To provide senior technical leadership and end-to-end support to UNICEF Mongolia Country Office in the development of the Country Programme Document (CPD) and the Country Programme Management Plan (CPMP), ensuring high-quality application of Results-Based Management (RBM), strategic prioritization, and operational alignment in line with UNICEF corporate guidance and UNSDCF.

Contract Duration – 15 months

Working arrangement: Home Based/Remote

 

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.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

Mongolia’s development context has evolved rapidly in recent years, with significant implications for children and for UNICEF’s strategic positioning. Following strong post-pandemic recovery driven largely by extractive industries, Mongolia attained upper-middle-income country (UMIC) status in 2024. However, growth began to moderate in 2025 amid declining commodity prices, persistent inflation, currency depreciation, and rising fiscal pressures. These trends have disproportionately affected low-income and vulnerable households, while fiscal tightening has constrained public service delivery—particularly at subnational level. Despite nominal increases in social sector allocations, limited fiscal space and provincial budget reductions have affected the coverage and quality of services in health, education, social protection, and child protection, especially in rural and remote areas.

These macroeconomic pressures intersect with persistent child deprivations. Many children experience multidimensional vulnerabilities, including in nutrition, access to essential services, learning outcomes, and protection from violence. Gender disparities remain evident, including higher dropout rates among boys in secondary education and increased risks for adolescent girls related to early pregnancy and unpaid care burdens. Environmental and climate-related shocks—including air pollution, dzud, and wildfires—continue to undermine child well-being. Recent events, such as a measles outbreak linked to declining immunization coverage, have further exposed system fragilities. At the same time, emerging policy reforms in areas such as energy transition, sustainable finance, and corporate social responsibility present opportunities for innovative partnerships to advance child outcomes.

In 2025, UNICEF Mongolia Country Office conducted a Mid-Term Review of the current Country Programme, which underscored the need to sharpen the focus on the most disadvantaged children, strengthen system resilience, and adapt UNICEF’s engagement to Mongolia’s evolving UMIC context.

Building on these findings and in line with UNICEF corporate guidance, the Country Office is initiating the development of its next Country Programme Document (CPD). The process encompasses evidence synthesis, strategic prioritization, development of the Theory of Change, preparation of Explanatory Notes, and formulation of the CPD and Integrated Results and Resources Framework (IRRF), aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

In parallel, a Country Programme Management Plan (CPMP) will be developed to operationalize programme priorities. The CPMP translates strategic direction into implementation modalities, partnerships, organizational structures, and resource and risk management frameworks.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File Sr Consultant CPD and CPMP Dev.pdf

Minimum requirements:

  • Education: Master’s in Development Studies, Public Policy / Public Administration, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations or a related field
  • Work Experience:
    • Minimum 10–12 years of progressively responsible professional experience in international development.
    • Proven experience in designing and drafting Country Programme Documents (CPD) or similar UN/strategic programme documents.
  • Skills:
  • Strong knowledge of:
    • UNICEF programming guidance and quality assurance processes
    • UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF)
    • Results-Based Management (RBM), Theory of Change, and results frameworks
  • Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills
  • Strong report writing and drafting skills
  • Proven facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills
  • Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.
  • Desirables:
  • Prior experience supporting CPD/CPMP development for UNICEF
  • Experience in Asia-Pacific or similar country 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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

Remarks:  

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.