Contract Duration: 31 months

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.

Purpose of Assignment:

The purpose of the consultancy is to support country offices and partners to identify and assess relationships between sources of environmental lead exposure and blood lead levels.

The UNICEF Strategic Plan has elevated action on climate change and environmental degradation as an organizational priority, to be integrated throughout UNICEF programmes. To concretize this, UNICEF HQ is implementing its global Healthy Environments for Healthy Children (HEHC) programme framework in over 20 countries.  To mobilize collection action, UNICEF and partners have founded a Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative to protect child health and development from the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.

UNICEF is currently starting activities in an additional 20 low- and middle-income countries to support the prioritization of the issue in the national agenda. This investment is critical because of the lack of understanding of the issue. The resources will be used for a local children’s environmental health assessment (e.g., with an academic institution), building local awareness and institutional leadership on the issue and positioning UNICEF as a credible actor in this new space by rolling out global assets on lead and children’s environmental health.

This 31-month consultancy will provide support and technical assistance to low-and-middle income countries on the statistical analysis of lead exposure data within the context of children’s environmental health. The consultancy will be managed by the Senior Adviser, Environment. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the HEHC team at HQ, and other offices working on the issue of lead poisoning.

The scope of work:

• Lead the development of training material:
• Assist in project design:
• Conduct statistical analyses:
• Provide technical assistance:
• Develop database:

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  Statist Conscy ToR for Child Envl Health.pdf

Minimum requirements: (Qualifications/Experience/Expertise)

• Education: Master’s or Ph.D. in Business Administration with a focus on Corporate Sustainability or a Master’s Degree with significant relevant experience.

• Work Experience/expertise:
  • Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in lead programming in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Technical expertise in statistical analysis.
  • Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous research, analyze complex data, and synthesize information into clear, actionable guidance.
  • Excellent ability to produce high-quality technical notes, protocols, reports, and presentations for diverse audiences (technical experts, policymakers, country-level teams).
  • Demonstrated past experience in design of studies and assessments, and conducting research related to the environment, environmental health, climate x health, child’s health, pollutants and/or toxic metals
  • Previous experience of working with UNICEF and the UN is desirable.
  • Previous work on metals exposure is desirable.
  • Experience developing databases is desirable
• Knowledge and Skills:
  • Knowledge of research, monitoring, and evaluation methods, both quantitative and qualitative, and statistical methods and software
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills
  • Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required; knowledge of another UN language (e.g. Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian) is an asset.

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:  Financial Proposal Statistician Cons.docx
• A detailed technical proposal

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible 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.