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.

There are few greater challenges faced by the global community than the twin crises of learning poverty and youth unemployment. In response, the Education Commission (chaired by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education) and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen) came together to create EOF. We aim to improve the education and employment outcomes of 10 million children and youth by supporting governments to utilize a range of innovative finance instruments at scale, including outcomes funds and other results-based financing (RBF) instruments.

EOF supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on underserved populations, including the hardest to reach, rural populations, girls, children with disabilities, and refugees. It measures (and pays for) what matters – both core skills like literacy and numeracy, but also critical 21st Century skills such as socio-emotional skills, ICT skills, and other broader fundamentals of a quality education. It helps close the persistent gap between the skills needed by employers and those attained by today’s youth by paying for employment and retention outcomes.

For all the above, EOF pays primarily on the basis of the results achieved, ensuring that taxpayer-funded domestic resources, aid, and philanthropic funds are only used to pay for what works. This is a game-changing way to finance results in education. It is more than just a fund – it is a powerful new set of partnerships and way of working.

Together with our supporters, we believe this is the early stages of a much larger movement. Our approach is at the cutting edge of development finance, shifting risk to the private sector, crowding in private capital, and harnessing the capacity and capability of non-state actors, with huge potential to achieve better outcomes for children and youth around the world.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the Consultancy

As Consultant (Senior Fundraising), you will support EOF’s Chief Operating Officer to grow EOF’s partnerships and fundraising efforts, advising EOF’s leadership team about EOF’s pipeline of future programs and strengthening relationships at senior levels of government around the world. This senior consultant will report directly to EOF’s Chief Operating Officer.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (DELIVERABLES):

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

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• An Advanced University degree (Master’s or higher) in a relevant subject is required, such as economics, international development, education.
  • A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in business development, program design or fundraising/partnerships.
• Experience working with, and developing funding partnerships, with major international donor organizations (such as FCDO, USAID, GAC), and working with private sector philanthropies.
• Experience in working at a senior level with board members, foundations, governments, and philanthropists (comfortable working with and engaging at a C-Suite or Ministerial level).
• Experience in international development and education.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in French, Arabic or other languages in Africa or the MENA region is preferred.

DESIRABLE

• Experience with innovative finance is strongly preferred.
• Clear and confident communication skills: You are comfortable communicating with a range of stakeholders and can adapt your style according to the audience.
• Drive to achieve results: You take responsibility for and ownership of your performance and are proactive in finding solutions to problems.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills: You are intellectually dexterous, able to pull insights from complex information, and recommend action based on these insights.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: You are dynamic and would be excited to contribute to EOF as a young and rapidly growing organisation. When you see things that could be improved, you put your hand up and help improve it, rather than being a passive bystander.
• Think and act strategically: You understand the big picture and are able to anticipate risks and identify strategic opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with others: You enjoy contributing to a wider team effort and collaborating with people from different backgrounds to achieve your goals, respecting differences and ensuring that all can contribute and succeed.
• Embrace change and uncertainty: You understand that our work is complex and dynamic, and respond to shifting priorities with composure and agility.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and ethical awareness: You are self-aware of your own strengths, limitations, working style, and deeply held convictions and biases. You display ethical awareness through behaviours that are consistent and compliant with the standards of conduct for international civil servants, UNICEF’s values, and relevant UNICEF policies and procedures.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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.