3 & 5 Months Consultancy Opportunities: Corporate Research & Due Diligence Officer

UNICEF’s Corporate Research & Due Diligence unit (CRDD) within the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (PFP), has opportunities for two consultants to undertake regular and ad-hoc corporate intelligence assignments in relation to UNICEF’s corporate engagement.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

1. Background and context:
 
Corporate research and ensued due diligence are integral aspects of UNICEF’s scoping and selection work for corporate engagement (CE). This area of work, managed for the organization by the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (PFP) aims to support UNICEF’s effective engagement with business, while at the same time ensuring that:

a. interactions with companies are pursued in alignment with the organization’s integrity standards  mandate, and
b. Decision making on whether and how to engage is informed by an adequate assessment of the risks and opportunities that engagements may pose to UNICEF, and ultimately to children.
 
Core to this function is the review and approval of companies and activities considered by UNICEF for non-commercial interaction, a process based on specific parameters for engagement and managed at PFP by the corporate research and due diligence team (CRDD).

In order to support the regular operations and knowledge management needs of the CRDD function, two consultancies opportunities are put forward, for a duration of 3 months and 5 months respectively.

2. Purpose and objective of the assignment:
 
Under the general guidance of the Corporate Alliances Manager (Research), and reporting directly to the CRDD Specialists, the incumbents will be responsible for undertaking regular and ad-hoc corporate intelligence work as related to UNICEF corporate engagement.

Overall objectives of the assignment will include:

• ensuring UNICEF engagement with corporations and other partners is undertaken in line with existing ethical standards, criteria and policies and the organization is equipped with the necessary knowledge based to assess and managed potential ethical and reputational risks involved.
• ensuring that audience focused information on ethical business and risk management related to key potential and/or current corporate partners of UNICEF is readily available to users and to CE colleagues.

Specific objectives will include:

• Supporting the due diligence process with a focus on screening and risk assessment of companies and business entities considered by UNICEF for potential engagement
• Drafting due diligence reports against committed deadlines and uploading final reports on the online database. An average of 7 to 12 reviews per week are expected at full capacity.
• Developing audience adequate content related to due diligence research making content timely and effectively available to all users.
• Supporting efforts to ensure robust knowledge management, including data quality assurance of the customer relationship management (CRM) database.
• Conducting additional research as needed, including on sector trends, for use in briefings, meetings, presentations, etc.

The assignment will be based at UNICEF headquarters in Geneva. It is anticipated that the two consultancies will start in August and October 2017 respectively, with exact start dates to be determined.  The consultancy starting in August 2017 will have an expected duration of 5 months, while the consultancy starting in October 2017 will have a duration of 3 months. No travel is anticipated.

3. Specific tasks:

 Activities include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following tasks:
• Support the due diligence process for UNICEF funding and non-funding corporate engagement by conducting corporate reviews as needed. Ensure that screenings are done in accordance with UNICEF guidelines and policies for working with the Business community. An average of 7 to 12 reviews per week are expected.
• Develop content and upload information related to UNICEF corporate research and due diligence on the UNICEF Intranet, Internet, CRM and other relevant platforms.
• Support the team in harmonizing DD reports and ensuring quality of communication
• Support the unit in documenting and sharing information on corporate research and due diligence related work.
• Identify relevant information (from both internal and external sources) on ethical business and sustainability issues and ensure prompt dissemination among corporate due diligence users and other colleagues concerned with CE work.
• Conduct additional research on potential corporate partners and related issues such as market trends and internal trends for use in briefings, meetings, presentations, etc.

4. Deliverables:

• Corporate due diligence and screening reports in standard format and with standard content against committed deadlines.
• Recommendations and insights on risks and risk management actions to be considered by UNICEF when interacting with companies submitted for CRDD.
• Screening updates, briefing notes and other documentation related to CRDD.
• Briefings on sustainability and integrity issues related to strategic industries and sectors.

5. Qualifications and Experience of Qualified Candidate

a. Advanced degree (master’s level) and at least two years of experience in the development of high quality, polished communication products targeted at private and corporate audiences, preferably in the international development arena. A Bachelor’s degree in communication, marketing, journalism, public relations, or business administration with at least five years of experience in relevant fields can be considered in lieu of advanced degree.
b. Experience with corporate due diligence and evaluation highly preferred.
c. Knowledge and experience on child rights advocacy and programming an important asset
d. Ability to identify strategic issues, opportunities and risks, and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction.
e. Direct experience in developing and implementing communication plans and guidance/training materials
f. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with the ability to capture key points and actions in succinct formats for a variety of audiences.
g. Attention to detail and track record of delivering against objectives.
h. Understanding of corporate engagement dimensions within or outside of UNICEF an asset.
i. Understanding of non-profit management and the UN system an asset.
j. Computer literacy in standard applications is mandatory (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Internet, etc.).

6. Competencies of a Successful Candidate:

Besides fluency in written and spoken English, the following competencies are required (LI, LII and LIII indicate the level required on a three point scale, LIII being the highest): 

UNICEF Core Values

• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity
• Commitment

UNICEF Core Competencies

• Drive for Results (LI)
• Communication (LII)
• Working with People (LI)

UNICEF Functional Competencies

• Formulating Strategies and Concepts(LI)
• Planning and Organizing (LII)
• Applying Technical Expertise (LI)
• Analyzing (LII)
• Learning and Researching (LII)
 

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.