Mercury and Children Consultant

Job Advertisement

Position Title: Mercury and Children Consultant
Location: New York HQ, Remote
Country: United States, Remote
Deadline Date: March 1, 2025

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established over 70 years ago, is the world's leading children's rights organization, operating in 190 countries and territories. Its mission is to promote children's survival, protection, and development. UNICEF is the largest provider of vaccines for developing countries and focuses on child health, nutrition, education, and protection from violence and exploitation. The organization is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments, employing over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Job Overview:
The Mercury and Children Consultant will play a crucial role in facilitating research and providing technical assistance for the Mercury and Children report under the Healthy Environments for Healthy Children programme. This consultancy aims to address the environmental health risks that children face, particularly those related to mercury exposure. The consultant will work closely with the HEHC team, UNICEF Regional and Country Offices, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury secretariat to develop comprehensive technical content for the report. The consultant will also be responsible for creating technical components for the global collaborative portal, ensuring that the information is accessible and engaging for various stakeholders. This position requires a deep understanding of public health, environmental issues, and the specific challenges faced by children in relation to mercury exposure.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Facilitate the development of the technical content of the Mercury and Children report, including: - Coordination meetings with the HEHC team and the Minamata Convention secretariat. - Conducting literature reviews and compiling and analyzing data. - Drafting the report and consulting with the expert community. - Finalizing the report, which will cover topics such as sources and routes of mercury exposure, health impacts, prevention and management strategies, and recommendations for policymakers and caregivers. - Creating a database of studies related to mercury and children. - Circulating four drafts of the report to experts for feedback. - Delivering the final report by August 31, 202
• Develop technical components on the global collaborative portal, which includes: - Drafting web pages related to mercury and children. - Supporting engagement with partner collaborators on mercury and child health. - Acting as a resource person in a webinar on the topic. - Delivering the Mercury and Children webpage and conducting a webinar by August 31, 2025.

Required Qualifications:
- An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Public Health.
- Technical expertise on mercury and children.
- Proven experience in drafting programmes and strategies, research, and policy advocacy.
- A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in research and public health.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently while being a team player.
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, in English.
- Desirable: Previous experience working with UNICEF or other UN agencies.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s) in Public Health, which provides the necessary foundation for understanding the complexities of public health issues, particularly those affecting children in relation to environmental hazards such as mercury exposure.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in research and public health. This experience should include technical expertise on mercury and children, as well as proven capabilities in drafting programmes and strategies, conducting research, and engaging in policy advocacy.

Languages:
The mandatory language for this position is English, with excellent oral and written communication skills required. While not mandatory, proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, particularly if they are relevant to the regions where UNICEF operates.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy is set to last from March 1, 2025, to August 31, 202

• The position can be home-based or office-based at NYHQ. Candidates must complete their profiles in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and upload their academic credentials. A financial proposal reflecting the costs per deliverable and total lump-sum for the assignment is required. Any travel costs and daily subsistence allowances will be covered if applicable. Selected candidates must have current health insurance coverage at the time of contract award. Payment will be based on the submission of satisfactory deliverables, and UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment if standards are not met. Candidates must also confirm their fully-vaccinated status against COVID-19, although this does not apply to those working remotely.