National Consultancy for Leading the Development of Localized, Multi-hazard Community Disaster Preparedness Plans in the Zagros Region

Development of Community Disaster Preparedness Plans for Wildfire and other High-Likelihood Hazards in the Zagros Region (Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan and Lorestan Provinces)

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.

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For every child, the right to Nature! 

UNICEF’s current five-year country programme of cooperation in Iran (2023-2027) is aimed at ensuring that all children and adolescents, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from an integrated social protection system, which meets their needs for health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and overall protection and well-being of children in both development and humanitarian settings. The programme also aims to ensure that children’s participation and inclusion in their communities are fully realised, allowing them to reach their full potential. 

How can you make a difference? 

Background: The Zagros Mountain Range, stretching across Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and Lorestan provinces—is one of Iran’s most ecologically and socially significant regions. Its rural and mountainous communities face increasing exposure to wildfires, floods, and earthquakes, driven by:

• Sustained drought and climate variability
• Degradation of oak forests and rangelands
• Unsustainable land use practices
• Rising temperatures and prolonged dry seasons
• Limited community-level preparedness and early action capacity

These hazards disproportionately affect children and women and undermine access to essential services, livelihoods, and community stability. Strengthening local disaster preparedness directly contributes to UNICEF’s mandate to protect children from climate and environmental risks, in line with the UNICEF Country Programme (2023–2027) and the UNICEF Strategic Plan (2026–2029), both of which highlight risk-informed programming, resilience-building, and support to national systems. The initiative also aligns with the UNSDCF 2023–2027, which prioritizes stronger disaster risk governance and community resilience.

In recent years, wildfire frequency and intensity in the Zagros have increased markedly, threatening lives, livelihoods, grazing lands, and biodiversity. Local communities are consistently the first responders but lack structured preparedness plans, risk knowledge, or coordination mechanisms.

To address these gaps, the National Disaster Management Organization (NDMO), with technical and financial support from UNICEF, is launching a community-driven initiative to develop up to 40 Community Disaster Preparedness Plans (CDPPs) in 8 selected high-risk counties across the four Zagros provinces. These plans will be participatory, child-sensitive, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and aligned with national disaster management frameworks.

Rationale:

The Zagros region faces a unique combination of geographical, social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities. Remote terrain, environmental degradation, and climate-related shocks intersect with limited access to emergency services and preparedness systems, leaving communities, especially children, adolescents, and people with disabilities, highly exposed to recurrent disasters.

Despite their critical frontline role, communities lack standardized tools, guidance, or trained local facilitators to develop effective preparedness plans. Local NGOs and volunteers require capacity-building to engage in participatory, inclusive disaster risk planning aligned with national standards. Existing community mechanisms are often informal, fragmented, and lack child-focused considerations.

The lack of scalable community-led preparedness models that integrate child protection, gender, disability inclusion, and local knowledge are identified as a gap. UNICEF’s support is therefore essential to strengthen provincial and community capacities, introduce structured planning processes, and generate lessons that can inform wider national rollout.

The consultancy responds directly to these needs by facilitating a systematic, mentored process for developing CDPPs, building local competencies, and ensuring that disaster preparedness in the Zagros region is both community-owned and protective of the most vulnerable, especially children.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR - National Consultancy for Leading the Development of Localized, Multi-hazard Community Disaster Preparedness Plans in the Zagros Region.pdf

 شرح خدمات مشاور (TOR).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Advanced degree (Masters’ or equal) in Environmental Sciences, Social Development or relevant fields (higher/additional certificates or relevant published research will be considered as an advantage)
• 3+ years working experience in Disaster Risk Management, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Community Engagement.
• Experience in community-based disaster risk reduction and preparedness planning is highly desirable.
• Proven experience (five similar references) in developing training materials and conducting TOTs on disaster preparedness.
• Demonstrated understanding of inclusive approaches (understanding different needs of women, men, children and people with disability).
• Familiarity with Iran’s disaster management system and experience working in the Zagros region is a strong advantage.
• Strong facilitation, coordination, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in Persian (advanced English knowledge is considered as an advantage).

Interested individuals should submit a technical proposal (max. 8–10 pages, excluding annexes) for conducting the consultancy which includes

1. Understanding of the Assignment – Demonstrate familiarity with wildfire risks and other natural hazards in the Zagros region and understanding of the ToR objectives.
2. Methodology and Approach – Describe proposed methods, tools, and participatory techniques for developing the training package, conducting TOTs, and supporting community plans. Explain how gender, child, and disability inclusion will be ensured.
3. Work Plan and Deliverables – Present a timeline showing key milestones, activities, and outputs.
4. Experience and Qualifications – Summarize relevant professional experience, highlighting similar assignments and collaboration with government or UN agencies.
5. Team Composition (if applicable) – Outline team roles and identify the lead consultant.
6. Annexes – Include CV(s), examples of similar work, and contact details of two recent references.

Format and Submission:

Submit technical and financial proposals separately (PDF format).

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for the next recruitment formalities. Only applicants with technical scores equal to or higher than 55 out of 80 will be considered for financial score evaluation. Selection will be based on the combination of technical and financial scores.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION:

TECHNICAL CRITERIA:

Academic level and field masters’ degree in relevant fields is a minimum requirement, higher level certificates and published research will be considered as an advantage, candidates will be prorated based on their relevant academic background) = Max Score points 10

Special technical expertise (Disaster Risk Management, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Community Engagement) = Max Score points 25

Experience in training, facilitation, and community engagement = Max Score points 20

Technical proposal

Demonstrated understanding of the assignment (5), proposal quality (5) methodology (10), work plan feasibility (5) = Max Score points 25

TOTAL SCORE Technical (minimum acceptable: 55 out of 80)

Financial offer (must me in Iranian Rials) = Max Score Points 20

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. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

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 people with disability 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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.