UNICEF
Long-Term Agreement (LTA) for Individual Consultant as International Consultants Systems Strengthening & Governance, WASH, Remote based, UNICEF, Req 592815
🇵🇦Panamá, Panamá, PanamaRemote available13 days ago
EntryFull Time
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.
Background and Rationale
UNICEF supports both humanitarian response and long-term development programming in line with the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2026–2029 which directly integrates Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) across two major impact results:
Reaching these targets at scale requires transforming how WASH services are planned, financed, governed, and sustained over time. By focusing on WASH systems and governance functions, UNICEF supports governments in countries to address the underlying structural and political constraints that limit service delivery. Strengthened systems enable governments not only to expand access, but to ensure that services are inclusive, resilient to climate shocks, and sustainably managed, directly contributing to both child survival and environmental protection outcomes under the Strategic Plan.
Investing in systems strengthening also maximizes impact by prioritizing equity. Through better data, planning, and regulations, governments can identify and reach underserved populations, ensuring that progress toward SDG6 leaves no one behind. At the same time, stronger governance and accountability frameworks improve transparency and performance across the sector, building trust and enabling more efficient use of public and donor resources.
UNICEF working alongside governments and other stakeholders, further amplifies this impact helps countries move from fragmented interventions to coherent, country-led systems capable of delivering sustained WASH services at scale.
UNICEF works with governments and partners to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), emphasizing universal access to sustainable and equitable water, sanitation and hygiene services. Achieving SDG6 requires moving beyond infrastructure delivery to strengthening WASH systems, addressing the governance functions, and tackling the structural, institutional and political drivers of WASH performance. These principles, and the 3-level systems model, are defined in the UNICEF WASH Systems Strengthening Framework and operationalized in its companion Reference Guide for Programming.
UNICEF country offices increasingly require specialized expertise to support governments in:
In this context, the establishment of a roster of specialized consultants is a strategic investment. These experts provide the technical and facilitation capacity needed to diagnose bottlenecks, strengthen institutions, and operationalize systems approaches in diverse country contexts. Their support enables UNICEF and its partners to translate global ambitions into practical, country-level reforms, ultimately ensuring that WASH services are equitable, accountable, climate-resilient, and sustainable for all.
To meet these needs, the UNICEF Centre of Excellence is establishing an LTA of international consultants with demonstrated experience in WASH systems strengthening and governance that is open to UNICEF Regional and Country Offices. Selected consultants will be eligible for a long-term agreement contract to provide on-demand technical support to UNICEF Centre of Excellence, Regional and Country Offices. LTAs are non-binding arrangements that do not constitute a commitment to acquire a consultant service.
Purpose
To meet these requirements, UNICEF would like to engage the services of consultants to enable to provide high-quality technical assistance, capacity strengthening and facilitation support to governments and UNICEF country offices to strengthen national and subnational WASH systems, improve governance, enhance sector performance, and support sustainable and resilient service delivery.
Objective
The overall objective is to set up a Long-Term Agreement to facilitate and expedite the process by which the UNICEF Global WASH Practice will hire consultants to provide technical support in different parts of the world.
How can you make a difference?
Key Tasks/Specific Programme Areas
Specific programme areas of the consultations may vary depending on support needs, which would be defined at the start of the engagement. It is anticipated that international consultants will provide countries and/or regional offices with technical guidance on a range of different aspects related to WASH system strengthening and governance, including :
Deliverables/Scope of Work
The consultants may be contracted to provide support in one of several of the (5) areas described below:
Travel
Consultants that apply may be asked to travel to UNICEF regions for in-country support. Consultants will need to make their travel arrangements and will be reimbursed for travel costs and subsistence allowance in line with and limited to those payable by UNICEF. The payment of travel costs shall be limited to economy class air travel, regardless of the length of travel. Airfare and terminal expenses will be paid upon completion of each duty travel against the invoices.
Estimated duration of LTA
The Long-Term Agreement will be for a duration of three years. The initial period would be for two years with an option for renewal for a subsequent year on the same rates, terms and conditions, subject to satisfactory performance evaluation and continuing need for the service. The services of the consultants selected under the LTA would also be made available to UNICEF Regional and Country offices.
Payment Schedule
The LTA to be signed will have a fixed fee rate reflecting deliverables and including daily fee. However, UNICEF does not guarantee that any quantity of services will be purchased during the term of the LTA as this will depend on forthcoming requests.
The consultant is expected to provide a quotation for the services he/she will provide as part of the application.
Financial Proposal Template
LTA Financial Proposal Template
Contracts Created Against The LTA
Whenever consultancy services are required, details of the services will be presented according to the availability of the LTA holder.
Upon receipt of confirmation of availability and interest in the assignment, a contract will be issued with the prices/fees agreed in the LTA. The consultant must sign the contract prior to commencement of work.
Payment will be made after the completion of deliverables and submission of invoices for the actual work completed, subject to satisfactory performance.
Application Process/How to Apply:
The application to be submitted through the online portal should contain five separate attachments:
Without all the above 5 documents your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further.
Note: Courses will be required for the successful LTA holders: Certificates of mandatory courses (Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF; Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority & Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA) consolidated in one single pdf. For LTAs which include travel assignments, BSAFE will be a mandatory course requirement to be added to the list of certificates to be uploaded.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
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
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
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.
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.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.