Consultant (10 months, home-based): Partnerships and Advocacy expert, Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Advocacy (MSP-A), Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

Consultant Communications & PR

Overview

Provide partnership and advocacy management support for UNICEF's PFP MSP-A team.

You have:

• Advanced university degree (Master's or higher) in Business, Marketing, International Relations, Social Sciences, or related fields is required.
• Alternative: a first-level university degree with two years additional work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Minimum of five years progressive experience in communications and/or advocacy is required.
• Experience in the area of mental health and/or water would be an asset.
• Previous communications and advocacy experience with business-related initiatives is a distinct advantage.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages would be an asset.

Contract

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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

This role will provide specific partnership and advocacy management support to the PFP MSP-A team on Mental Health and Water.

Under the general guidance of the Partnerships and Advocacy with Business Manager, this role will drive specific advocacy with business activities to deliver upon UNICEF's strategic objectives. Successful outcomes will ensure that the activities meet both advocacy and partnerships targets and leverage influence.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

Under the guidance of the Partnership and Advocacy Manager and alongside Programme Group (PG) colleagues, the consultant will be responsible for driving research and analysis on pre-identified advocacy activities as well as support the creation and dissemination of advocacy products. The consultant should also support the organisation of key events to promote advocacy messages and products. The advocacy strategies cover two topics of high priority for UNICEF 1) Mental Health, through the Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health, and 2) Water, through the Water Security for All initiative.

This role will work closely with UNICEF divisions such as Programme Group, Division of Global Communication & Advocacy, and others to deliver the desired outcomes.

1. Support COP28 Water Security session

2. Develop Workplace Mental Health Evidence Brief

3. Organise Workplace Mental Health event

4. Develop an advocacy with business strategy for World Water Day

5. Lead Coalition engagement opportunity at TED Conference 2024

6. Develop a learning series/live conversation on emerging topics for youth mental health

7. Develop an advocacy strategy for World Mental Health Day 2024 for the Coalition

Mental Health

Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child’s healthy development and future prospects and one of UNICEF’s global priorities. We work around the world to promote positive mental health, address mental health concerns, and combat stigma to best support child and adolescent development. In the years ahead, mental health outcomes need to accelerate to meet the needs we face globally; to support that, UNICEF and our partner the Z Zurich Foundation have launched a global coalition in 2022. The aim of the Coalition is to ensure that the great potential among our youth is not lost due to failure to promote well-being and prevent distress.

The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health seeks to address the increasing global burden of mental disorders in youth by offering a global platform for investment and action on mental health promotion and prevention.

Water Security

Today, 1.42 billion people live in areas of high-water vulnerability, and around 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water. Children in particular feel the brunt of water scarcity, as exacerbated water stress puts their health, nutrition, education, and futures at risk. For businesses, people and the planet, water scarcity is now one of the greatest global challenges to economic and sustainable development, hindering the secure provision of food and energy. Many individual companies are making efforts to save water, save money and help build good community relations with other users. But individual initiatives are not sufficient. Only through concerted, collective action amongst business, government, and communities, can we ensure that the right systems are in place to achieve climate resilient water security.

UNICEF is calling for substantial, innovative, and transformative commitments to help realize “Water Security for All,” and reach 450 million children and their families in priority “highly water vulnerable” areas by the year 2025, and ensure that by 2030, all children have access to a safe and sustainable water supply and live in water-secure communities and cities.

Work Assignment Overview and Deliverables

Deliverable 1: Support COP28 Water Security Event, by 15 December 2023

• Support the strategic direction of the Water Security event hosted by the Financial Times, engage relevant colleagues within PFP, PG and DGCA for inputs on messaging, speakers, and target audience.
• Produce and disseminate an advocacy with business call to action in partnership with a multi-stakeholder platform partner.
• Co-ordinate post-event outreach and follow up to event attendees from the private sector.

Deliverable 2: Develop Workplace Mental Health Evidence Brief, by 31 January 2024

• In close collaboration with relevant colleagues in PG and PFP, identify where Family Friendly Policies contribute to mental health, produce messaging and define narrative in an evidence brief.
• Engage Coalition members bilaterally to understand internal efforts on workplace mental health and present initial framework for brief.
• Gather feedback and suggestions on the brief and edit accordingly.
• Finalize evidence brief including asks for the private sector.

Deliverable 3: Organize Workplace Mental Health even, by 29 February 2024

• Identify partner to co-host and co-organize a session on workplace mental health to share UNICEF Evidence brief and further gather insights from the audience.
• Create run of show briefings for the events - including talking points for panelists and FAQs Support National Committees with engaging the private sector in the event's audience.
• Identify prospects, draft invitation outreach and coordinate with UNICEF's leadership

Deliverable 4: Develop an advocacy with business strategy for World Water Day, by 31 March 2024

• Work with PG Wash to develop an advocacy with business strategy for World Water Day (March 22) engaging water champions and positioning UNICEF W4SA initiative
• Develop key asks and advocacy products and identify relevant channels for dissemination including leveraging corporate champion's influence
• Work with PFP comms, COs and NCs to position the assets widely

Deliverable 5: Lead Coalition engagement opportunity at TED Conference 2024, by 30 April 2024

• Work with PG and DGCA colleagues as well as coalition members to build a proposal for a youth mental health session at TED2024 (April 15-19).
• Submit proposal to TED and liaise with organizing team on logistics.
• Act as focal point for the event, develop run of show and brief speakers.
• Engage UNICEF communication team and develop a communication plan alongside the event to further advocate for action and investment for youth mental health.

Deliverable 6: Develop a learning series/live conversation on emerging topics' for youth mental health, by 30 June 2024

• Identify relevant platforms and media to organize a series of live discussions bringing coalition experts (e.g: Washington Post live, Linkedin, Huffington post etc).
• Liaise with coalition members and UNICEF experts to define scope to advance conversation on mental health, social media and the digital world, climate and sport.
• Identify speakers including top brand impact executives, on-the ground practitioners, and expert thought leaders.
• Drive outreach and engagement in close collaboration with PFP and NCs.

Deliverable 7: Develop an advocacy strategy for World Mental Health Day 2024 for the Coalition, by 31 August 2024

• Set up meetings with coalition members and key divisions to gather ideas and insights for a coalition advocacy strategy for world mental health day (October 10, 2024).
• Develop a strategy for the coalition leveraging members assets and channels.
• Present the strategy to our Coalition members.

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

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Business, Marketing, International Relations, Social Sciences, or related fields is required.
• Alternatively, a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or higher) in combination with two years additional work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of five years progressive experience in communications and/or advocacy is required including experience writing content and publishing communication and/or advocacy materials.
• Experience in the area of mental health and/or water would be an asset.
• Previous communications and advocacy experience with business- or responsible business-related initiatives, covering different audiences is a distinct advantage.
• Previous communications / PR experience with UN/UNICEF or similar is an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages would be an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Remarks:

Please indicate your all-inclusive (lump sum) fees in USD against the deliverables listed above. If there is a need for business travel, the travel costs will be covered by UNICEF separately. The office selects the individual based on best value for money.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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 (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). 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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

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Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org