Open-Source Data Collection consultant, 3 months, Child Protection Section, UNICEF NYHQ, USA (Remote)

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 opportunity. 

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will use open-source information methodologies and tools to identify, verify, and analyse media-reported grave violations incidents against children throughout 2026 in some specific conflict affected situations. The consultancy will also inform UNICEF’s understanding on the use of open-source information to document grave violations against children.

The scope of this consultancy includes systematic collection, verification, documentation, and analysis of reported and publicly available information on grave violations against children reported during the year 2026 in selected conflict situations, as agreed with the UNICEF Child Protection CAAC/MRM team. The consultant will receive technical guidance from the team to ensure accuracy, credibility, and quality of output, as well as compliance with established MRM methodologies and reporting standards.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0007076ToR.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree (Master's degree) in Human Rights, Conflict, Peace and Security Studies; Intelligence Studies, Political Science, Digital Investigations, or a related field
• Work Experience: Minimum three (3) years of relevant professional experience in human rights monitoring, open-source investigations including digital investigations and the application of digital verification techniques (including geolocation, chronolocation, source triangulation, and social media analysis).
• Previous experience in the collection, verification, analysis, and documentation of grave violations against children, including through open-source investigation methodologies, is highly desirable.

• Skills : Expertise open-source research and digital investigations.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities.
• Proven ability to verify, corroborate, and synthesize information from multiple sources.
• Excellent drafting, reporting, and communication skills.
• Language Requirements: Fluent spoken and written in English.

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.

This consultancy has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply. 

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)  TMC0007076 Financial proposal template.docx

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 consultancies 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 .