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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 protection

UNICEF Moldova invites qualified candidates to express interest in being included in a roster of national consultants in child protection. Consultants included in the roster may be contracted to provide high-quality technical assistance in support of UNICEF programmes and national counterparts.

The purpose of the roster is to ensure timely and flexible access to specialised expertise for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of child protection interventions, with a strong focus on strengthening national systems, advancing evidence-based policies, and supporting sustainable institutional reforms.

The roster will support UNICEF’s work across core and emerging child protection priorities, including:

prevention of and response to violence against children (VAC), including gender-based violence (GBV) and its intersection with violence against women (VAW);
strengthening child protection services for the most vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, young children, children with complex emotional needs, children without parental care, and children affected by poverty, migration or social exclusion;
development of child-friendly justice systems, including support for children in conflict with the law and promotion of diversion and alternatives to detention;
strengthening survivor-centred communication, including addressing gender stereotypes and promoting positive social norms;
prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), including strengthening safeguarding, accountability and reporting mechanisms;
addressing online safety risks and digital harms affecting children, including cyberbullying, online exploitation and exposure to harmful content;
supporting national reforms in the context of EU accession, including alignment with the EU acquis and implementation of the European Child Guarantee.

Consultants engaged through this roster will contribute to evidence generation, policy and legal development, system strengthening, capacity building and programme implementation, as defined by specific assignments from UNICEF.

How can you make a difference?

The selected consultants, when engaged for specific assignments, will work closely with UNICEF Moldova’s Child Protection team and, as relevant, with national and local authorities, civil society organisations and development partners. Assignments will focus on generating substantive outputs that strengthen child protection systems, improve service delivery, and support policy and legal reforms.

See TOR here: Download File 2026 TOR_Child Protection Roster_Nat Indiv Consultant.docx

Consultants may be requested to contribute across the following thematic and functional areas:

Child rights.
Violence against children.
Gender-based violence.
EU accession and the European Child Guarantee.
Investing in families and prevention of family separation.
Deinstitutionalisation and development of social services.
Justice for children.

1. Child Rights
Strengthening national systems, governance frameworks and public services to promote and protect the rights of every child, with a focus on equity, inclusion, non-discrimination and the best interests of the child. This includes advancing child-rights-based policies and legislative reforms; improving access to quality social and child protection services; strengthening child participation mechanisms; supporting evidence-based decision-making; and enhancing institutional capacities in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and international human rights standards.

2. Violence Against Children
Supporting prevention of and response to all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation affecting children through integrated and child-centred protection systems. This includes improving multidisciplinary coordination and referral pathways; enhancing prevention and early intervention mechanisms; supporting data collection and evidence generation; addressing emerging risks such as online violence; and strengthening services for child victims and children at risk, in line with international and EU standards.

3. Gender-Based Violence
Strengthening prevention and response mechanisms addressing gender-based violence, particularly the intersection between violence against children and violence against women, through survivor-centred, rights-based and trauma-informed approaches. This includes strengthening survivor-centred communication, supporting coordinated institutional responses, preventing sexual exploitation and abuse, including online, building the capacity of frontline professionals, and advancing gender equality and protection standards in line with international and EU frameworks.

4. EU Accession, European Child Guarantee and Localisation
Supporting child-focused reforms in the context of the Republic of Moldova’s EU accession process, including alignment with the EU acquis in the field of child protection and justice for children, implementation of European Child Guarantee commitments, and alignment with other relevant EU policy frameworks and standards. This includes strengthening national and local governance, coordination and accountability mechanisms; supporting localisation and implementation of child-centred services at local level; advancing evidence-based planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation systems; and enhancing institutional capacities to deliver inclusive, equitable and sustainable services for children and families.

5. Investing in families and prevention of family separation
Strengthening child- and family-centred protection systems to enable children to grow up safely within their families and communities and to prevent unnecessary family separation, in line with the best interests of the child. This includes strengthening prevention and early intervention mechanisms for children and families in vulnerable situations; enhancing case management and referral systems to ensure that alternative care is used as a measure of last resort; and supporting integrated, multidisciplinary and community-based family support services.

6. Deinstitutionalisation and Development of Social Services
Strengthening gatekeeping and case management mechanisms; expanding foster care, kinship care and family support services; and supporting reintegration and independent living for care leavers and children with complex needs. This area also focuses on strengthening governance, workforce capacities and integrated social services at national and local levels, in line with child rights standards.

7. Justice for Children
Advancing child-friendly justice systems that protect the rights and best interests of children in civil, administrative and criminal proceedings, in line with international child rights standards. This includes strengthening protection and support services for child victims and witnesses; promoting diversion, rehabilitation and alternatives to detention for children in conflict with the law; enhancing procedural safeguards and multidisciplinary approaches; strengthening the capacities of justice and law enforcement professionals; and improving access to child-sensitive justice, protection and reintegration services.

For each thematic area, candidates may be considered for one or more of the following functional areas, depending on their expertise and the requirements of specific assignments:

a. Research and evaluation
b. Policy and legal framework development
c. Technical assistance and capacity building
d. Management information systems and digital solutions
e. Knowledge management and policy advocacy

The selected consultants may be required to travel within Moldova to gather evidence and collaborate with local actors. Any required travel will be specified in the ToR for each assignment. Consultants will be expected to include all travel-related costs in their financial proposals, where applicable. Consultants are also expected to use their own equipment necessary to complete the assignments.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

Minimum and desirables requirements:

University degree in social sciences, development studies, law, sociology, social work, public administration, economics, psychology, statistics, information technology or another relevant field.
A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the following areas:
- providing technical assistance in child protection, child rights, justice for children, gender-based violence or survivor-centred communication at national and/or local levels;
- managing research, studies, knowledge management, data collection or analysis in child protection, child rights, justice for children or gender-based violence; and
- engaging with central and local governments, international organisations and civil society entities.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deliver quality outputs within agreed timelines.
Familiarity with UN and EU agendas, norms and systems.
Strong analytical thinking and strategic planning skills, including the ability to facilitate consultations and engage constructively with a broad range of government and non-government partners.
Fluency in Romanian and good knowledge of English, including strong report writing and presentation skills.
Experience in child protection emergency preparedness and response will be considered an asset.

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

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are requested to provide:

A duly completed online UNICEF application.
A cover letter, including the following information. Applications submitted without this information may not be considered:
i) the thematic area(s) and functional area(s) for which the candidate would like to be considered, for example: Violence against children – research and evaluation; and
ii) availability to undertake assignments, for example: immediate availability, availability within two weeks, or other.
Curriculum vitae (CV).
A portfolio with at least three recent work samples, technical reports or relevant contributions linked to the thematic and functional areas selected.
A financial proposal indicating the proposed daily rate in MDL, gross amount. Applications submitted without a daily rate may not be considered.
Performance evaluations for previous work with the UN, if applicable, such as Performance Evaluation Reports or Output Evaluations.
Names and contact details of three referees.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel.
Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Roster of National Individual Consultants in Child Protection, Chisinau, Moldova