Senior Consultant – DRR and Climate Adaptation Innovation

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established 70 years ago, operates in over 190 countries and territories with a mission to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The organization focuses on reaching the most disadvantaged children in some of the world's toughest places. UNICEF's Office of Innovation is a creative and agile team that seeks to innovate for children by forming partnerships around frontier technologies and creating scalable solutions to meet children's vital needs. The organization emphasizes the importance of new approaches, partnerships, and technologies to improve children's lives and build a better world for everyone.

Job Overview:
The consultant will play a crucial role in accelerating UNICEF's efforts to scale effective Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) innovations that deliver tangible results for children. This position involves close collaboration with the Climate Resilience Centre of Excellence and the Office of Innovation to build a coherent organizational approach for identifying, testing, documenting, and scaling innovations that enhance the climate resilience of essential services and national systems. The consultant will contribute to UNICEF's Strategic Plan (2026–2029) and the Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) by focusing on innovations related to early warning systems and anticipatory approaches as part of broader DRR and CCA efforts. The role requires a proactive approach to identifying and implementing innovative solutions that can significantly impact children's lives in the face of climate change and disaster risks.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant's main responsibilities include identifying, analyzing, and documenting DRR and CCA innovations across UNICEF, including promising work on early warning and anticipatory approaches. The consultant will map organizational resources, expertise, and initiatives to identify synergies and gaps. They will draft global guidance on DRR/CCA innovations, synthesizing evidence from UNICEF and external partners. Additionally, the consultant will develop practical implementation tools, case studies, and briefs, and provide tailored technical support to priority countries to integrate DRR/CCA innovations into national systems, policies, and programs. The consultant will support Country Offices and the Climate Resilience CoE in developing strong proposals for DRR/CCA innovation, collaborate with the Office of Innovation to align DRR/CCA innovation efforts with wider UNICEF innovation priorities, and prepare knowledge briefs and presentations for global dissemination. Furthermore, the consultant will design and deliver virtual and in-person training for staff and partners.

Required Qualifications:
To qualify for this position, candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction, Environmental Science/Engineering, Public Policy, International Development, or a related field. A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in DRR and/or CCA is required, including demonstrated experience with innovation for climate resilience, systems strengthening, and the application of DRR/CCA approaches in social sectors. Candidates must have proven expertise in at least one of the following areas: early warning systems, anticipatory approaches, climate-risk analytics, resilient infrastructure, or community-based climate resilience. Strong experience in developing guidance, tools, case studies, or capacity-building materials for DRR/CCA programming is essential, along with experience providing technical support to governments, UN agencies, or development/humanitarian organizations, preferably in climate-vulnerable or low-resource contexts. Familiarity with emergency contexts and developing country work experience is considered a strong asset.

Educational Background:
Candidates must have an advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a relevant field such as Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction, Environmental Science/Engineering, Public Policy, or International Development. This educational background is crucial for understanding the complexities of climate resilience and disaster risk management, as well as for effectively contributing to UNICEF's mission of improving the lives of children in vulnerable situations.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and/or Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). Candidates should have a strong track record of working on innovative solutions for climate resilience and systems strengthening, as well as practical experience in applying DRR/CCA approaches in social sectors. Experience in providing technical support to governments and organizations in climate-vulnerable contexts is highly valued, as is familiarity with emergency situations and the challenges faced by communities in these contexts.

Languages:
Fluency in English is required for this position. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is considered an asset, as it can enhance communication and collaboration with diverse stakeholders and communities.

Additional Notes:
The consultant may be required to undertake travel for this assignment, with a separate travel budget allocated by UNICEF. All travel will be planned and approved in close coordination with the supervisor, and the consultant is responsible for arranging their own travel, including visa and travel insurance. Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables, and UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment if the deliverables do not meet the required standards or if there are delays in submission. Interested applicants must submit a financial proposal that includes travel costs and any other estimated expenses. Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered. UNICEF emphasizes its commitment to diversity and inclusion, and encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including those with disabilities.