New Consultancy: Procurement Efficiencies Consultancy, Procurement Services Centre, UNICEF Supply Division Copenhagen, Remote, 6 months

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, a future

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commit all governments to comprehensive, integrated and universal transformations by 2030. Countries are required to mobilise efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind. Without adequate and sustained investments in health, the SDGs will not be realised. One way of doing this is to influence the size, equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of public spending at national and sub-national level. In UNICEF, this is done through the Public Finance for Children (PF4C) stream of work, which is central to UNICEF’s work globally. Many of the obstacles to improving child outcomes can be directly traced to public financial management (PFM) challenges, which makes it relevant to all programmatic pillars. As financial sustainability is one of the cornerstones to achieve durable and efficient systems of public programmes, UNICEF engages with governments to influence the mobilization, allocation and utilization of domestic financial resources for greater, more equitable results for children. UNICEF Supply Division’s Financing Partnerships and Solutions Strategy specifically supports governments to increase and improve the use of public financial resources to achieve a successful transition towards sustainable self-financing of essential supplies for children (“Country Supply Financing”). With the reduction in aid globally, the emphasis is now on not only mobilising domestic financing for essential supplies but also ensuring efficient use of available resources. One way of achieving this is by creating efficiencies in procurement of child health commodities.

UNICEF has developed a Toolkit for creating efficiency savings in health supplies, which contributes to the expansion of fiscal space. This involves a four-staged process; (i) value for money agenda, (ii) identifying inefficiencies in both procurement and PFM challenges, (iii) developing a roadmap for addressing the challenges and (iv) ringfencing the accrued savings for health. The Toolkit has been piloted in Rwanda and Zanzibar, Tanzania and now needs to be expanded to at least two additional countries, including at least one francophone country.

There is moreover growing interest to customise the Toolkit to the education sector. The education sector spends significant resources on education supplies and creating efficiency savings would enhance the utilization of available funding in countries. However, the existing efficiency savings Toolkit is only applicable to health commodities, and UNICEF would like to explore applicability and customisation to the education sector.

Scope of Work:
Under the general guidance of Procurement Services Manager – Planning and Financing, UNICEF Supply Division, and in consultation with relevant colleagues from Regional and Country Offices (including but not limited to Health, Education, Supply and Social Policy sections), the consultant will be expected to:

How can you make a difference? 

Work Assignment Overview:

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

How to apply
Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual 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 and individual contractors 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.