with HQ Divisions, Regional Offices and Country Offices to design, implement and operationalize practical solutions across below priority workstreams.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of the consultancy is to establish and operationalize mechanisms that enable UNICEF to:

Develop evidence-based rate guidance and value-for-money benchmarks for different categories of consultant engagement. Set-up mechanism for rate cards for quick hiring of consultants.
Business Cases Developed and Presented to Relevant Stakeholders
Access high-quality international and local consultants more quickly through Rosters, LTAs and structured talent pools;
Maintain stronger information on consultant expertise and performance;
Developing Knowledge and Communication Products for ICS Users and Consultants

The consultancy will be judged primarily by operational outcomes achieved, rather than by completion of analytical reports alone.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: ToRTMC0008097.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: An advance university degree in one of the following or a closely related field:

Finance or Procurement Management;
Human Resource Management
Business administration;
Project management;
Organizational development; or
Another field relevant to the consultancy.

A first university degree combined with substantial additional relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience: A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience involving human resource management, procurement management, coordination or delivery of consultancy, professional services, international development projects or similar assignments.

Skills: Demonstrated experience in recruitment of human resources or procurement management.

Demonstrated experience in leading process improvement and process design in a complex set-up.
Demonstrated experience managing complex projects involving multiple organizations, countries or stakeholder groups.
Demonstrated experience working with senior stakeholders and independently coordinating relationships across organizational boundaries.
Demonstrated experience producing high-quality written products, including reports, guidance, proposals, presentations or other professional communication materials.
Demonstrate ability to design and deliver workshops/trainings to large groups.
Demonstrated ability to analyze information, identify patterns and translate findings into practical recommendations or operational improvements.

The successful consultant should demonstrate:

Strong project and relationship management skills;
Ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries;
Ability to engage confidently with senior stakeholders and highly experienced external experts;
Strong analytical and problem-solving ability;
Commercial awareness and understanding of professional-services environments;
Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively with technical and operational colleagues;
Ability to manage ambiguity and develop practical solutions; and
Strong orientation toward implementation and measurable results.

Language Requirements: English fluency is required. Knowledge of another United Nations language is an asset.

Desirables: The following experience will be considered a strong advantage:

Experience establishing rate cards, researching or managing consultant rosters, expert pools or talent networks;
Experience with any UN agencies on similar assignments;
Experience combining private-sector or commercial experience with international-development experience

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 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) Financial proposal TMC0008097.docx

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.

Individual Consulting Services Expert Consultant, GSSC Finance section, Budapest, Hungary, office-based, with travel, 12 months, # 596682