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For every child, the right to health
Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
Health is a crucial aspect of the physical and mental development of children and adolescents. The European Commission supports Member States in their efforts to promote the health of children and adolescents through the adoption of EU-wide legislation, policies, programmes, and actions that address health challenges that children face at different stages of their development.
The European Commissionโs action on โPromoting a comprehensive, prevention-oriented approach to childrenโs healthโ (DP/CR-CA-24-26) is part of the EU4Health Programme for the period 2021-2027. For this initiative, the European Commission is supporting UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), to promote good physical and mental health and prevent health problems in children (including adolescents) through impactful actions across settings in participating countries. This programme of work focuses on five key areas affecting children: 1) early childhood development and interventions; 2) immunization; 3) healthy lifestyles; 4) protection from aggressive promotion of harmful products (including tobacco and nicotine products, alcohol, and unhealthy diets); and 5) promotion of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.
Immunization is central to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, offering protection against life-threatening diseases and reducing long-term healthcare costs. Despite notable progress across the European Union, persistent gaps in vaccination coverage remain, particularly among vulnerable and socially marginalized groups such as Roma communities, refugees, and migrants. These disparities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted routine immunization services and led to declines in coverage. The consequences are evident: 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024 โ double the number reported for 2023 and the highest number seen in the Region since 1997. This resurgence signals systemic weaknesses in reaching un- and under-vaccinated populations and underscores the need for tailored, context-specific strategies.
The immunization component of this initiative responds to these challenges by adopting a comprehensive, prevention-oriented approach aligned with the Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers, WHO-European collaboration on immunization equity, and the EU4Health Programme objectives. The work began with a rigorous evidence-generation phase, where UNICEF conducted an in-depth assessment of immunization coverage across EU Member States. This analysis identified gaps, obstacles, and disparities, paying particular attention to vulnerable populations. This analysis further needs to examine legislative frameworks, service delivery models and social mobilization strategies to understand what drives success and where barriers persist. The findings will be synthesized into an evidence brief designed to inform policymakers and guide targeted interventions.
Building on this evidence, UNICEF will develop a practical, modular toolkit to support countries in designing and implementing people-centered, culturally appropriate immunization programs. The toolkit will include resources for needs assessment, policy development, and monitoring, offering guidance on strategies to reach hard-to-reach populations and improve health-seeking behaviors. These tools will draw on global best practices while remaining adaptable to diverse national contexts, ensuring relevance and usability.
To translate these resources into action, UNICEF will work closely with a few Member States to pilot the toolkit. Through tailored technical assistance and capacity-building activities, these countries will adapt and apply the tools to strengthen national immunization policies and implementation plans. This hands-on phase will not only improve immunization coverage in the selected countries but also generate valuable lessons for scaling up across all participating states. Feedback from these pilots will inform refinements to the toolkit and shape recommendations for broader adoption.
Complementing these efforts, UNICEF will convene regional policy dialogues to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration among Member States. These dialogues will provide a platform for sharing best practices, addressing common challenges, and promoting integrated approaches to immunization within broader child health strategies. Finally, a robust communication and advocacy campaign will ensure that findings and resources are widely disseminated, reinforcing a common narrative on the importance of immunization as a cost-effective, life-saving intervention and its critical role in achieving health equity.
To support these efforts, UNICEF ECARO is recruiting a consultant to provide support in providing technical assistance to immunization component of the project, including evidence generation, toolkit development and piloting in select countries. The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the ECARO Immunization Coordinator and Senior Health Adviser.
Scope of Work:
Evidence Generation and Policy Analysisโข Analyze legislative frameworks, service delivery models and social mobilization strategies to understand success factors and barriers.
โข Produce evidence brief on immunization for policymakers, highlighting trends, equity gaps, and actionable recommendations. Toolkit Development
โข Based on the assessment, develop practical, evidence-based tools to support countries in designing and implementing people-centered, culturally appropriate immunization programs.
โข Include resources for needs assessment, policy development, and monitoring, with guidance on reaching hard-to-reach populations and improving health-seeking behaviors.
โข Ensure tools reflect global best practices and are adaptable to diverse national contexts. Piloting and Technical Assistance
โข Support some Member States in adapting and applying immunization tools from the toolkit.
โข Provide tailored technical assistance and capacity-building activities to strengthen national immunization policies and implementation plans.
โข Document lessons learned and recommendations for scaling up across all participating countries. Policy Dialogue and Knowledge Exchange
โข Facilitate EU policy dialogues to share best practices, challenges, and innovative approaches to improving immunization coverage.
