Corporate Alliances Consultant for LACRO, Panama City (12 months - Home Based)

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

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac)..)

How can you make a difference?

The role of the private sector is vital to redesigning systems, economies and societies for a sustainable future. Many companies and CEOs have taken up the challenge to rethink their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and put the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of their actions. UNICEF Business Influence global strategy guides our approach to build private sector awareness and capacity to act and use its influence on networks, employees, customers, suppliers, governments and the wider public, to support our mandate for children, through UNICEF programmes as well as the broader SDGs. Influence is fundamental to creating the greatest impact for children.

UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has engaged strategically with the private sector to maximize progress for children and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. After three years of capacity building to promote the Business for Result (B4R) initiative, most county offices (COs) in the region are committed to working holistically with and on the private sector through embedded strategies in their programme outcomes.

COs are collaborating in many ways with the business ecosystem through integrated income and influence partnerships, achieving impactful results in the development and well-being of children across the region. UNICEF is also being proactive to promoting the Child Rights and Business Principles (CRBPs) in line with UNICEF Global Strategic Approach to CRB. Programme agendas have been prioritized to accelerate the adoption of corporate practices not only by companies, but also by different business stakeholders.

These agendas include: a. Promotion of family-friendly policies (FFPs) in the workplace, b. Prevention of violence against children (including marketing and advertising, and digital environments), c. Promotion of healthy food environments, and d. Integration of a children’s rights approach into public policies on business and human rights (BHR), as well as due diligence mechanisms.

Today, UNICEF LAC Regional Office (LACRO), thought the Corporate Alliances area, support all COs in the implementation and scaling up of the Business Influence strategy to leverage business resources, assets and influence and to promote the adoption of responsible business practices that contribute to solving the main challenges that impact children’s lives, as well as ensuring full respect for their rights.

Likewise, the Corporate Alliances area collaborates with the management and programme teams in LACRO to develop, promote and scale up business engagement strategies with the most potential of positive impact on children in areas such as nutrition, early child development (ECD), social policy, emergency, protection (end violence against children), education, WASH, and climate change.

To enable UNICEF to achieve programmatic results for children, UNICEF needs to maximize the potential for private sector influence through technical support in the implementation and scale up of the Business Influence strategy in COs and LACRO by contributing with capacity building, information and knowledge management.

Scope of Work:

This consultancy aims to support the Corporate Alliance area in strengthening the implementation of UNICEF Business Influence strategy in COs and LACRO. Under the general guidance and supervision of the Corporate Alliance Specialist, and in coordination with programmes and planning in LACRO and B4R/CRB focal points in COs, the consultant will provide technical assistance in the areas of information, knowledge management and reporting on business engagement, and will provide guidance on the development of business engagement initiatives at LACRO and CO level, with a particular focus on CRB programmatic agendas in LAC such as FFPs in the workplace, BHR and responsible business conduct (RBC), and climate change and business.

Deliverables:

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

• Advanced University degree in Business, Law, Public Administration, International Development, or other relevant field (A first level university degree with relevant combination of academic qualification and additional 2 years of relevant experience will be

  accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree).

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in Sustainability, Partnership Development, BHR/CRB, business consulting and/or CSR management.
• Familiarity with development / UN / UNICEF programming is an asset.
• Experience in, and knowledge of, the LAC is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is 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.

Administrative details

Supervision: The consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the UNICEF LACRO Corporate Alliance Specialist.

Workplace: The consultancy is home-based. Travel may be involved. International/national travel may be required, discussed and agreed with the consultant (a separate travel line will be included in the contract).

Duration: Estimated start date is October 2023 until September 2024 (12 months)

How to Apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter, Study certificates and Financial proposal based on the deliverables.

Qualified candidates are requested to indicate an all-inclusive (lump sum) fees for the services to be including all associated administrative costs.

Consultants must have their own equipment, tools and materials needed to perform their services. They will use their own laptops/computers, any application or system needed to complete the assignment. They need to provide the full service without using UNICEF resources. The access to UNICEF email and system is restricted to UNICEF staff therefore consultants should not be granted access unless it is imperative to complete the assignment.

Travel

Travel is not foreseen for this consultancy. Should travel is requested, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

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.