Consultancy (11.5 months): Support UNICEF’s Child Rights and Business & Family-Friendly Policies agenda, Child Rights and Business, Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

Child Rights and Business

Children make up almost a third of the world’s population and interplay with business as consumers, employees’ family members and workers. They are a unique stakeholder group in local communities as well as in society at large. They have specific vulnerabilities and needs, and in some cases, business activities that have no negative impact on adults may be harmful to children’s development and well-being. 

Addressing these impacts offers enormous potential to improve the rights of children and to protect them from harm through the way in which businesses treat their employees, operates their production, develop and market their products, provide their services and exerts influence on economic and social development.

As businesses shift towards an approach that also focuses on societal value as part of their core business models, UNICEF seeks new opportunities to engage with the private sector and to identify areas of common interest and innovative collaboration for children and businesses.

Family-Friendly Policies

Employment policies regulating conditions of work not only affects workers but also their families. For example, the ability of caregivers to reconcile work and family responsibilities has profound impacts on early childhood development, including nutrition, health and early learning. Both governments and businesses have a crucial role to play to ensure that workplace policies help to balance and benefit both work and family life – such as through sufficient paid parental leave, breastfeeding and childcare support and access to social protection. However, despite the critical impact of employment conditions on early childhood development, progress across the public and private spheres is lagging.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is seeking a consultant to support the family-friendly policies (FFP) initiative and broader child rights and business (CRB) agenda with research, guidance development, knowledge management, communication and outreach activities. Given the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 crisis, urgent and accelerated action is needed to consolidate on successes, mainstream the FFP and CRB agenda and bolster response and recovery measures with governments and the private sector. Working closely with the Child Rights and Business Specialist leading the family-friendly policies agenda at PFP, the consultant will provide research, policy and coordination support in advancing key deliverables as defined in the 2021 workplan.

MAIN TASKS

Workstream 1: Family-friendly policies agenda

• Support the development and independently manage the finalization of key deliverables (e.g. reports, videos) related to FFP by liaising with internal stakeholders (e.g. Regional Offices, Country Offices, National Committees) and external service providers (e.g. editing, design).
• Support the organization of (and participation in) virtual events at global, regional and country levels through research, content development and organizational support.
• Undertake background research and draft concept notes, project briefings and funding proposals for existing and emerging topic areas (e.g. family-friendly policies in the technology sector).
• Jointly with Programme Division, support communication and knowledge management-related activities, including mapping and documenting promising practices at RO and CO levels, updating internet and intranet sites, support knowledge communities and FFP working group in relation to FFP.
• Support monthly coordination calls with National Committees on the child rights in the workplace and global supply chains agenda.

Workstream 2: CRB research and internal communication support

• Support review and development of child right indicators related to priority CRB themes for ESG and sustainability reporting frameworks
• Support CRB team with internal communication and knowledge management-related activities, including developing, updating and maintaining internet and intranet sites, support knowledge communities and working groups
• Other knowledge management and internal communication-related activities, as required

DELIVERABLES

• Researching and mapping activities, promising practices and emerging trends on family-friendly policies in priority sectors (e.g. technology) (on-going)
• Drafting project briefing on priority family-friendly policies topic (e.g. gender in the workplace) (Q1 2021)
• Supporting development and managing production (incl. leading on consultation process, editing and layout) of family-friendly policies guidance for businesses (Q2 2021)
• Maintaining and regularly updating knowledge communities including Yammer, SharePoint, ICON/Intranet and internet related to FFP and CRB (on-going)
• Organizing coordination calls with National Committees and support with on-going knowledge exchange and internal communication for workplace and global supply chains agenda (monthly)
• Drafting overview of family-friendly policies and decent work metrics, including review of gender and child rights indicators in existing frameworks and standards (Q4 2020)
• Supporting organization of virtual events and webinars with key stakeholders (e.g. UNGC in December 2020)

ESTIMATED DURATION OF THE CONTRACT AND PROPOSAL

11.5 months, tentatively from 2 December 2020 to 15 November 2021

REPORTING TO 

Child Rights and Business Specialist, PFP

WORKPLACE

Geneva HQ office of UNICEF (but given the current situation remote working is acceptable). 

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in communication, international relations/political science, international development or related field is required.  Alternatively, a first level university degree (Bachelor’s) in combination with 2 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of 2 years of progressive experience on issues related to business and human rights, corporate social responsibility, and etc. is required.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including basic video/laptop editing.
• Good understanding of UNICEF and/or UN system; familiarity with UNICEF is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Remarks: Please indicate your ability, availability and gross daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered. Also, please mention the earliest date you can start.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein. Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.