Consultant (Climate Finance), Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Hosted Fund, 15 months, Remote/Home Based Req

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, Education.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the first and only global fund dedicated to addressing systemic change to significantly improve the delivery of Education in Emergencies (EiE) and protracted crises. Launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, ECW became fully operational in 2017. In the new Strategic Plan, ECW commits to ensuring that responding to the climate crisis cuts across all of ECW’s work (including programming, advocacy, funding and operations). ECW commits, for example, to: advocating for the endorsement of the revised Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2022–2030 (to which it has now become a signatory); ensuring country-level education investments are more climate-responsive and climate-smart; exploring accessing and distributing climate finance (a key priority for ECW’s Executive Director) and; setting organizational emission reduction targets in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.While the broad strategic direction has been agreed, ECW recently hired an experienced climate and education expert consultant to develop a comprehensive plan to ‘operationalize’ the commitments made in the Strategic Plan and develop an approach document and/or roadmap to guide ECW’s work on climate at a strategic and operational level. ECW now seeks the services of an additional Climate Consultant who can support the Senior Consultant with the end-to-end process of research, consultation and approach development, with a focus on climate finance, resource mobilization and advocacy.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the consultancy

The consultant will support the overall approach development (facilitating relevant consultations, drafting relevant documents), while also leading the development of ECW’s climate finance strategy and advancing ECW’s climate engagement beyond traditional education actors. Activities will include, for example, exploring private sector engagement, advancing ECW’s relationship with climate funds, engaging in wider COP activities, and advancing ECW’s efforts to become a greener organization. The consultant will work closely with ECW’s Senior Climate Consultant and collaborate across the ECW Secretariat to ensure connections across Finance, Resource Mobilization, Communications,Advocacy and Programming. This work will be overseen by ECW’s Chief of Strategic, Planning and Accountability (or her Deputy as Officer In Charge). Depending on location, the consultant will be required to show flexibility at times with respect to start/end working hours in order to accommodate meetings in the New York (where the supervisor is based) and Geneva (where key ECW staff stakeholders are based) time zones.

Scope of the work

The consultant will be expected to:

• Support ECW’s Senior Climate Consultant with the development of ECW’s new Climate Approach with a focus on resource mobilization and climate finance (facilitating relevant consultations, collecting and analyzing data,literature review, and drafting key documents)
• Work with ECW’s Resource Mobilization Team to identify and advance opportunities related to Climate Finance (e.g. exploring accessing and distributing climate finance, private sector engagement, ECW’s relationship with Climate Funds) and develop a dedicated climate finance strategy and accompanying concept notes and proposals, as required
• Advance ECW’s engagement and advocacy on Climate and EIEPC in the wider COP space (I.e. beyond the planned education events), and identify additional strategic engagement opportunities to ensure EIEPC is a priority in climate dialogue at global and national level
• Build ECW’s engagement with non-traditional stakeholders in the Climate space (I.e. beyond education), including, for example establishing regular meetings, joining policy dialogues, developing relevant policy analysis and advocacy messaging, defining the nature of ECW’s engagement, coordinating engagement from the wider ECW Secretariat etc.
• Lead ECW’s efforts to become a greener organization, for example, setting organizational emission reduction targets for ECW in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Collaborate across the ECW Secretariat to ensure connections across Finance, Resource Mobilization, Communications, Advocacy and Programming – including co-leading ECW’s internal Climate Working Group

Work Assignment Overview

Task/Milestone: Deliverables/Outputs:Timeline:Support the development of ECW’s new Climate ApproachFinalized approach documents with strong advocacy components20 days By end of March 2024Work with ECW’s Resource Mobilization Team to identify opportunities related to Climate Finance and develop a climate finance strategy with a particular focus on innovative financing models Prepare concept notes and proposals to facilitate resource mobilization efforts on climate.A Climate Finance strategy for ECW in place, with approx 3 supporting concept notes/proposals.60 days End of March 2024Lead ECW’s advocacy and engagement approach in the wider COP space (I.e. engaging with non-traditional actors and ensure successful ECW engagement and influencing beyond dedicated education events), in close collaboration with ECW’s Comms and Advoacy Team.Successful engagement at COP28, liaising with partners as relevant, submitting side event applications and ensuring successful events during COP28 30 days End of November 2024Facilitate ECW’s successful engagement with key climate finance stakeholders – including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund (AF), Global Environment Facility (GEF) - and set out a pathway or accreditation.Relationships defined and built with key stakeholders, accreditation pathway developed, and ECW engagement secured with at least 3 key partnerships50 days End of Dec 2024 Build ECW’s engagement with non-traditional stakeholders in the Climate space (I.e. beyond education), including, for example, establishing regular meetings, joining policy dialogues, conducting relevant policy analysis, developing advocacy messages, defining and coordinating ECW’s engagementParticipation in approx. 5 meetings/dialogues, 2 policy briefs/advocacy documents prepared, and approx. 5 sets of talking points developed.50 days End of December 2024Develop a roadmap for ECW to become a greener organization, for example, setting organizational emission reduction targets for ECW in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeActionable roadmap developed for ECW to become a greener organization, including key targets and milestones. Inputs incorporated into ECW’s Operational Manual and programmatic guidance. 60 days End of December 2024To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATION:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in education, statistics, economics, social sciences, or related fields.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in the field of climate change and education.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION:

• Knowledge of humanitarian action and global education in emergencies and protracted crises, in particular the specific challenges related to climate.
• Proven experience in the area of climate finance.
• Strategic vision, strong analytical capabilities and sound judgement.
• Demonstrated advocacy skillset, including policy analysis and development, advocacy messaging, communication strategies and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven high-level facilitation, networking,coordination, negotiation, consensus-building and organizational skills.
• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relationships with internal and external parties in a multi-cultural environment.
• Advanced communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to convey concepts and recommendations to stakeholder representatives,both orally and in writing, in a clear, concise style.
• Demonstrated ability to draft/edit strategic planning documents, reports, presentations and communication products.
• Availability to travel (to Geneva or New York, and ECW programmes)

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.

Remarks:

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.