Corporate Research Officer – P2  

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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

And we never give up.

Within the Operations and Finance (O&F) Section, corporate and private sector research and due diligence are integral aspects of UNICEF’s scoping and selection work for private sector engagements.

Under the direct supervision of the Corporate Research Specialist, the Corporate Research Officer will work as part of the Partnership Advisory and Support Services team (PASS)team, to support the regular operations and knowledge management needs.

For every child, a Champion

Prospect partner research and due diligence are integral aspects of UNICEF’s scoping and selection work for private sector engagement and engagement with philanthropy, foundations, faith-based/member-based organizations and other private sector prospects and partners. This area of work, conducted on behalf of the organization by the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (PFP), aims to support UNICEF’s effective engagement with business, while at the same time ensuring that interactions with the private sector are pursued in alignment with the organization’s integrity standards and its mandate, and reflect an adequate assessment of the risks and opportunities that engagements may pose to UNICEF and ultimately to children.

Core to this function, managed at PFP by the PASS team, is the review of business and private sector prospects and activities considered by UNICEF for potential interaction against specific parameters for engagement, applying a specific due diligence and approval process.

The Corporate Research Officer will assist in implementing the research work plan including conducting research on assigned companies, foundations, individuals and other prospects, applying screening criteria to qualify potential partnerships, and ensuring robust knowledge management, including data analysis and review in support of the team’s input into policy and positioning matters related to UNICEF’s engagement with the private sector. Knowledge management tasks include, inter alia: data quality assurance of the CRM database, managing select corporate engagement intranet and internet website pages, supporting the training/onboarding of new users at UNICEF’s Headquarters, National Committees (NatCom) and country office on the utilization of the CRM database and the due diligence and proposal request processes, analyzing trends and producing reports derived from the CRM database, and additional support related to the corporate research and due diligence team.

How can you make a difference?

Support Partnership Advisory and Support Services (PASS) team by conducting due diligence assessments.

• Support the due diligence process for UNICEF funding and non-funding private sector engagements by conducting screening reviews and reports as needed. Ensure that assessments and reports are done in accordance with UNICEF guidelines and policies and that content is meeting qualitative standards and organized in an audience-informed way.
• Respond to specific due diligence queries from National Committees, country offices, regional offices and select HQ divisions.

Provide ad-hoc intelligence work related to UNICEF private sector engagements.

• Support research and analysis of market information in the context of corporate and wider private sector engagement proposals review.
• Conduct additional research on potential corporate and private sector partners and related issues such as market trends and internal trends for use in briefings, meetings, presentations, etc.
• Identify relevant information (from both internal and external sources) on ethical business and sustainability issues and ensure prompt dissemination to private sector due diligence users and other colleagues concerned with business engagement work.

Develop content dissemination and communication related to corporate research and due diligence team’s work.

• Develop content and upload information related to UNICEF corporate research and due diligence on the UNICEF Intranet, Internet, CRM, and other relevant platforms.
• Support the team in harmonizing DD reports and ensuring quality of communication.
• Contribute into data and trend analysis to support the PASS team’s input into policy and positioning on matters related to UNICEF’s engagement with the private sector.

Support capacity building of countries for corporate and private sector research and due diligence through development of training materials and provision of training sessions.

• Support the development of materials for trainings and workshops by drafting presentations, briefing notes, and other tools.
• Assist the PASS colleagues in development of content and execution of training/onboard sessions, development of factsheets, briefing notes, and other meeting material.
• Support in developing and updating due diligence guidance notes and other position pieces related to due diligence around UNICEF’s engagement with business.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have?

Education:

• A first-level University Degree in one of the following fields is required: Social or Political Sciences, Law, International Relations, Communication, Human Rights, market research or another related technical field.

Experience:

• A minimum of two years of professional work experience in corporate social responsibility, market research, due diligence or related areas is required.
• Proven experience in conducting or managing research and in preparing due diligence reports is an asset.
• Fundraising/marketing communication experience in an international organization is an asset.
• Familiarity with child rights and child rights programming is an asset.
• Familiarity with Corporate Social Responsibility and/or Environment/Social/Governance (ESG) frameworks is an asset.
• Knowledge of UNICEF programmes and activities is an asset.
• UN/UNICEF experience is an asset.

Language requirement:

• Fluency and proven written skills in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) 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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1) are required.

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: our competency framework. 

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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: 

UNICEF PFP-Geneva is currently reviewing organizational changes; therefore, the successful candidates may be asked to commence duties remotely, and they may later be asked to relocate and be assigned to the final post-duty station/location.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to delivering the best results for children.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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.

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