Consultancy: Consultant, Monitoring Expert - Req. #581990

Consultancy: Consultant, Monitoring Expert - Req. #581990 | UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund

Consultancy: Consultant, Monitoring Expert - Req. #581990

UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund Remote | New York City Consultant - Contractors Agreement level

Application deadline: October 31, 2026 (6 months)

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Summary by Impactpool

The Consultant, Monitoring Expert will develop global approaches to measure lead exposure in the context of children's environmental health and provide technical assistance to countries. This role involves reviewing existing lead measurement surveys, developing technical guidance, and enhancing monitoring of children's environmental health. The consultant will work closely with UNICEF's HEHC team and other stakeholders to address the critical issue of lead exposure affecting children's health. The consultancy is remote and spans from July 15, 2025, to October 31, 2026.

Candidate Requirements:

The purpose of the consultancy is to develop global approaches to the measurement of lead exposure within the context of children’s environmental health and the provision of technical assistance to countries.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

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, HOPE!

Consultancy Title: Consultant, Monitoring Expert

Section/Division/Duty Station: PG-Climate Environment Energy & Disaster, Programme Division, NYHQ

Duration: 15 July 2025 to 31 October 2026

Office Based: REMOTE  

About UNICEF 

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For over 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

The purpose of the consultancy is to develop global approaches to the measurement of lead exposure within the context of children’s environmental health and the provision of technical assistance to countries. 

Scope of Work:

The UNICEF Strategic Plan has elevated action on climate change and environmental degradation as an organizational priority, to be integrated throughout UNICEF programmes. To concretize this, UNICEF HQ is implementing its global Healthy Environments for Healthy Children (HEHC) programme framework in over 20 countries.  To mobilize collection action, UNICEF and partners have founded a Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative to protect child health and development from the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.

Lead exposure is a silent but devastating environmental health issue, with far-reaching consequences for children's health and development. An estimated 1 in 3 children globally have blood lead levels that are of significant concern, contributing to an estimated 1.5 million deaths annually. In response to this crisis, the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future was launched in September 2024 by UNICEF, in collaboration with USAID, UNEP, WHO, the World Bank, Open Philanthropy, and other key stakeholders. The Partnership is the first-ever global, public-private coalition focused on ending childhood lead poisoning in LMICs by 2040. This initiative brings together governments, civil society, and the private sector to champion country-led efforts to eliminate lead from consumer products, improve industrial practices, and enforce lead mitigation standards. The Partnership for a Lead-Free Future is an accelerator partnership of UNICEF’s HEHC and is linked to the Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative.

UNICEF is currently starting activities in an additional 20 low- and middle-income countries to support the prioritization of the issue in the national agenda. This investment is critical because of the lack of understanding of the issue. The resources will be used for a local children’s environmental health assessment (e.g., with an academic institution), building local awareness and institutional leadership on the issue and positioning UNICEF as a credible actor in this new space by rolling out global assets on lead and children’s environmental health.

This 14-month consultancy will provide support and technical assistance to low-and-middle income countries on the monitoring of lead exposure within the context of children’s environmental health. The consultancy will be managed by the Senior Adviser, Environment. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the HEHC team at HQ, and other offices working on the issue of lead poisoning. 

The consultant will: 

1.         Global guidance on lead exposure measurement: Review existing nationally representative lead measurement surveys in low-and middle-income countries and develop a technical note on deciding the appropriate survey platforms, including MICS/DHS, for lead measurement considering their merits/demerits, cost-effectiveness and other considerations to guide national decision making. This technical note should connect with the guidance on technologies and should include a formal protocol for conducting market assessments and based assessments.

2.         Technical assistance: Provide technical support and quality assurance in the design of non-MICS household surveys and studies for sample design, blood lead-level measurement, questionnaire design, field work and analysis and reporting. Provide technical assistance and support to all surveys in home based assessments, market assessments and the utilization of modeling and advanced laboratory techniques to establish the primary sources of exposure. 

3.         Global guidance and support to monitoring Children’s Environmental Health: Review global and national approaches to monitoring children’s environmental health; Develop a technical guidance on monitoring CEH based on country maturity models taking into account country governance; Collaborate with DAPM and external partners to enhance Children’s Environmental Health Profiles; Review and enhance country Children’s Environmental Health Assessments; Develop a technical guidance for CEH surveys.

 

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. Global guidance on lead exposure measurement: Review existing nationally representative lead measurement surveys in low-and middle income countries and develop a technical note on deciding the appropriate survey platforms, including MICS/DHS, for lead measurement considering their merits/demerits, cost-effectiveness and other considerations to guide national decision making. This technical note should connect with the guidance on technologies and should include a formal protocol for conducting market assessments and based assessments.      One global technical guidance on national approaches to lead exposure measurement together with annexes

At least two global webinars hosted with PLF

Develop and maintain an online tracking sheet to address comments from the expert panel on measurement.

31 October 2026

2)Technical assistance: Provide technical support and quality assurance in the design of non-MICS household surveys and studies for sample design, blood lead-level measurement, questionnaire design, field work and analysis and reporting. Provide technical assistance and support to all surveys in home based assessments, market assessments and the utilization of modeling and advanced laboratory techniques to establish the primary sources of exposure. 

7 non-MICS household surveys and studies designed and conducted including technical assistance to seven countries through a combination of online and offline modalities through all steps in survey design, implementation and reporting.

31 October 2026

3)Global guidance and support to monitoring Children’s Environmental Health: Review global and national approaches to monitoring children’s environmental health; Develop a technical guidance on monitoring CEH based on country maturity models taking into account country governance; Collaborate with DAPM and external partners to enhance Children’s Environmental Health Profiles; Review and enhance country Children’s Environmental Health Assessments; Develop a technical guidance for CEH surveys. 

Two global technical guidance on: a) Monitoring CEH,  and b) Designing CEH surveys

10 CEH surveys (or CEH monitoring) in 10 countries (one per country) designed and conducted.

Update of CEH profiles on the CEH collaborative in collaboration with DAPM

15 August 2026

Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s or Ph.D) in in Public Health, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Demography, or a related field.

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Expertise

Technical expertise on monitoring lead, heavy metals, toxic chemicals and environmental health. 

Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous research, analyze complex data, and synthesize information into clear, actionable guidance. 

Excellent ability to produce high-quality technical notes, protocols, reports, and presentations for diverse audiences (technical experts, policymakers, country-level teams). 

Demonstrated past experience in design of studies and assessments, and conducting research related to the environment, environmental health, climate x health, child’s health, pollutants and/or toxic metals 

Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in lead programming in low- and middle-income countries. 

Previous experience of working with UNICEF and the UN is desirable. 

Knowledge and Skills  

Knowledge of research, monitoring, and evaluation methods, both quantitative and qualitative, and statistical methods and software 

Understanding of public health systems and policies related to environment and health 

Excellent communication and presentation skills 

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

Upload copy of academic credentials

Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.

travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.

Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.

Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

Indicate your availability

Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be

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