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, a future!

UNICEF Pakistan is dedicated to promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls as a fundamental part of its mandate to uphold children’s rights and advance sustainable development. The UNICEF Pakistan Gender Strategy 2024-2027 outlines a comprehensive plan to address gender inequalities and empower women, adolescent girls, and marginalized groups. Adopting a socio-ecological approach, the strategy targets barriers in key areas such as health, education, child protection, and social protection. It aims to expand gender-equitable initiatives, improve access for girls, foster gender-responsive policies, and actively engage men and boys as allies in this effort.

The strategy also recognizes the importance of social and behavior change to shift harmful gender norms and promote equality. By involving community leaders, men, and boys, and amplifying the voices of women and girls, it challenges stereotypes and discrimination and encourages positive masculinity. Through these efforts, UNICEF Pakistan’s approach supports systemic change and cultivates leadership among women and girls, contributing to progress toward the country’s Sustainable Development Goals.

How can you make a difference? 

The Gender Consultant is specifically expected to do the following:

• • Technical Support: Provide technical support on gender integration across all aspects of UNICEF Pakistan’s country programme and ensure alignment with UNICEF’s GAP and global/regional priorities.  
  • Support design, review and quality assurance of gender-responsive strategies, policies, sector plans, and programme initiatives.  
  • Facilitate development of gender analyses, contextual evidence and strategic recommendations to inform policy dialogue, planning and budgeting.  
  • Gender-Responsive Programme Design & Results Frameworks: Works with sectoral teams (health, education, child protection, WASH, social policy, etc.) and cross sectorial teams (SBC, ADAP, Climate Change) to integrate gender objectives, indicators monitoring, and evaluation frameworks through the programme cycle.
  • Generate and promote gender disaggregated data in implementation research, behavioral insights, and tracking of social norms/power shifts within institutional systems and platforms.
  • Provide gender-responsive policy analysis and advocacy to position change strategies as a key driver in challenging social norms.
  • Provide technical expertise in gender-responsive and transformative community engagement interventions (e.g Misali Gao, BNP, HPV)
  • Strengthen monitoring systems and tools to track progress on gender results and improve reporting quality.  
  • Support coordination of gender dimensions in emergency preparedness and response initiatives.  
  • Gender Capacity Strengthening & Knowledge Products Support the operationalization of Gender Toolkits and Guidance Notes for mainstreaming into professional institutions, women-led organizations, and networks to strengthen SBC strategies to address gender norms at institutional and organizational level.
  • Lead capacity-building initiatives for UNICEF staff, partners and government actors on gender concepts, tools, and gender-responsive programming approaches.  
  • Promote knowledge sharing and learning on gender equality practices across sectors and partners.  
  • Gender Partnerships & Policy Advocacy Products Cultivate strategic partnerships with government ministries, academia, civil society organizations, UN partners, and donors to advance gender equality outcomes.  
  • Represent UNICEF in inter-agency coordination bodies and national-level forums on gender and development.  
  • Support gender advocacy messaging and external communication to raise awareness and influence behaviour change.
  • Contribute to programme reviews, donor reporting, and coordination.

Please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  Consultancy TORs - Gender.docx

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Gender Studies, Social Sciences (sociology, psychology), Public and Social Policy, International Development.

Work Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in gender equality programming, evidence-led strategy development, gender mainstreaming, gender-responsive policy analysis and advocacy, and institutional capacity building.  
• Demonstrated track record of working with government, UN agencies or civil society in Pakistan or similar contexts.  
• Experience in research, gender analysis, policy development and results-based programming.  
• Familiarity with humanitarian settings and emergency gender programming is an asset.  
• Prior extensive experience of developing evidence led gender responsive and transformative programming, strategies, approaches and tools and project management skills for coordinating multi-sectoral gender programming
• Stakeholders’ engagement: Experience of managing large and complex partnerships.

Skills:

• Strong research, interpersonal, communication and advocacy skills to advise a team of senior officials on effective gender responsive and transformative strategies.
• Building strong strategic partnership skills with key policy making institutions, including local government, women led organizations, academic education and research institutions. 
• Strong communication and negotiation skills

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Urdu is required. 

Desirables:

• Knowledge of a local language is an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

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: 

• Duration of the assignment is 12 months 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• Applicants must submit a financial quotation indicating consultant fee against monthly deliverables as part of the application. Please see Terms of Reference.
• Consultant will be based in Islamabad, will be required to travel with in-country (Travel to 4 Field Offices in each quarter: 3 days each office. KP by road, Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan by air.)
• Consultant needs to produce a copy of their health insurance coverage at the time the contract is awarded.

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. For this position, eligible and suitable Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.