National/International Consultancy for developing Environmental Health Policy and Environmental Health Strategic Plan (2027 – 2031) Maseru, Lesotho 4 months (remote) REQ#594468

Contract Duration: 4 months

Working arrangement: Remote

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

Scope of work:

Throughout the assignment, the consultant is expected to apply a participatory and capacity-building approach, ensuring active engagement of national and sub-national stakeholders and promoting ownership of the Environmental Health Policy and Strategic Plan. The process should facilitate knowledge transfer to government counterparts and strengthen institutional capacity for policy implementation and monitoring.

The consultant shall ensure strong multi-sectoral coordination, recognizing that environmental health outcomes are influenced by and also influence other sectors such as health, water, environment, agriculture, education, and local government. The policy and strategic plan should promote coherence and alignment across these sectors, ensuring that proposed interventions are complementary and mutually reinforcing.

In addition, the consultant will ensure that the policy and strategic plan are harmonized with existing national policies, strategies, and regulatory frameworks, including public health legislation, WASH-related strategies, and other relevant sectoral guidelines, to avoid duplication and strengthen overall system coherence.

The consultant is encouraged to propose practical and innovative approaches provided that these are feasible within the country context and aligned with the objectives of the assignment.

The scope of work includes the following key activities and deliverables:

Phase 1: Inception and Planning

Phase 2: Desk Review and Situational Analysis

Phase 3: Stakeholder Engagement and Consultations

Phase 4: Policy Review and Development

Phase 5: Development of Costed Strategic Plan

Phase 6: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Financing Framework

Phase 7: Validation and Finalization

If you would like to know more about this consultancy on the detailed deliverables and expected outcomes, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: TMC0004414 ToR_ext v2.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Environmental Health, Public Health, Health Policy or a related field.

Work Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressively relevant professional experience in environmental health, public health, health systems, or policy development.

• Demonstrated experience in drafting or supporting development of national policies, strategies, or action plans.

• Strong analytical skills, including desk review, policy analysis, and synthesis of technical evidence.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Strong analytical skills, including desk review, policy analysis, and synthesis of technical evidence.

• Strong skills in stakeholder engagement, workshop facilitation, and participatory approaches are essential. The consultant must be able to work with a wide range of stakeholders – government officials, health workers, donors, community representatives – and facilitate meaningful input and consensus-building. Prior experience of coordinating multi-stakeholder working groups or task forces, especially in the context of developing national guidelines or plans, is highly desirable

• Good understanding of environmental health issues in Lesotho or comparable contexts.

• The consultant must be proficient in professional English writing, capable of producing clear, concise, and well-structured documents. Samples of previous written work (especially national-level reports or guidelines) should be provided. Additionally, strong verbal communication is needed for presentations and discussions. Experience working in Lesotho or Southern Africa will be an advantage, to facilitate communication with local stakeholders and understanding of context.

• Ability to manage the consultancy tasks effectively within the given timeframe. This includes good organizational skills, timely communication, and flexibility to adapt to stakeholder schedules.

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

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. 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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities 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 promoting 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 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) TMC0004414 Financial proposal template.docx

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.