National Consultancy – Public Finance for Children (PF4C) Consultant, Islamabad, Pakistan (11 months)

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 Protection!

UNICEF is recruiting a Public Finance for Children (PF4C) Consultant with focus on Health and Nutrition Financing who will provide technical leadership on public finance for health and nutrition, enhance budget system performance, and generate evidence to inform child-focused investments at federal and provincial levels. The role will contribute to strengthening fiscal planning, improving expenditure credibility and execution, supporting costing and investment cases, and leading applied research in public finance for children especially in Punjab, Balochistan, and KP

How can you make a difference? 

To make a difference, you will be accountable for the following milestones and deliverables:

Milestones:

1. Public Finance Advisory and Budget System Strengthening

2. Capacity Building and Stakeholder Engagement

3. Subnational Expenditure–Outcome Analysis (Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, KP)

4. Evidence Generation

Deliverables:

• At least five concise technical briefs or advisory notes prepared for UNICEF, based on rapid analysis of federal and provincial health and nutrition budgets. Advisory outputs will be produced on a flexible, demand-driven basis in response to emerging policy questions, budget developments, and reform priorities.

Training Sessions for Internal UNICEF Staff (4 sessions)

• 4 internal  brown bag session on topics unpacking budget making dynamics, such as on health budgeting, reading budgets,  reading and understanding PERs, budget execution tracking, budget process and where can UNICEF intervene and child- and gender-responsive budgeting tools.

District-Level Expenditure Dataset (FY 2018–19 to FY 2024–25) (1 complete dataset per province = 4 total)

• Cleaned and validated actual expenditure data by district, sector, and economic classification, with real and per capita conversions.

Review and Technical Input on District District–MICS/MPI or other relevant Indicator Alignment Analysis Report (1 report)

• Provide expert review, corrections, and advisory inputs on the drafted analytical report linking district-level expenditure trends with changes in MICS outcome indicators, including the interpretation of cross-district typologies and quadrant-based classifications. Ensure methodological soundness, clarity of findings, and policy relevance.

Financing Needs and Investment Envelope Report (2025–2030) (1 report with three scenarios)

• District- and sector-wise costing across three scenarios (base, accelerated, efficiency) with data visualizations and recommendations.

District and Provincial Profiles Briefs (Minimum 8 briefs)

• Visual and narrative profiles summarizing key expenditure–outcome patterns for select districts and each province to inform planning.

Review and Technical Input on Technical Briefs for Subnational Budget Engagements (4 briefs)

• Review, refine, and provide expert advisory inputs on draft provincial briefs (one per province) prepared for use in subnational budget dialogues and policy forums, ensuring accuracy of key messages, consistency with analytical findings, and alignment with child- and equity-focused financing priorities.

EPI Financing Gap Analysis and Model for provinces

• Develop a transparent, Excel-based EPI financing model for provinces that quantifies fiscal gaps under donor step-down, full-exit, and catch-up coverage scenarios. Produce a technical note summarizing financing needs, sustainability risks, and policy options, including stress testing for price and exchange rate volatility and a light assessment of crowding-out risks on PHC services.

Stunting Financing Assessment for Provinces

• Prepare a financing gap analysis for stunting reduction in Provinces, estimating current versus required funding for nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions using secondary data.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR – SSA PF4C Financing Consultant April 2026 VA.docx

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master Enter Disciplines: Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Social Sciences or relevant technical field (Public Financial Management)

Work Experience: 

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in health financing, public financial management (PFM), budgeting, or development planning, including work related to health and nutrition sectors in Pakistan.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs), developing costing and investment cases, and advising on budget execution, fund flows, and fiscal space analysis.
• Proven track record in supporting provincial and federal governments in Pakistan through technical assistance, budgeting tools, and advisory services aligned with EPHS/UHC frameworks.
• Experience engaging with development partners, UN agencies (including UNICEF), and CSOs, particularly in the context of policy dialogue, capacity building, and evidence-based planning.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Urdu is required.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
• Knowledge of a local language 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.

Remarks: 

• Duration of the assignment is for 11 months.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• Applicants must submit a financial quotation indicating the consultant fee against monthly deliverables as part of the application. Please see Terms of Reference.
• Consultant needs to produce a copy of their health insurance coverage at the time the contract is awarded.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable females, persons with disabilities and suitable candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.