Consultant (12 months, home-based, remotely) Expert on Climate Partnerships Strategy, PFP, Geneva

Following the outcomes of COP and the growing expectation that UN agencies shift from advocacy to structured, investable partnership propositions, UNICEF must rapidly strengthen its internal alignment and external positioning on climate partnership engagement. Governments, donors, investors, and private-sector actors are actively seeking credible partners capable of shaping and delivering the next generation of climate adaptation finance and resilience solutions. At present, UNICEF’s engagement across climate finance, partnerships, and programmatic channels remains fragmented, risking duplication of outreach, missed opportunities, and weakened institutional influence in global decision-making processes, including the New Quantified Collective Goal (NQCG). To address this, UNICEF Partnerships Division seeks to engage a senior expert consultant to: 1. Develop a clear and compelling Climate Partnerships Strategy – defining how UNICEF will engage governments, private investors, impact funds, philanthropic actors, multilateral institutions, and corporate partners in advancing climate adaptation and resilience for children. 2. Lead a coordinated information-gathering and intelligence process – ensuring that data, policy signals, partner insights, internal reporting, and regional perspectives are consolidated into a coherent UNICEF contribution to the evolving global climate finance architecture. 3. Strengthen internal alignment across the Partnerships Cone and Programme Division around priority partners, approaches, and messaging. This consultancy will enable UNICEF to speak with one coherent voice, grounded by evidence and structured propositions, thereby strengthening its visibility, credibility, and capacity to secure transformational climate partnerships at a pivotal moment fin global climate governance.

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 peace 

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:

Following the outcomes of COP and the growing expectation that UN agencies shift from advocacy to structured, investable partnership propositions, UNICEF must rapidly strengthen its internal alignment and external positioning on climate partnership engagement. Governments, donors, investors, and private-sector actors are actively seeking credible partners capable of shaping and delivering the next generation of climate adaptation finance and resilience solutions.

At present, UNICEF’s engagement across climate finance, partnerships, and programmatic channels remains fragmented, risking duplication of outreach, missed opportunities, and weakened institutional influence in global decision-making processes, including the New Quantified Collective Goal (NQCG).

To address this, UNICEF Partnerships Division seeks to engage a senior expert consultant to:

1. Develop a clear and compelling Climate Partnerships Strategy – defining how UNICEF will engage governments, private investors, impact funds, philanthropic actors, multilateral institutions, and corporate partners in advancing climate adaptation and resilience for children.
2. Lead a coordinated information-gathering and intelligence process – ensuring that data, policy signals, partner insights, internal reporting, and regional perspectives are consolidated into a coherent UNICEF contribution to the evolving global climate finance architecture.
3. Strengthen internal alignment across the Partnerships Cone and Programme Division around priority partners, approaches, and messaging.

This consultancy will enable UNICEF to speak with one coherent voice, grounded by evidence and structured propositions, thereby strengthening its visibility, credibility, and capacity to secure transformational climate partnerships at a pivotal moment fin global climate governance. 

How can you make a difference? 

SCOPE OF WORK:

The consultant will work under the Chief of Climate Partnerships and will:

Strategic Development

• Develop a comprehensive Climate Partnerships Strategy that:

Aligns UNICEF’s mandate with post-COP global expectations.

Defines strategic value propositions for different classes of actors (public, philanthropic, private, corporate, MDBs, UNFCCC-linked funds).

Establishes engagement pathways and partnership models that drive climate adaptation for children and communities.

Intelligence Gathering & Analysis

• Lead a structured information-collection effort capturing:

Policy signals from NQCG negotiations and UNFCCC processes.

Donor and private-sector priorities.

Regional insights and country office demand signals.

Global trends in private capital allocation to adaptation.

• Consolidates findings into actionable insights for UNICEF leadership, proposals, and climate positioning documents.

Internal Alignment and Coordination

• Build shared understanding and messaging across :

PFP public partnerships.

High-value private sector channels.

Corporate partnerships.

Programme Division climate and key sector leads.

• Clarifies roles, information flows, and partnership approaches to reduce fragmentation.

Mapping and Engagement Model Design

• Identify key actors in.

Development banks.

Climate funds.

Philanthropic institutions.

Corporate climate investment platforms.

Private equity, impact funds, pension funds, and insurance sectors.

• Define UNICEF engagement architecture, including:

Partnership entry points.

Joint-delivery models.

Co-investment pathways.

Messaging and positioning hooks relevant to each actor class.

Policy & Partner Inputs to NCQG

• Translate gathered intelligence into:

Strategic submissions.

Partner-specific talking points.

Decision briefs for senior leadership.

• Ensure UNICEF’s global voice is coordinated and data-driven.

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

Education:

• Advanced degree in public policy, climate strategy, economics, international relations, environmental management, or related fields.
• Alternatively, a first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree or higher), in combination with additional qualifying 2 years of relevant work experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 20 years of experience in Climate partnerships strategy, international climate finance, development banking, or large-scale climate programming.
• Experience in high-level negotiation environments (GCF, MDBs, others).
• In-depth understanding of global climate finance mechanisms, adaptation and resilience solutions, and the dynamics of international climate governance.

Others:

• Demonstrated record of designing strategic partnership frameworks involving governments, private investors, philanthropic actors, and multilateral institutions.
• Translating climate policy and market signals into actionable institutional positioning.
• Structuring cross-organizational coordination and knowledge systems.
• Exceptional ability to synthesize intelligence into strategic decision-making.
• Strong communication, stakeholder engagement, and strategy development capacity.
• Proven ability to operate independently in complex institutional environments.
• Proven ability to conduct rapid, high-quality intelligence gathering mapping, and trend analysis to inform decision-making and positioning.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language is considered as an asset.

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. 

Remarks:  

Please indicate your all-inclusive (lump sum) fees against the deliverables listed above, including all associated administrative and travel costs (if applicable), in the cover letter. The office selects the individual based on best value for money.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

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. 

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.