Consultancy: Support coordination, knowledge management and research for 3-4 foundation partners in ESAR, (12 Months), Nairobi, Kenya

The Public Private Partnerships (PPP) team in ESARO has prioritized deepening engagement with 3–5 key foundations that have significantly expanded their presence and programming across Africa. Some of these are existing partners, while others represent new strategic opportunities. This consultancy will play a critical role in supporting the PPP team and country offices in strengthening these partnerships through enhanced coordination, research, and knowledge management.

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background and Justification

The Public Private Partnerships (PPP) team in ESARO has prioritized deepening engagement with 3–5 key foundations that have significantly expanded their presence and programming across Africa. Some of these are existing partners, while others represent new strategic opportunities. This consultancy will play a critical role in supporting the PPP team and country offices in strengthening these partnerships through enhanced coordination, research, and knowledge management.

A key focus of this role will be the partnership with Latter-Day Saints Charities (LDSC), which represents the largest commitment secured by an area office to date supporting programmes in over 13 countries with an expected value of over $10 million in 2025. As LDSC decentralizes its operations and seeks more structured engagement, this consultancy will help establish and institutionalize systems for partnership oversight, ensuring timely implementation, improved visibility, and alignment of reporting with proposals. The consultant will also support the development of high-quality proposals and informal updates to maintain momentum and trust with the donor.

In addition to LDSC, the consultant will contribute to the broader foundation engagement strategy by:

• Conducting research and mapping of priority foundations in the region.
• Supporting knowledge management efforts to capture and disseminate lessons learned and best practices.
• Coordinating with country offices and programme sections to consolidate donor updates and ensure they are timely, strategic, and donor-friendly.
• Monitoring progress against partnership deliverables and flagging discrepancies to enable proactive support from ESARO and country teams.

This consultancy is essential to operationalize a new model of partnership management that meets the evolving expectations of regional donors. It will provide dedicated capacity to standardize processes, enhance coordination, and ensure that both UNICEF and its partners are well-positioned to sustain and grow these critical relationships. Dedicated resources for partnership management and country office support have been built into existing and upcoming proposals to ensure the sustainability of this role.

Scope of Work

Goal and Objective

The consultant will support the growth of new and existing partnerships with foundations and the strong implementation of ongoing partnerships in alignment with the regional partnerships priorities, fully aligned with the global foundations strategy).

The incumbent will work closely with colleagues in East and Southern Africa Regional Office and with Country Offices in the region, as well as working with the WCAR and MENA Regional Offices as relevant and needed to ensure broad alignment across the continent on Foundation partnerships, as well as global team colleagues.

The incumbent will support work across UNICEF’s contribution to Africa’s development agendas as pertains to key partnership engagement based on their localization strategies and local approaches.  The incumbent will also support the work with PFP, broader HQ technical division and National Committees colleagues as relevant to develop new areas of growth and partnership globally and ensure successful ways of working that bring diverse teams’ strengths together for Foundation partnership. In doing so, this consultancy will work to ensure there is capacity and systems in place for all colleagues to best partner with foundations in ESAR and across the continent and connected globally as necessary (providing support ranging from information and insights through to implementation and reporting).

Regional roll out of the foundations strategy: Deliver the Global Foundations Strategy adapted for the region and for the African continent.  This entails developing contextualized approaches, systems and opportunities for engaging in key elements around information and insights on Foundations and how they operate, supporting and creating pathways for Intellectual Journeys with partners via our technical colleagues, supporting conversations around “incomplete theories of change” with partners where we seek to collectively solve problems, supporting proposal development and supporting timely and effective implementation and reporting systems.

Key objectives include:

1. Ensuring smooth coordination with Country Offices implementing LDSC, Mastercard Foundation, and other partnerships to ensure visibility of engagements with the partner and implementation of existing grants.
2. Facilitating alignment and collaboration with regional programme teams to ensure coherence with sectoral priorities.
3. Coordinating with UNICEF USA and other National Committees on concept notes, proposals, and donor reporting.
4. Supporting the development of knowledge products and tools to strengthen regional foundation engagement strategies.

Reference to AWP Areas Covered

This consultancy contributes to the AWP result area: “RO and CO staff have the tools and skills necessary to engage both public and private sector actors to secure high-impact financial and non-financial partnerships to further regional priorities.”

Key functions and objectives:

Under the overall guidance of the Senior Advisor Partnerships and the supervision of the Partnerships Specialist in the PPP section at ESARO, the consultant will provide strategic and operational support to strengthen the management of key regional and country-level private sector partnerships. In particular:

2. Growing and maintaining existing partnerships: Drive understanding and action around our existing Foundation partners such that they continue to grow and renew their collaboration with UNICEF on the Africa continent (e.g. LDSC, Mastercard Foundation and others).  This will require a focus on supporting oversight around implementation and engagement during the partnership cycle and working to coordinate diverse teams involved.

3. Seeking new partnerships in alignment with Foundations’ localization strategies: Support region and continent specific priorities and action that drives new partnerships with foundations.  This will entail strong collaboration with colleagues across programme and Natcoms / partnership so that efforts to bring in new partners are coordinated and effective. It will also entail continuing the positioning of UNICEF within foundations’ networks and platforms relevant in the continent.

4. Capacity building, ways of working and information sharing: Deliver and further refine all needed technical assistance and capacity building around the Foundations strategy model in ESAR and collaborate on all partnership where applicable.  Establish strong working relationships with WCAR and North Africa in support of excellence in teamwork and partnership growth and renewal based on foundations’ preferred ways of working and goals. Maintain information up to date on top foundations prospects/partners based in the region and ensure it is accessible and up to date for technical teams and leadership easy access.

5. Provide ongoing support to country offices in their engagements with foundations' counterparts, and in support of UNICEF’s positioning in regional fora. Support UNICEF’s  thought leadership in continental forums, based on partner/prospect intel jointly with technical teams. 

Work relationships:

Outputs/Deliverables:

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

Desired competencies, technical background and experience

1. Education: Master's degree in development or any related field
2. At least five years of relevant experience in grant oversight, managing proposals and reports for private donors
3. Must exhibit the UNICEF Core Values of:

1. Care
2. Respect
3. Integrity
4. Trust
5. Accountability
6. Sustainability

1. Competencies: List the competencies that the consultant should have for the assignment.

Administrative issues

Please include any relevant administrative arrangements such as:

• It will be ideal for the consultant to be available between 10 am to 5 pm.
• The consultant is expected to work in Nairobi with a possible hybrid. And with potential travel to up to 2 countries in the ESAR region supported by the donor/s, depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions for which the UNICEF office would cover subsistence allowances and travel costs. If the consultant is required to quarantine while traveling, UNICEF will pay for the quarantine if the host country does not organize it.
• Schedule for progress meetings throughout the contract duration (if required).

• Relevant experience at the country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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. 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 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.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

How to apply

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and their technical  and financial proposals to the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System) or email provided.

Interested candidates to indicate their ability, availability, and rate (daily/monthly) expressed in US$ for international consultants or KES for national consultants to undertake the terms of reference. The fees should be inclusive of other costs incurred such as travel/return ticket, VISA and subsistence allowances for international consultants who will be based in Nairobi.

Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered.