New Consultancy: Solution Architect

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.

For every child, the right to thrive

The consultant will lead the end-to-end design and delivery of the Digital Vaccine Intelligence Platform (working name), combining solution architecture, business analysis, and agile delivery leadership. The role translates business outcomes (forecast-to-stock transparency, co-financing insights, early warnings) into an interoperable, secure platform that provides 'everything in one place' views for countries and partners.

The program delivers a multi-phase digital platform consolidating vaccine forecasts, purchase orders, shipments, funding/co-financing, and national stock levels, with predictive consumption and early-warning mechanisms. Data originates from other Supply Division systems and Thrive360 data replicated to the SD Data Platform, governed via clear ownership/stewardship, and exposed through role-based views (UNICEF, Gavi, Country). Phases include Phase 1 by Mar-2026 (for Annual Meeting), Phase 2 by Jun-2026 (early warnings), and Phase 3 by Dec-2026 (cross-through authentication and CMP analytics).

Under the guidance of the OATC Centre Chief and in close collaboration with UNICEF ICTD, Supply Division, Gavi, and Gates Foundation, the Product Architect & Delivery Lead will be responsible for:

A. Product Architecture Leadership

• Own the end-to-end solution architecture: data ingestion from Thrive360/CPP/Viva to SD Data Platform; semantic models; role-based access; audit & observability.
• Define interface contracts, canonical data model, and APIs for external integration; align to UNICEF/UN data standards and privacy-by-design.
• Design stock-level logic 'over time' including shipments-in-transit and multiple consumption baselines (Thrive360, approved forecasts, historical).

B. Business Analysis & Requirements

• Facilitate discovery with UNICEF, Alliance and Country users; translate outcomes into epics, user stories, acceptance criteria, and data quality rules.
• Co-define views: Secretariat view , Alliance view, Country view.
• Establish data ownership & stewardship matrix; define RACI for access and approvals.

C. Agile Delivery & Scrum Mastery

• Run backlog, sprint planning, reviews, and retros; maintain a transparent release plan per phase (MVP → Phase 3).
• Drive cross-team delivery (data engineering, backend, frontend, security) with clear Definition of Ready/Done and test automation strategy.
• Track dependencies (ICTD, MSDEC, Thrive360 team); manage risks/assumptions; report to governance bodies.

D. Stakeholder Engagement & Change

• Coordinate with Gavi, Gates, ministries, and UN partners for definitions, early-warning thresholds, and report formats.
• Plan and deliver enablement: training, run-books, and hypercare after each phase.

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant will be responsible for ensuring that the following deliverables are achieved:

Phase 1 deliverables:
1. Thrive360 replication to SD Data Platform; county-level stock mapped to SD data.
2. Stock-level logic (incl. shipments-in-transit) and 3 role-based views (initial dashboards).
3. Front page with updates + login; Secretariat/DAX2 online report; overview of planned shipments linked with stocks.
4. Funding source data replicated and mapped; national-level approvals consumption dashboard.
Timeline: 1-3 months. Weight: 25%

Phase 2 deliverables:
1. Early-warning logic documented and implemented; monitoring & error-handling for pipelines.
2. Co-financing report online; AVMA reporting requirements implemented.
Timeline: 3–6 months. Weight: 25%

Phase 3 deliverables:
1. Cross-through authentication (Platform, CPP, Viva); CMP analytics online.
2. Performance management metrics and predictive options (Thrive360 vs approved forecasts vs historical).
3. Handover to RUN incl. SOPs, KPIs, and sustainability plan.
4. UNICEF–Gavi steering committee review and refinement.
Timeline: 7–12 months. Weight: 50%

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• • Education: Bachelor's degree in Product Design, Business Analytics, Industrial Engineering, Information Systems, or Technology Management.
  • A minimum of 5 years of experience working as a Solution Architect for custom applications. A minimum of 2 years of experience leading delivery of  supply planning digital solution(s).
  • A minimum of 2 years of experience leading delivery of immunization planning digital solutions.
  • A minimum of 5 years of work experience as a business analyst.
  • A minimum of 5 years of work experience working in Agile digital projects using Azure DevOps / with external user management based on Azure B2C
  • A minimum of 5 years working with projects that include Data Visualization based on Power BI.
  • A minimum of 2 years of experience working with data architwecture based on Azure DataBricks.
  • Experience in documenting business process requirements and developing functional specifications.
  • Agile project management, stakeholder engagement, vendor coordination. Strong understanding of data privacy, ICT governance, and digital platforms. Excellent communication, negotiation, and reporting skills.
  • A minimum of 2 years of experience working with system and data architecture, including InfoHub, is a must.
  • Fluent English is essential.

  Desirables:

  • Experience in end-to-end delivery of custom application products.
  • Minimum 8 years of experience at the national and international levels in either public and/or private sector in a project managerial capacity. 
  • At least 5 years of experience in implementing agile methodology for development of IT projects.
  • Experience in SharePoint and Power Apps is desirable.
  • Experience working in a multi-cultural environment and/ or developing country situation.
  • Knowledge of UN financial rules and regulations.

How to apply 

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. 
   
2. Cover letter/application.
3. Daily rate and all-inclusive lumpsum for this consultancy.
4. At least 3 Reference contacts.
5. A copy of your highest diploma.

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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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 promote 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 the 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.

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:  

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 

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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.