Organization Overview

UNICEF USA (“UUSA” or “We”) relentlessly pursues a more equitable world for every child, upholding the rights of all children and empowering every child, everywhere. We also support the fundamental belief that children should have a voice and role in shaping their futures and the futures of their communities.

Over eight decades, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has built an unprecedented global support system for the world’s children, and has boldly taken on the biggest, seemingly impossible challenges facing children. UNICEF relentlessly works day in and day out to deliver the essentials that give every child an equitable chance in life: health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children.

We know that sustainable change is attainable, but it can’t be achieved alone. It takes a committed team – individuals, governments, corporations, volunteers and staff – who demonstrate a relentless commitment to working tirelessly, day in and day out in some of the toughest, hardest to reach places. Big problems need big solutions, and we harness our collective, global voice and energy to do more good, in more places for children. We will never stop supporting UNICEF to develop smarter, more cost-effective solutions; scaling up proven, data-driven programs; and harnessing new technologies to create measurable change for children.

UUSA is organized under the laws of New York State as a not-for-profit corporation. As such, UUSA is a tax-exempt organization as defined under Section 501C(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is governed by an independent, non-salaried Board of Directors.

Position: Consultant, Foundation Partnerships

Location: New York, NY / Remote

Employment Type: Consultancy

Compensation: Hourly wage

Duration: 27 January – 27 June 2025, estimated 24-hours per week

 

Overview of Projects

Countdown to 2030: This consultancy primarily supports Countdown to 2030 (Countdown). Countdown is a collaboration of academics from global, regional, country institutions, UN agencies and World Bank and civil society organizations, to track progress of life-saving interventions for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N).

Countdown generates evidence to foster advocacy and accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. We analyze data on coverage of health interventions across socioeconomic status, gender, education, and geography, and on key drivers of change such as policy, finance, and other health system dimensions.

Countdown is now in its third phase of work. Phase III (2022-2026) is focused on supporting analysis and capacity strengthening in 25 Global Financing Facility-supported countries. This includes several innovative regional approaches and feeds into global monitoring of progress to achieve the following outcomes:

• Improved country-led data analysis and monitoring
• Increased innovation and evidence through multi-country collaboration
• Improved global monitoring and measurement
• Improved communications for policies, programs and accountability

Originally known as Countdown to 2015, the Countdown Initiative was started in 2003, in response to the challenge of the health-related Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

In Phase I (2016 – 2019), the Countdown to 2030 Initiative adapted its strategies and approaches to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and particularly the Global Strategy for Women’s Children’s and Adolescents’ Health 2016-2030.

In Phase II (2020 – 2022), Countdown expanded to collaborate with public health institutions in 15 countries by partnering with the Global Financing Facility (GFF). Through Exemplars in Global Health, the initiative completed research studies in 8 countries to understand why some countries outperformed others in maternal and newborn mortality declines during the years 2000-2017.

 

Child Health and Nutrition Advocacy (GPA Phase III): The consultancy may provide support to the Global Policy Advocacy portfolio of work, currently in its third phase. In Phase III (2024–2027), UNICEF will continue to build on the momentum and learnings from the last six years of advocacy to achieve even more ambitious results for children’s health and nutrition. UNICEF will remain focused on building sustainable public and political will for child survival, with a focus on securing transformative policy and funding decisions on immunization, nutrition, and maternal and newborn and child health (MNCH). The goal of this initiative is grounded in scaling up access to proven, high-impact interventions and innovations, including existing and new vaccines; incentivizing and increasing access to sustainable and high-quality integrated services to prevent and treat malnutrition; and those with the potential to improving MNCH outcomes.

 

Scope of Work

We are recruiting a Consultant for the Foundation Partnerships team to support the Countdown to 2030 Initiative with potential expansion of support for the Global Policy Advocacy partnership. The role involves conducting detail-oriented grants-management work to support complex, multi-country, multi-partner investments. Key tasks include:

• Support subaward reporting which includes internal coordination, tracking, review and collation of inputs;
• Support reporting across Countdown grants including budgeting support, narrative reviews and copyediting, secondary reviews of materials and supporting collation, packaging of report materials or any other secondary support to help facilitate on time, quality reporting;
• Track funds utilization, and progress toward achievement of project milestones and deliverables;
• Coordinate between multiple internal, external and international parties to facilitate grant administration;
• Other grants management and travel coordination related tasks, as assigned; Additional support of the Global Policy Advocacy partnership maybe requested, including assignments such as meeting coordination and acting as rapporteur in regular meetings.

 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree in related field welcome with familiarity of current global health and development issues, and UN agencies preferred;
• Detail-oriented to track funds utilization and review/edit complex reports;
• Proven ability to prioritize, work independently, handle multiple, complex tasks simultaneously;
• Strong quantitative and analytical, and written/verbal communication skills;
• Comfort with Excel and other Microsoft Office products; and
• Must demonstrate UNICEF USA Core Values: Trust, Respect, Accountability, Innovation, Teamwork, and Service.

Payment

• Expenses for up to $250 are provided for in this Consultancy. Expenses require Manager approval in writing before incurring.
• Consultant will invoice at an hourly rate of $50/hour for up to 24 hours of work/week. Any increase in hours or rate require written approval by the Consultant Manager. Invoices are due by the 5th day of each month and should briefly describe key activities and deliverables of the month. Bi-weekly invoicing and payment are possible upon request.

 

Must possess current and valid US Work Authorization and be eligible to work for any US employer without sponsorship.

Due to the high volume of applications received, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. UNICEF USA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. UUSA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at peopleandculture@unicefusa.org .