Country Programme Planning Process Review and Lessons Learned Consultant
Organizational Context
UNICEF operates in over 190 countries and territories, dedicated to saving children's lives, defending their rights, and helping them fulfill their potential from early childhood through adolescence. We are committed, passionate, and proud of our work, viewing the promotion of every child's rights not just as a job, but as a calling. We offer diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.
Job Purpose
The Country Programme Planning (CPP) process is a critical opportunity for UNICEF Country Offices to conduct in-depth analysis of the country context, identify strategic priorities, and make informed decisions on where UNICEF can have the most significant impact. This process translates these strategic choices into coherent and effective country programmes. It involves a series of analytical and strategic steps, including evidence review, strategic reflection, prioritization, Strategic Moment of Reflection (SMR), engagement with government and partners, and the development of theories of change and results frameworks. This consultancy aims to review and analyze the 2026 CPP processes to identify lessons learned and inform future planning cycles, ensuring alignment with the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
Responsibilities
The consultant will be responsible for developing a focused analytical framework to guide the review of Country Programme Planning (CPP) processes. This will involve selecting and meticulously reviewing a representative sample of CPP processes that were undertaken in 2026. A key task will be to analyze the strategic quality and coherence of these selected CPP processes, assessing how effectively they translated strategic priorities into actionable plans. The consultant will then synthesize the findings from this analysis, identifying key strengths, weaknesses, and emerging patterns. Crucially, the consultant will translate these synthesized findings into clear implications and practical recommendations for future CPP cohorts, aiming to strengthen the overall effectiveness and efficiency of UNICEF's country programme development. This includes identifying best practices and areas for improvement to enhance organizational learning and strategic alignment with the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
Work Experience
A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience is required in strategic planning, country programme development, results-based management, or programme design and analysis. Experience within UNICEF or the UN system is preferred.
Skills
Analytical framework development, CPP process review and analysis, Strategic quality assessment, Coherence analysis, Synthesis of findings, Identification of implications, Development of recommendations, Comparative/cross-country review experience, Organizational learning, Strategic planning, Results-based management, UNICEF Strategic Plan 2026-2029 familiarity