Home-based Consultancy: Vulnerability Consultant (68 working days for 6 months), ECARO, O/P Rome, Italy

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Protection

Scope of the work:

Since 2017, UNICEF has been working with local and national authorities to provide technical support to the enhanced protection for migrant and refugee children, women and families disembarking along Italian southern coasts. More specifically, during the past two years, UNICEF has joint inter-agency and interinstitutional coordination mechanisms at the local level across Sicily to collect data, monitor the reception system and referral pathways to advise child protection duty bearers on how to improve timeliness and effectiveness in vulnerability identification and response.

UNICEF actively participated in the drafting process of the Vademecum  on vulnerabilities issued by the Ministry of the Interior by providing inputs on the identification and referral of vulnerabilities at all stages of reception – from arrival to second-line reception.

Considering all the above, the consultant will work in close collaboration with local Prefectures in Sicily, local institutions, international agencies and NGOs to:

• Update the mapping of reception facilities, institutional contacts and referral services;
• Attend and report on contents discussed within technical tables on vulnerabilities as convened by local Prefectures in Sicily;
• Provide inputs and review concerning SoPs and other relevant documents to support the implementation of the Vademecum on Vulnerabilities issued by the Ministry of the Interior;
• Coordinate and exchange with institutional counterparts, international agencies and NGOs

How can you make a difference? 

Work location: Home-based in Sicily, Calabria or Apulia (Italy)

To apply:

Applicants are invited to: 

1. Complete their UNICEF profile;
2. Submit a financial proposal with a daily fee in EUR. Applications without fees will not be considered.

- Payment schedule: The consultant will be paid based on satisfactory and timely submission of deliverables.

- Duration: (68 working days for 6 months) March 2025– September 2025 (Possibility of extension based on funding availability).

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

• Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Pedagogical sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Political Sciences, or other related disciplines.

Work experience required:

• At least 5 years of professional experience with refugees and migrants or vulnerable children along with extensive experience in the field of protection
• Proven experience of work with local authorities in Sicily, Calabria and/or Apulia.Knowledge required:

Knowledge required:

• Proven knowledge of the national context with regards to reception, protection and inclusion of migrant and refugee children, including vulnerability.

Skills required:

• Ability to work through networking and partnership.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships.

Language required:

• Fluency in Italian
• Fluency in English

Desirable:

• At least 3 years work experience in the child protection system in Sicily, Calabria and/or Apulia

• At least 3 years work experience with local authorities operating in Sicily, Calabria and/or Apulia

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. 

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. 

Remarks:  

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.