The Project Advisory Consultant will provide strategic and technical guidance to support the successful establishment and operationalization of the Centers of Excellence (CoEs). The consultant will work closely with the Director of PG, the Chief of Operations, and the project coordination team to identify and mitigate risks, ensure readiness of CoE locations, and strengthen financial and grant management functions.

Scope Of Work

Strategic Advisory Support

Advise the Director of PG and the project coordination team on strategic risks and opportunities related to the CoE establishment.
Provide expert input on recruitment strategies, location readiness, financial sustainability, and programme offerings.

Risk Management

Maintain and regularly update the project risk register.
Identify emerging risks and propose mitigation strategies.
Design and recommend internal controls to address identified risks.
Advise senior management on risk prioritization and response planning.

Operational Readiness

Collaborate with the Chief of Operations to assess and ensure the physical, logistical, and administrative readiness of CoE locations.
Support the development of operational plans and readiness checklists.

Financial and Grant Management

Provide strategic insights into the financial and grant management functions of the GPD.
Review financial plans and advise on budget alignment with CoE objectives.
Support the development of financial monitoring tools and reporting mechanisms.

Knowledge Transfer and Programme Design

Advise on mechanisms for effective knowledge transfer to CoE staff and stakeholders.
Review and provide input on the programme offerings of the CoEs to ensure relevance, quality, and sustainability.

Deliverables

Work Assignment Overview

Deliverables/ Outputs

Delivery deadline

Strategic Advisory Support

Monthly advisory reports summarizing key risks, recommendations, and progress.

July 31, 2026

Risk Registry Update

Updated on a monthly basis risk register with documented changes and mitigation actions.

January 31, 2025

Operational Readiness

Participate in monthly coordination meetings, summarize key concerns and risks

December 31, 2025

Financial and Grant Management

Provide a strategic insight paper on grant management, with a view of grants that are transferred from elsewhere

July 31, 2026

Knowledge transfer and program design

Provide documented monthly inputs on knowledge transfer for inclusion in programme design documents and operational plans, ensuring alignment with COE design.

July 31, 2026

Due to funding constraints to cover all planned activities, some deliverables will only be completed subject to additional resources availability.

Qualifications And Experience Required

Masters or above in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Organizational Development or International Development. Bachelors degree with more years of exxperience may be considered.
At least 15 years of experience in Strategic Planning with Rights based Planning and RBM expertise. Global level experience at senior management level, desirably with UN/UNICEF.
Excellent Anlytical and report writing skills
Experience in Project management and change management at senior level
Ability to work with multiple stakeholders

Selection Criteria

Technical Evaluation (75)

Education background
Previous relevant experience in project management and change management at senior management level
Experience with other similar engagements (please articulate clearly porevious similar assignments)

Financial Proposal (25)

Use the below template to provide your financial proposal

S. No.

Work Assignment Overview

Deliverables/ Outputs

Amount (USD $)

(Note: Please indicate the cost per deliverable and the total lump sum. Daily rates should not be included)

1

Strategic Advisory Support

Monthly advisory reports summarizing key risks, recommendations, and progress.

$

2

Additional Notes

Courses will be required for the successful Candidates: Certificates of mandatory courses (Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF (2020 version); Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (2021 version) & Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA) (2021 version) consolidated in one single pdf. For COnsultancy assignments which include travel assignments, BSAFE will be a mandatory course requirement to be added to the list of certificates to be uploaded.

Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant.
Joint applications of two or more individuals are not accepted.
Please note, UNICEF does not charge any fee during any stage of the process.
Female candidates meeting the requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds including persons living with disabilities to apply.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy contract 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 and Individual Contractors. 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.
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.

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.

Project Advisor Consultant - Programme Group (Remote)