Consultancy - Facilitator for Partner Days 2026 and OSE Staff Retreat - Innocenti-Global Off Research & Foresight, Florence, Italy

The consultant will facilitate meetings in person at the conference venue in Florence. Partner Days will take place at the Istituto degli Innocenti, Florence, Italy, from 16 to 17 March 2026. The event will run from 1pm to 5.30pm on 16 March and from 9am to 5pm on 17 March. The Staff Retreat of the new Office of Strategy and Evidence (OSE) – Innocenti will take place on 14-17 April 2026 in Florence.

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 answers

UNICEF Innocenti Partner Days is an annual event bringing together current and prospective partners to introduce them to data, evidence, research and foresight work addressing crucial next-generation issues. The next Partner Days will take place on 16-17 March 2026: An interactive event over 1.5 days during which partners, prospects, researchers and young people have a unique opportunity to engage on a personal level in the UNICEF research and foresight agenda. A showcasing of current and future UNICEF research and foresight activities will be complemented by evidence and testimony from field colleagues who have seen the direct impact of working with UNICEF Innocenti and subsequent research implementation, as well as current partners. Effective facilitation of the programme will enhance the experience for prospective and current partners and have a positive impact on those partnerships.
Building on the success of previous years, the 2026 Partner Days event will be part of a wider partner engagement strategy combining multiple touchpoints with partners to connect with UNICEF Innocenti and work collectively on solutions. In this context it will remain a cultivation event rather than a fundraising event, serving as an introduction to UNICEF Innocenti’s work and a positioning exercise for the office. The event will also lean into country office programming that has benefited from Innocenti research and the experience of current partners to inspire and motivate prospective partners in having them present on their experiences of partnering with the office.

The intimate nature of the event provides an exclusive opportunity for partners to have an inside-track view of UNICEF Innocenti and access to its senior leadership and top researchers. The programme allows for the exchange of experiences and thought-provoking conversations. In previous years, the participation of young people has demonstrated the importance of meaningful youth engagement.

INFORM partners and prospects about UNICEF Innocenti’s research, evidence and foresight agenda and the impact it has for children and communities around the world. 
BUILD meaningful relationships between partners and prospects with UNICEF staff. 
INSPIRE existing partners and prospects to partner and engage with UNICEF Innocenti.

Staff Retreat: Innocenti holds an annual staff retreat to look forward to strategic priorities and back on lessons learned. The 2026 retreat will be much larger and complex than previous years given the merger between the Global Office of Research and Foresight and the Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring into the new Office of Strategy and Evidence (OSE) – Innocenti. Innocenti requires the services of an external facilitator to moderate conversations, generate interactive sessions and support collaborative discussions. The retreat will take place 14-15-16 April 2026 in Florence.

How can you make a difference? 

1) Goal and Objective:

Under the supervision of the Fundraising Manager, UNICEF Innocenti, the consultant will facilitate the 2026 Partner Days event and the 2026 Innocenti Staff Retreat. The goals of these meetings include:

Partner Days:
• Facilitating the building of a strong partnership base for UNICEF Innocenti from both the private and public sectors
• Building new partnerships and enhancing current ones
Staff Retreat:
• Facilitating constructive and collaborative conversations in the first staff retreat of the UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence - Innocenti
• Providing a conducive environment and opportunities to discuss strategic priorities for the office.

2) Activities and Tasks:

The Consultant is expected to provide high-quality facilitation of both meetings. Specifically, they will
• Participate in planning meetings to understand the meeting agendas, activities, and logistics.
• Prepare facilitation plans, as per the prescribed agendas.
• Introduce and close out the meeting days and individual sessions.
• Ensure the meeting sessions flow and stay within their prescribed time.
• Facilitate plenary discussions, panels, breakout group discussions, and other interactive activities during the sessions as necessary.
• Develop and lead icebreakers, energizers, and other team building activities as necessary.
• Conduct a brief evaluation and debrief; and provide any other follow up as necessary.

If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  Terms of Reference Facilitator PD SR 2026 EXT.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced degree (Master's or higher) in a relevant discipline, ideally in organizational development and/or communications.
• Work Experience: At least five (5) years of progressively advanced experience in team development and meeting facilitation.
• Skill: Strong analytical, conceptual thinking and problem-solving skills.
  Full working knowledge of online and interactive meeting technology (e.g. Zoom, MS-Teams, Mentimeter, Slido, etc.). UNICEF will be responsible for providing the tools.
  Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish effective work relationships.
• Language Requirements: Advanced skills in communicating in English.

Desirables:

Previous working experience with UN and/or international organization desirable.

Relevant experience at 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

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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 Individual Consultants. Consultants 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 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.