The consultancy will support APRO’s Operations team in rolling out SES across the region’s 22 offices while helping Country Offices meet institutional donor requirements—particularly those of IFIs, KfW and GCF—related to SES.
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Contract Duration: 13 Months
Working arrangement: HomeBased
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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 Safety.
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) has prioritized the rollout of Social and Environmental Safeguarding (SES), a recent addition to UNICEF’s regulatory framework.
The SES Framework is organized around four pillars:
1. Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) in Programming and Safeguarding
2. Complaints and Feedback Management
3. Programme Implementation Risk Management/HACT
4. Data Protection
The SES Framework complements and strengthens Country Offices’ enterprise risk management by improving coordination across risk areas and embedding risk considerations into programmatic, operational and strategic planning.
Following the issuance of key regulatory documents—the Policy and Procedure on ESS in Programming (June 2025), the revised Policy on Safeguarding (June 2025), and the Procedure on Complaints and Feedback Management (May 2026)—APRO has begun rolling out the SES Framework across the region’s 22 Country Offices, as part of global efforts led by the Office of Strategy and Oversight (OSE).
The consultancy will support APRO’s Operations team in rolling out SES across the region’s 22 offices while helping Country Offices meet institutional donor requirements—particularly those of IFIs, KfW and GCF—related to SES.
The consultant will be supervised by the Regional Operations team, in close coordination with APRO Country Offices and the OSE team at headquarters.
Scope of Work:
1. Support the SES rollout:
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of regional SES-related rollout and implementation materials, ensuring that donor perspectives and Country Office typological needs are not only adequately reflected, but also that the process promotes sustainability and simplification. This should cover, among other areas:
- SES training modules are updated based on feedback collected;
- The Environmental and Social Safeguarding Risk Management Plan (ESRMP), including proposed mitigation measures;
- The Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP);
- Monitoring tools, including benchmark / tracking tool on steps to take on SES to support offices in tracking progress (integration within existing tools as feasible);
- Other SES related checklists, templates, plans, guidance, etc.
• Support capacity building of UNICEF staff, partners, vendors on SES implementation
• Provide recommendations to better integrate SES with other risk areas, including Programme Implementation, Data Protection, Supply and Operations. Also, provide recommendations on CFM related issues, in particular:
- The extent of Government involvement in CFM processes and the use of Government feedback channels, including implications for data protection, independence, and oversight;
- The use of inter-agency feedback channels and whether interoperability among systems is sufficient.
2. Support in reviewing and addressing SES-related donor requirements:
• Engage with Regional and Country Offices contacts to assess the compliance of submitted documents with Environmental and Social Commitment Plans (ESCPs) and other documents developed by local governments as well as with relevant donors’ Environmental and Social Frameworks (ESFs), identify gaps and provide recommendations to address those gaps.
• Identify and propose opportunities to streamline compliance with donor requirements.
• Provide technical assistance to Country Offices in designing SES risks management and related checklists, plans and documents.
• Prepare summary reports on the quality and trends of ESS/Safeguarding submissions to donors and other stakeholders, including Complaints and Feedback Mechanism (CFM) inputs, highlighting common gaps and best practices.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: 
Terms of Reference TMC0006967.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...
Minimum requirements:
Education:
Advanced degree in environmental science, social sciences, environmental law, law, public administration, human rights, or a related field, is required.
Work Experience
• At least 10 years of experience in environmental and social risk assessment.
• Sound knowledge of Safeguarding frameworks, inclusive but not limited to Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
Language requirement
• Fluency in written and spoken English
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills
• Strong knowledge of Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) from IFIs and relevant IFIs/UN safeguard policies (including PSEA).
• Experience in reviewing ESCPs, ESMF, ESMPs, LMPs, and other safeguard instruments.
• Sound knowledge of complaint and feedback/grievance redressal and mechanisms.
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently and to meet tight deadlines
• Experience of working with UN agencies and knowledge of UNICEF mission and mandate is an asset
Desirable
Working experience in Asia-Pacific region
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):
- An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
- Cover letter
- A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0006967.docx
Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.
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.