Technical Leadership Track Development Consultant, Division of People and Culture, Global Programme Division, 4 months, NYHQ (Remote/Home based with travel as needed)

T 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 development

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Assignment:  Formalizing a technical leadership track requires creating a structured, parallel career path that also allows our technical experts to be recognized as leaders without necessarily transitioning into management. It legitimizes senior technical leadership roles as peers to senior staff in management roles. This shift will mean establishing dynamic "career lattices" that offer multiple pathways to leadership and success. It calls for the establishment of a specialized technical leadership track, cross-functional leadership roles, and skills-based progression rather than waiting for hierarchical transitions/promotions.

Global Leads and Senior Advisors in the Global Programme Division represent a deep reservoir of institutional knowledge, sectoral expertise, and professional influence. This initiative serves as a pilot with this demographic as the beneficiaries, to motivate and develop them as valued leaders in their areas of expertise, and to inform how technical leadership can be recognized, developed, and supported across UNICEF.

What will success look like: Reshaping our talent pipelines toward prioritizing and recognizing expertise, influence, and impact with active internal mobility programmes that create fluid dual paths between managerial leadership and technical leadership, will undoubtedly lead to higher employee retention in high growth and future focused environments.

The technical leadership career path looks to create opportunities for those willing to think beyond conventional trajectories and actively shape their professional development. By understanding these emerging paths, our professionals can build fulfilling, impactful careers that align with the ambitious and transformative agenda of UNICEF.

Scope of Work:

Working in close partnership with DPC, GPD and OED, the consultant will design and build the architecture of a structured technical leadership track with a proposal for how to organize, establish, implement, maintain and govern it.

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

3.1 Strategic Design & Workplan including Governance, Sustainability and Continuity and Ownership

3.2 Data Gathering & Participant Identification

3.3 Exposure Opportunities Model

3.4 Assessment Preparation & Competitive Readiness

If you would like to know more about this consultancy's detailed scope of work, expected deliverables, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master's in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Public Administration, International Relations, International Development
• Work Experience:  Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in talent management, leadership development, organizational development, workforce transformation, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing leadership, specialist, expert or technical career pathways in large organizations.
• Experience supporting workforce transformation, talent strategies, organizational capability development, or skills-based workforce initiatives.
• Experience working with international organizations, multilateral institutions, public sector organizations or large complex organizations.
• Experience designing and facilitating leadership assessments, development programmes, coaching and talent reviews.
• Skills: Knowledge of talent management, leadership development and organizational development methodologies.
• Knowledge of specialist, technical or expert career frameworks and leadership pathways.
• Strong understanding of competency frameworks, skills-based organizations and workforce planning approaches.
• Ability to design leadership models, role profiles and talent development strategies.
• Strong facilitation, stakeholder engagement and consultation skills.
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leaders and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Language Requirements: English
• Desirables: Experience working with UN organizations or other international development organizations.
• Experience designing or implementing technical leadership, specialist or expert career tracks.
• Familiarity with Communities of Practice, knowledge networks and technical talent development approaches.
• Executive coaching or leadership assessment certification.
• Experience supporting organizational capability or skills-based workforce transformations.

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0006552.docx
• Technical Proposal: The applicant should submit a technical proposal not exceeding 5 pages describing:

• • understanding of the assignment and its objectives;
  • proposed methodology and workplan;
  • approach to stakeholder engagement and co-design;
  • relevant experience and examples of similar assignments;
  • key risks and mitigation measures.

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers .

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here .