Social and Environmental Safeguarding (SES) Consultant, Bangkok, Thailand, Remotely, 13 Months (Open for International Candidates Only) Req#596219

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) has prioritized the rollout of Social and Environmental Safeguarding (SES), a recent addition to UNICEF’s regulatory framework.

The SES Framework is organized around four pillars:

• Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) in Programming and Safeguarding
• Complaints and Feedback Management
• Programme Implementation Risk Management/HACT
• Data Protection

The SES Framework complements and strengthens Country Offices’ enterprise risk management by improving coordination across risk areas and embedding risk considerations into programmatic, operational and strategic planning.

Following the issuance of key regulatory documents—the Policy and Procedure on ESS in Programming (June 2025), the revised Policy on Safeguarding (June 2025), and the Procedure on Complaints and Feedback Management (May 2026)—APRO has begun rolling out the SES Framework across the region’s 22 Country Offices, as part of global efforts led by the Office of Strategy and Oversight (OSE).

The consultancy will support APRO’s Operations team in rolling out SES across the region’s 22 offices while helping Country Offices meet institutional donor requirements—particularly those of IFIs, KfW and GCF—related to SES.

The consultant will be supervised by the Regional Operations team, in close coordination with APRO Country Offices and the OSE team at headquarters.

Scope of Work:

1. Support the SES rollout:

• Contribute to the development and enhancement of regional SES-related rollout and implementation materials, ensuring that donor perspectives and Country Office typological needs are not only adequately reflected, but also that the process promotes sustainability and simplification. This should cover, among other areas:
• SES training modules are updated based on feedback collected;
• The Environmental and Social Safeguarding Risk Management Plan (ESRMP), including proposed mitigation measures;
• The Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP);
• Monitoring tools, including benchmark / tracking tool on steps to take on SES to support offices in tracking progress (integration within existing tools as feasible);
• Other SES related checklists, templates, plans, guidance, etc.
• Support capacity building of UNICEF staff, partners, vendors on SES implementation
• Provide recommendations to better integrate SES with other risk areas, including Programme Implementation, Data Protection, Supply and Operations. Also, provide recommendations on CFM related issues, in particular:
• The extent of Government involvement in CFM processes and the use of Government feedback channels, including implications for data protection, independence, and oversight;
• The use of inter-agency feedback channels and whether interoperability among systems is sufficient.

2. Support in reviewing and addressing SES-related donor requirements:

• Engage with Regional and Country Offices contacts to assess the compliance of submitted documents with Environmental and Social Commitment Plans (ESCPs) and other documents developed by local governments as well as with relevant donors’ Environmental and Social Frameworks (ESFs), identify gaps and provide recommendations to address those gaps.
• Identify and propose opportunities to streamline compliance with donor requirements.
• Provide technical assistance to Country Offices in designing SES risks management and related checklists, plans and documents.
• Prepare summary reports on the quality and trends of ESS/Safeguarding submissions to donors and other stakeholders, including Complaints and Feedback Mechanism (CFM) inputs, highlighting common gaps and best practices.

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Advanced degree in environmental science, social sciences, environmental law, law, public administration, human rights, or a related field, is required.

Work Experience

• At least 10 years of experience in environmental and social risk assessment.
• Sound knowledge of Safeguarding frameworks, inclusive but not limited to Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Language requirement

• Fluency in written and spoken English

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills

• Strong knowledge of Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) from IFIs and relevant IFIs/UN safeguard policies (including PSEA).
• Experience in reviewing ESCPs, ESMF