Consultant (12 months, 3 roles), Corporate Research (Geneva, LACRO, and EAPRO). Partnerships Advisory Support Services (PASS), Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

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

Partner research and due diligence (DD) are key enablers of UNICEF work towards scoping, prospecting and developing private sector engagements. This area of work, managed for the organization by the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (PFP) aims to support UNICEF’s effective engagement with business and private philanthropy entities, while at the same time ensuring that interactions with the private sector are pursued in alignment with the organization’s integrity standards, mandate, and priorities and engagement is informed by an adequate, evidence-based assessment of the risks and opportunities that engagements may pose to UNICEF, and ultimately to children.

PURPOSE of ASSIGNMENT:

This function requires specialized support for the profiling, reviewing and assessment of prospect partners (i.e. companies, foundations and major donors) and risk assessment of activities considered by UNICEF for non-commercial interactions (i.e. funding engagements and co-branded partnerships).

To meet the growing need for corporate research and due diligence, UNICEF PFP’s Partnerships Advisory Support Services (PASS) team seeks additional consultant capacity. This expansion aims to support global engagement with businesses and philanthropists, especially in Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia Pacific, and South Asia. The team also requires assistance in researching public opinion trends on social issues, media coverage, and reporting for profiling and analyzing potential high-value partnership prospects.

Overall objectives of the assignment will include:

* Ensuring, through the delivery of corporate research reports and due diligence analyses provided by the consultant, that UNICEF engagement with corporations and other partners is undertaken in line with applicable ethical standards, criteria and policies and the organization is equipped with the necessary knowledge base to assess and managed potential ethical and reputational risks involved.

* Ensuring that audience focused information on ethical business and risk management related to key potential and/or current corporate partners of UNICEF is readily available to users and to Partnerships colleagues through contributions of research reports delivered by the consultant.

* Ensuring that due diligence research results, data and information is properly documented, recorded and managed using the organization’s dedicated CRM platform for due diligence information management and advisory support.

* Supporting translation, from English to Spanish, of sustainability briefing documents for business analysis.

Note: The roles in Geneva and LACRO will be home-based (remotely), and the role in EAPRO will be office-based in UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (Bangkok, Thailand).

SCOPE of WORK:

Under the direct supervision of the Corporate Research Specialist (PFP-PASS LACRO Outpost), Corporate Research Specialist (PFP-PASS EAPRO Outpost) and Corporate Research Officer (PFP-PASS, Geneva) respectively, and working closely with the rest of the PASS team, the incumbent, preferably based in the respective duty station / time zone, will be responsible for undertaking regular and ad-hoc corporate intelligence work as related to UNICEF corporate engagement.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities:

* Supporting the due diligence process with a focus on delivering regular research and risk assessment reports of companies and business entities considered by UNICEF for high value partnerships.

* Ensuring research and risk assessment reports are regularly uploaded in UNICEF’s due diligence management database in line with timeliness KPIs for turnaround on due diligence research reports.

* Developing audience adequate content related to due diligence research (presentations, briefing materials, etc.) in support of the due diligence teams’ efforts, ensuring that content is timely and effectively available to all users.

Work Assignments Overview:

Report Delivery****: Provide corporate research support for the due diligence process for UNICEF funding and non-funding corporate engagement by conducting corporate review reports as needed.

Information Management: Upload information related to UNICEF corporate research and due diligence on the UNICEF Intranet, Internet, CRM and other relevant platforms.

Monitoring, Documentation and Dissemination: support the unit in documenting and sharing information on corporate research and due diligence, including identifying relevant information (from both internal and external sources) on ethical business and sustainability issues, market trends, and other related issues and ensure prompt dissemination for use in briefings, meetings, presentations.

How can you make a difference?

DELIVERABLES/OUTPUTS (****from 31 August 2024 to 31 July 2025)****:

Deliverable 1:

- 40 due diligence research reports estimated average per month.

Deliverable 2:

- Timely to upload 40 recording of all reports in UNICEF due diligence database within 10 working days for regular due diligence analysis and 2 working days for emergency research requests.

Deliverable 3:

- Dissemination of due diligence research reports; research reports on external trends and developments; and impact prospecting updates (8 updates/month estimated in various formats, e.g., briefing note inputs, presentations, etc.)

Deliverable 4:

- One report against deliverable targets per month.

Travel:

* There is a possibility of travel to team retreat during the assignment on a per need basis and this will be paid by UNICEF, will be covered separately by UNICEF, including DSA.

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

Education:

* First-level university degree (bachelor’s degree or above) in communication, marketing, journalism, public relations or business administration and other relevant fields is required.

Experience:

* A minimum of two years of progressive experience in the following fields: in corporate social responsibility, market research, reporting, or other related fields is required.

* Experience in the development of high quality, polished communication products targeted at private and corporate audiences, preferably in the international development arena is required.

* Experience with research, analysis and partner due diligence highly preferred.

Language:

* LACRO role, fluency in English and Spanish is required. Knowledge in Portuguese is an asset.

* Geneva Role, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official languages is an asset.

* EAPRO role, fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Chinese is highly desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Others:

* Ability to identify strategic issues, opportunities and risks, and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction.

* Attention to detail and track record of delivering against objectives.

* Understanding of corporate engagement dimensions within or outside of UNICEF an asset.

* Understanding of non-profit management and the UN system an asset.

* Ability to work remotely with alignment to the time-zone and working hours of the LACRO/EAPRO outpost. For EAPRO role, given the needs of RSC, consultant is to be office-based preferably.

* Computer literacy in standard applications is mandatory (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Internet, etc.).

* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with the ability to capture key points and actions in succinct formats for a variety of audiences.

Remarks:

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

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.

The application should include a cover letter and a portfolio of sample work (portfolio of work). Sample works can include due diligence reports, position papers, or briefing notes. At least one sample of previous work must be provided. Applications submitted without at least one samples of work will not be considered.

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.

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.

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.

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.