International Senior Consultant | Recovery Programme Strategy Development for UNICEF Palestine | Hybrid Remote with Travel

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, hope

Two years of intense bombardments and fighting have wrought catastrophic devastation across the Gaza Strip – more than 64,000 children reportedly killed and injured, and homes, hospitals and schools destroyed. The toll on children is unconscionable.

UNICEF welcomes the ceasefire, which must now afford humanitarian actors the opportunity to safely resume at scale the massive response that the children of Gaza so desperately need. Our focus now is providing urgent life-saving assistance while supporting early recovery. 

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How can you make a difference? 

The Senior Consultant reports to the Special Representative for general guidance and direction and close coordination with both Deputy Representatives in Operations and Programmes. The estimated duration is 50 days during Jan-April 2026. The assignment can start remotely while the VISA is in process. Mission travel to East Jerusalem and Gaza is required.

The purpose of this assignment is to facilitate UNICEF SOP’s Recovery Programme Strategy Development, which will focus on two phases:

Phase 1: Recovery Programmatic Strategies and Priorities 

Phase 2:  Programme Management Plan

Prior to the Consultancy coming onboard, both Deputy Representatives will have already initiated discussions with the Section Chiefs. In parallel, an affordability analysis will be conducted, which will be used as a key resource for PBR recommendations.

Phase 1: Recovery Programmatic Strategies and Priorities 

• Review key achievements of the country’s programme in the past two years since the onset of the war (based on UNICEF Annual Results Assessment Management reports) and assess relevance and effectiveness of results.
• Support and document internal and external consultations and programme prioritization processes in line with emerging priorities for the recovery phase, as well as document outcomes on internal strategic reflections.
• Review and assess emerging priorities via UN80, inter-agency roles and responsibilities at OPT/SOP level, and advise on set of recommendations.
• Produce a final SMR report.
• After the review and strategy development process, we will have an actual one-day or 1.5 day SMR meeting with MENARO, HQ, CoEs as necessary for final adjustments and validation.

Phase 2:  Programme Management Plan

• Conduct functional skills mapping across programme sections, programme effectiveness, and operations teams – taking into account the emerging priorities including from initiatives such as UN80.
• Lead various levels of staffing consultations with Senior Leadership and Chiefs of Sections in both East Jerusalem and Gaza, including the Staff Association.
• Analyze the alignment of current field presence with emergency response shifting into recovery phase as appropriate and according to location.
• Assess operational efficiency in line with programmatic needs
• Conduct online surveys for data collection to ensure all staff voices are heard
• Identify skill gaps based on future responsibilities aligned with PBR-endorsed programmatic shifts (especially recovery)
• Produce a PBR-related document with justification for changes to staffing structure, linked to the SMR report.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: [FINAL ToR Senior Consultant – UNICEF Palestine Recovery Programme Strategy Development_31 Dec 2025.docx]

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master’s degree in public administration, business administration, international development, social sciences, organizational development, or related fields.
• Work Experience: At least (10) years’ relevant experience in at least two of the following areas: strategic analyses, organizational development, evaluation, and programme development and management, PBR analysis.
• Desired Experience:
  • Proven experience with functional reviews, skills audits, or workforce planning.
  • Proven senior leadership experience in understanding of humanitarian, early recovery, recovery and development programming vis a vis humanitarian peace nexus.
  • Understanding of UNICEF Country Office Programme review, restructuring and PBR process.
  • Proven experience in developing strategic planning documents.
• Skills:
  • Excellent intercultural communication skills, active listening
  • Organizational diagnostics and workforce analysis
  • Strong facilitation skills
  • Knowledge of social and cultural context is an advantage
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required; knowledge of another UN language, especially Arabic is an asset.

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 jobs-near-me.org 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. Hepatitis A vaccination is required for travel to Gaza.

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. 

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.