โข Engage stakeholders from health, social protection, and education sectors, as well as civil society and youth representatives, to ensure multisectoral buy-in. Work Assignments Overview Deliverables/Outputs Delivery Deadline Expected Days 1. Evidence Generation and Policy Analysis
The assignment will provide a comprehensive analysis of immunization coverage trends, equity gaps, and determinants across EU Member States. It will identify policy and delivery barriers and enablers, with a focus on vulnerable populations, and produce an actionable policy-oriented evidence brief to inform decision-making. 1.1 Review of legislative frameworks, entitlements, financing mechanisms, and service delivery models related to immunization. 15 March 2026 10 working days 1.2 Assessment of barriers and success factors in reaching vulnerable groups (e.g., migrants, Roma, low-income, socially excluded adolescents) 15 March 2026 10 working days 1.3 Synthesis of promising strategies to address hesitancy and access barriers. 15 March 2026 8 working days 1.4 Immunization Evidence Brief for policymakers, including relevant case studies repository (action-oriented, 10โ15 pages) and a comprehensive list of current resources available in the EU on the topic of immunization targeted towards policy makers.
30 March 2026
15 working days 2. Toolkit DevelopmentThe assignment will produce a practical, adaptable set of tools to support Member States in strengthening equitable childhood and adolescent immunization. The toolkit will include guidance for needs assessment, policy and programme design, culturally responsive community engagement, service delivery models, and subnational data use for targeted action. 2.1 Development of minimum 3 tools for immunization at the policy level and evidence generation which comes because of the assessment of the situation in the European Union 30 august 2026 50 working days 3. Piloting and Technical Assistance
The assignment will support the adaptation and application of the toolkit in few pilot Member States. It will include tailored technical assistance, capacity-building, and structured support for implementing priority immunization improvements, with systematic documentation of lessons learned and opportunities for scale-up. 3.1 Selection and onboarding of select pilot Member States with priority needs and readiness. 30 November 2026 5 working days 3.2 Adaptation workshops to contextualize the Toolkitโs immunization tools to national frameworks and delivery systems. 31 December 2026 10 working days 3.3 Technical assistance packages (written guidance + remote/in-person support). 31 January 2027* 10 working days 3.4 Lessons Learned & Recommendations Report to guide broader scale-up across EU MS. 31 May 2027* 5 working days 4. Policy Dialogue and Knowledge Exchange
The assignment will facilitate cross-country learning and collaboration to improve immunization coverage and equity. It will convene multisectoral policy dialogue platforms, connect national experiences across the EU, and generate shared recommendations for sustained and coordinated action. 4.1 Design and facilitation of cross-country policy dialogues focused on equitable immunization strategies. 31 July 2027* 10 working days 4.2 Presentation of findings and coordination mechanisms. 31 July 2027* 8 working days 4.3 Knowledge exchange products (slides, briefs, talking points, concept notes, quarterly/yearly reporting inputs). 31 July 2027* 7 working days 4.4 Inputs to final project policy recommendations and scale-up roadmap for the European Commission and Member States. 31 August 2027 7 working days
Working Modality:ย Part time. Total of 155 working days over the period of 18 months. Home-based in Europe with estimated 5 international trips during contract duration.
Estimated Duration of the Contract:ย 155 working days between January 2026 and August 2027.
*Initial contract will be issued until end of 2026 only with a possibility to be extended further.
Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule: Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables.ย UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/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.
Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 155 working days to undertake this assignment.
Minimum requirements:
Advanced university degree in Medicine, Public Health, Health Policy and Management, Social or Behavioural Science, other related fields. At least (8) years of experience in international public health programme management. Proven experience in Immunization programme strategic planning, coordination, and monitoring, Immunization Programme reviews, microplanning, data analysis and report writing. Experience interfacing with national ministries of health and immunization stakeholders considered an asset. Experience in planning and delivery of technical assistance. Effective presenter including ability to adapt the message and visual aids for multiple audiences to deliver concise, impactful presentations considered an asset. Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment considered an asset. Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Similar experience in UN agency preferred. Conscientious and highly organized, with the ability to take the initiative and work independently under general guidance, meet tight deadlines, and deliver results. Fluency in spoken and written English and another EU language is a requirement.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEFโs 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 areโฆ
(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 othersย
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.ย 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 aย wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks andย 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.
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Remarks:ย
Please submit a full CV, a cover letter and financial proposal (in USD)ย in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered.ย 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 โstaff membersโ under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEFโs 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.
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.ย
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally requiredย 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.ย
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 applicantsโ bank account information.
In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEFโs 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.