Trusted Data for Children Strategic Convening and Positioning Consultant, Office of Strat & Eviden(OSE) ,Remote/Home-based with travel to Florence, Italy

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to opportunity.

How can you make a difference? The objectives of this consultancy are the following:

•Consolidate relevant UNICEF and partner work into a concise evidence and portfolio synthesis, including findings from recent analytical work.

•Refine the proposed strategic shift towards the governance of data ecosystems affecting children and clarify UNICEF’s comparative advantage, scope and boundaries.

•Clarify the relationship between the wider offer, RD4C, the DG4C Manifesto and other relevant assets and partnerships.

Scope of work:

Inception and Analytical Review

• Prepare the inception note, methodology, workplan, and consultation plan.
• Review UNICEF and partner materials and synthesize key trends, gaps, and implications related to data and AI governance for children.
• Map existing initiatives and assets and identify strategic issues requiring validation.

Consultations and Country Demand

• Conduct consultations with UNICEF offices, partners, governments, and external experts.
• Identify country needs, policy opportunities, and operational use cases.
• Assess implementation approaches, partnership roles, and entry points across the country programme cycle.
• Prepare a summary of consultation findings.

Convening Design and Preparation

• Develop the concept note, framing paper, preliminary UNICEF offer, and country-facing service catalogue.
• Design practical discussion scenarios and prepare the agenda, facilitation materials, presentations, and participant guidance.
• Advise on stakeholder profiles and participant balance.

Facilitation and Synthesis

• Lead or support facilitation of the two-day Florence convening.
• Guide strategic discussions, co-design processes, and prioritization exercises.
• Document key decisions, recommendations, partnership opportunities, and follow-up actions.
• Prepare a rapid synthesis of outcomes.

Final Strategic Recommendations

• Refine UNICEF’s vision, value proposition, and country-facing framework based on convening outcomes.
• Finalize the service catalogue, priority instruments, partnership approach, and implementation roadmap.
• Clarify the role of the DG4C Manifesto and its relationship with RD4C.
• Prepare a senior management briefing and presentation.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: TMC0006751 ToR.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Advanced (Master's) university degree in public policy, governance, international development, data governance, digital or AI governance, law, child rights, social sciences, international relations, or another relevant field.

Work Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in data governance, digital governance, AI governance, institutional or policy reform, child rights or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience developing strategic frameworks, value propositions, service offers or implementation roadmaps.
• Proven experience designing and facilitating high-level international convenings, policy dialogues or multi-stakeholder consultations.
• Strong understanding of national data ecosystems, public policy, institutional governance and technical assistance to governments.
• Experience connecting normative frameworks with country implementation, programme planning, systems strengthening or monitoring is highly desirable.
• Experience with UNICEF, the UN system or comparable multilateral organizations is an asset.

Skills:

• Excellent strategic analysis, synthesis and writing skills.
• Strong facilitation, listening, consensus-building and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Ability to navigate institutional sensitivities and clarify complementarities across initiatives and partners.
• Ability to translate complex concepts into practical and accessible products

Language Requirements:

• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Desirables:

• Prior work experience with UNICEF strongly preferred.
• Experience working with UNICEF or other United Nations agencies, international organizations, humanitarian organizations, development partners, or large federated organizations is highly desirable.
• Understanding of child-rights-based approaches to data and responsible data practices is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) TMC0006751 Financial proposal template.docx