Consultant (9 months, home and office-based) Contracts Specialist, Corporate Partnerships, PFP, Geneva

The Consultant will support the Corporate Partnerships team at PFP and designated National Committees and UNICEF country offices by: - Facilitating understanding and use of agreement templates and tools. - Supporting the drafting and negotiation of business terms for private sector partnership agreements. - Providing guidance on negotiations and alignment with UNICEF policies. - Monitoring and tracking agreements through the approval process. - Supporting post-signature contract management (remedial actions, amendments, terminations). - Acting as a knowledge center for best practices in agreements and partnership management.

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 peace 

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:

The Consultant will support the Corporate Partnerships team at PFP and designated National Committees and UNICEF country offices by:

-  Facilitating understanding and use of agreement templates and tools.

-  Supporting the drafting and negotiation of business terms for private sector partnership agreements.

-  Providing guidance on negotiations and alignment with UNICEF policies.

-  Monitoring and tracking agreements through the approval process.

-  Supporting post-signature contract management (remedial actions, amendments, terminations).

-  Acting as a knowledge center for best practices in agreements and partnership management.

How can you make a difference? 

SCOPE OF WORK:

A. Enhancing Contracting Efficiency

• Provide timely guidance on the required templates and tools to PFP’s Corporate Partnerships team and designated National Committees and country offices.
• Evaluate and streamline existing contracting processes to improve speed and efficiency.
• Identify and implement use of appropriate standardized templates and guidelines for common contract types to reduce turnaround time. If an existing template cannot be used, work with the UNICEF Legal Office to provide a bespoke document.
• Monitor the prioritization of agreements arising from the PFP Corporate Partnerships team, provide this information to the UNICEF Legal Office Section Chief, Geneva, and ensure that legal queries are dealt with in a timely manner.

B.  Training and Capacity Building

• Identify gaps in legal/contracts knowledge for the PFP Corporate Partnerships Team (both New Business and Partnership Development teams) and provide tailored training to meet those needs.
• Support the onboarding process of new staff on the team as it relates to partnership agreements.
• Offer weekly structured support to the team for ad-hoc and urgent requests for guidance and advice.

C. Partnership Support

• Provide contracting support for the PFP Corporate Partnerships Team in negotiations with corporate partners to ensure the best outcomes for UNICEF, particularly in regard to how the business terms affect the legal terms and whether legal advice is required for the drafting of a particular agreement or clause.
• Collaborate with the PFP Corporate Partnerships Team to understand specific needs and challenges.
• Review agreements to identify risks and areas for escalation to senior management colleagues, including those requiring guidance from the UNICEF Legal Office.

D. Risk Management and Improvement Initiatives

• Collaborate with the Legal Office to monitor contract compliance and identify potential risks through risk assessments, ensuring UNICEF's contracting process with corporate partners aligns with legal standards and regulations.
• Collaborate with other cross-functional teams to align legal strategies with organizational goals, ensuring compliance and risk mitigation.
• Provide inputs to UNICEF’s Legal Office on development of templates, training and guidance.
• Implement improvement initiatives based on feedback from internal stakeholders and evolving legal landscapes, ensuring adaptability and responsiveness in an ever-changing environment.

WORK ASSIGNMENT:

• Corporate Agreements Support and Capacity Building.

DELIVERABLES:

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverables/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Deliverable 1: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, and by mid-September 2026.

• Ongoing contracting support, including review, drafting, and guidance on agreements with corporate partners, ensuring alignment with UNICEF policies and procedures is provided.

Deliverable 2: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Weekly online clinics (total 4 per month) are conducted to respond to team queries, provide real-time advice, and clarify contracting processes.

Deliverable 3: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• At least 1 structured training or knowledge-sharing session per month on a priority contracting or negotiation topic, tailored to the needs of the Corporate Partnerships team is delivered.

Deliverable 4: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Regularly maintain and update the Corporate Agreements Tracker, ensuring accurate metadata is captured for all agreements and progress is updated daily.

Deliverable 5: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Manage the weekly contracts priority process with the Legal Office to identify and address contract priorities.

Deliverable 6: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Provide one-on-one on-boarding or refresher guidance for all new staff members as well as any existing staff needing tailored support in contract processes, template selection, and the business terms of a priority agreement.

Deliverable 7: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Capture and share lessons learned or case examples from recent contracts on a monthly basis to help the team strengthen future negotiations and improve efficiency.

Deliverable 8: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of standardized templates, guidance notes, or best practice tools, incorporating lessons learned from current contracts on a monthly basis.

Deliverable 9: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align strategies with organizational goals on a monthly basis.

Deliverable 10: by mid-January 2026, by mid-February 2026, by mid-March 2026, by mid-April 2026, by mid-May 2026, by mid-June 2026, by mid-July 2026, by mid-August 2026, by mid-September 2026.

• Implement improvement initiatives based on feedback and changes in the legal landscape.

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

Education:

• An Advanced university degree in Business or Commercial Law is required. Alternatively, a first-level university degree in the same fields combined with an additional two years of work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional work experience in agreement negotiation and management is required.
• Experience working as a lawyer managing contract negotiations is required.
• Understanding the United Nations system and legal parameters is required.
• Demonstrated skills in drafting and reviewing partnership agreements with companies for philanthropic giving or in the CSR area is required.
• Good commercial awareness and proven business acumen is required.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and prioritize while working against multiple deadlines is required.
• Experience working with the UN is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships across multiple teams and external stakeholders is required.
• Innovative mindset, with experience in developing and managing tracking tools for contract oversight is required.
• Strong negotiation and advisory skills is required.

Specific Skills:

• Communicates effectively to varied audiences.
• Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
• Can work effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Demonstrates and shares detailed technical knowledge and expertise.
• Ensures that the team follows relevant UNICEF policies and procedures.
• Adopts a collaborative and solution-oriented approach.
• Can coordinate numerous stakeholders and parties.
• Sets clearly defined objectives and produces comprehensive guidance.
• Is organized, strong at planning, and results oriented.

Language:

• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is an asset.

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. 

Remarks:  

Please indicate your all-inclusive (lump sum) fees against the deliverables listed above, including all associated administrative and travel costs (if applicable), in the cover letter. The office selects the individual based on best value for money.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

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. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.