Writing and editing consultant, Office of Strategy and Evidence (Innocenti) 4.5 months – Remote

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 Education

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Assignment

In 2026, UNICEF began implementing its Strategic Plan, 2026–2029. The forthcoming UNICEF Executive Director’s Annual Report (EDAR) provides a concise account of the organization’s achievements, trends, challenges, emerging priorities, and progress in advancing its objectives and commitments during the first year of implementation of the Strategic Plan.

As a flagship strategic report presented to the Executive Board at the Annual Session in June 2027, the EDAR will serve as a key accountability and communication instrument for senior leadership, governing bodies, Member States, partners, and other stakeholders. It will synthesize evidence from across the organization and present a coherent strategic narrative on results achieved, lessons learned, and priorities moving forward.

UNICEF seeks professional support in drafting and editing of the respective materials in compliance with the UNICEF style guide, including highest quality editorial and communication standards, and in line with the submission timelines. Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Strategic Planning and Analytics (SPA) Unit, the consultant will work on drafting and editing of the report. As a core member of the SPA team, the consultant will work closely with technical specialists, programme experts, data analysts, and senior management to synthesize inputs from across the organization and translate them into a coherent, high-quality, publication-ready strategic report that adheres to UNICEF editorial standards and communication requirements.

Scope of Work

In close consultation with the supervisor, the consultant will draft and edit the Annual report for 2026 of the Executive Director of UNICEF and edit the EDAR QCPR related annex, drawing on technical inputs and source materials provided by organizational units and in line with the scope of work and timeline outlined below:

- Conceptualization: Review strategic documents, background materials, evaluations, monitoring reports, and other relevant sources to inform the overall report storyline and narrative architecture, while identifying cross-cutting themes, strategic insights, and emerging issues for inclusion in the report.

- Drafting: Develop the detailed report outline and chapter structure; draft sections using quantitative and qualitative evidence; prepare executive summaries, key messages, conclusions, and the way forward; and translate complex technical content into accessible, compelling, and coherent strategic narratives.

- Consultation and review process: Participate in consultations and review meetings with relevant stakeholders; engage with contributing organizational units to clarify inputs and address feedback; consolidate comments received during internal and external review processes; and support overall narrative coherence.

- Quality assurance: Edit contributions received from organizational units and stakeholders; harmonize writing style, terminology, and messaging across chapters; ensure compliance with UNICEF editorial standards and style guidelines; verify the consistency of facts, figures, references, and citations; and strengthen the readability, clarity, and impact of the report.

- Finalization: Prepare publication-ready drafts, review layout versions, conduct final editorial quality assurance, and ensure alignment across the EDAR narrative, the QCPR annex, and supporting documents, as needed.

Timeline:

- First draft of the 2026 EDAR by 25 February 2027;

- Final draft of the 2026 EDAR by 2 April 2027;

- Edited draft of the EDAR QCPR annex and supporting documents by 6 April 2027.

For ease of reference the Annual report for 2025 of the Executive Director of UNICEF can be found here and the QCPR related annex can be found here.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete TOR here: TOR TMC0006887.pdf

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

QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL) / LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT

Minimum requirements: A university degree (Bachelor`s or equivalent in English, Communication, Public Relations, Media, Journalism, Liberal Arts or related field.

Years of Experience/ Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required*:

Work Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience of writing and/or editing in English.
• Excellent command of the English language and an eye for detail. Should be able to construct succinct and persuasive text and have high standards for effective written communication.

Language Requirements:

• Ability to write and speak English fluently is required.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated experience in reviewing and analysing varied inputs and reconstructing into a succinct and persuasive text.

Desirables:

• Experience in UNICEF Strategic Plan reporting or equivalent in other international organization is an asset.
• Related professional work experience with United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes on corporate reporting is an asset.

*Listed requirements will be used for technical evaluation in the competitive

process.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of misconduct.
UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these 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, 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) Financial proposal template TMC0006887.docx

Remarks:

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.