CDC Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) coordinating consultancy – Ref#578471

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope.

Consultancy Title: CDC Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) coordinating consultancy

Section/Division/Duty Station: Water and Sanitation Section, Programme Group, UNICEF NYHQ

Duration: 15 February 2025 to 31 December 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

About UNICEF

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. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment: 

The Center of Disease Control (CDC) extended a 5-year Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) the first year of which was conclude in 2024. The second year of the CoAg has just started and includes a broad myriad of activities at country, regional and global levels. In close collaboration with WASH chiefs and project managers at the country level, the consultant will support the second-year CDC CoAg, including supporting communication with the donor, and coordination of activities which has a focus on Public Health in emergencies and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

This consultancy assignment will be supervised by WASH Specialist, WASH in Emergencies & Fragile Contexts (WiEFC). The consultant will work under the overall guidance of Associate Director Health who is a principal investigator for the CoAg to improve people’s lives affected by public health in emergencies.

Scope of Work:

The consultant is expected to support CoAg, and support coordination of activities as per donor requirements, including requests for project updates and reports. To achieve the objectives, the consultant is expected to closely work with the WASH in Emergency and Fragile Contexts team, the principal investigator (PI for the CoAg, currently the associate director of Health section), Public Partnership Division (PPD), and other relevant units within UNICEF such as DFAM, project managers/chiefs at a country level and CDC.

The current five-year CoAg (Title – Global Emergency Response and Recovery Partner Engagement: Expanding Efforts and Strategies to Improve Rapid Response to Public Health Emergencies Globally) was awarded to UNICEF in September 2023. The duration of the second year of CoAg is from 30 September 2024 to 29 September 2025.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Support CoAg including requests for project updates and keeping communications with CDC, PPD and country offices 

• Five project summaries (1-2 pages each) including issues, identified solutions, challenges are prepared and submitted to the supervisor. This includes attending, at least, 19 technical follow-up calls with CDC and country offices (HQ, DRC, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia) (30-Sep-25)
• 4 quarterly project and financial updates are submitted to CDC as per donor’s requests and instructions (31-Dec-25)
• Coordinate 4 quarterly site visits when requested by CDC and provide a summary report for each visit (31-Dec-25)
• Facilitate, at least, 12 monthly WASH technical calls and follow-up calls with CDC. Meeting notes made available on SharePoint and action points followed up (31-Dec-25)
• Develop 1 master projects list and update the same on monthly basis (12 updates) based on projects’ activities progress monitoring and regular follow-up with respective country offices (31-Dec-25)
• Development of a set of project narratives in cooperation with respective country offices, carry over requests and, at least, 2 lessons learned papers (31-Dec-25)

Develop annual report and submission 

• Annual report for Year Two is developed with country input and submitted by a deadline. (the exact date will be notified by CDC) (30-Apr-25)

Facilitate carryover request from Year two to Year three and any other official requests which requires CDC approvals such as redirection of funds 

• Prepare the carry-over from Y2 to Y3 package including consolidated country offices’, ROs and HQ requests, required justifications and other information as per the CDC requirements (29-Aug-25)

Develop proposals (project and budget narratives) for a new budget year (i.e., Year three) in coordination with Programme Group Health and WASH, and country offices. This task will also include follow-ups with CDC on their feedback and revision requests on the proposals submitted. 

• A complete package of non-competing continuous application for Year Three is developed and submitted by a deadline. (the exact submission date will be announced by CDC) Applications usually include project narrative, budget narrative, cover letter and budget summary (30-Apr-25)
• A complete package of second/final UNICEF proposal for Year three, as per a budget revision request from CDC, is developed and submitted by a deadline. (the exact submission date will be announced by CDC upon availability of funds) Applications usually include project narrative, budget narrative, cover letter and budget summary (30-Oct-25)

Qualifications

Education: 

Advanced university degree (Masters) in Public Health, Civil Engineering, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), or other related fields.

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: 

• At least 5 years of professional experience in humanitarian WASH is required.
• Knowledge of WASH roles in Public Health emergencies is required.
• Experience in WASH response to public Health emergencies is preferred.
• Excellent project coordination skill is required.
• Experience/knowledge in CDC funding management is strongly preferred.
• Experience in Knowledge management is a plus.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills are required.
• Experience working in multi-cultural background is preferred.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
• the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
• travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
• Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
• Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4. 

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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. 

Remarks: 

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 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. 

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