Investigations Consultant, The Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI), 18 months, New York, USA (Office based) #592975

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.

How can you make a difference?  

The Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI) reports to the Executive Director and is responsible for providing internal audit and investigation services to UNICEF, consistent with OIAI’s Charter. OIAI provides UNICEF with independent and objective assurance, investigative and consulting services through internal audits and investigations.

OIAI’s Investigations Section assesses and conducts investigations of allegations of misconduct, such as fraud, corruption, retaliation, workplace harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, or other violations of UNICEF regulations, rules and administrative issuances, involving UNICEF staff and non–staff personnel. The Investigation Section also assesses and investigates allegations of fraud and corruption, sexual exploitation and abuse, and other types of wrongdoing by third parties, including implementing partners and institutional contractors.

Within the Investigations Section, Investigations units based in Budapest, Nairobi and New York handle investigations and certain complex assessments, with a dedicated fraud team in New York focused on the investigation of fraud and corruption allegations. The Strategy, Intake and Analysis unit (SIA) is responsible for overall management of the hotline for reporting allegations; conducting initial assessments of reports of misconduct and wrongdoing; quality assurance of investigation and other reports; internal and external reporting of certain investigations-related data; and other investigations-related donor relations and compliance matters.

SIA is responsible for management of a reporting hotline and case management system (CMS), which are critical to OIAI’s ability to properly manage complaints of misconduct and wrongdoing. In 2025, OIAI registered a record number of new cases (over 900) in the CMS, with the overall caseload growing to over 1800 cases (new cases plus cases carried over from 2024). This has led to a growing backlog of matters.

The consultant will play an important role in supporting critical intake, case management and reporting-related tasks. The key outputs of this consultancy include reviewing, responding to, and registering new reports of misconduct, including by engaging with reporters such as complainants and whistleblowers; extracting and analyzing data from the CMS; and preparing statistical and qualitative reports of investigative information for internal and external stakeholders. The consultant will also be asked to conduct assessments and support investigations, as needed.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0001730 ToR.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in investigations, law, data management, international relations, public policy, or another related field.
• Work Experience:
  • At least 2 years of prior experience with reviewing reports of misconduct as part of an intake function, preferably within the United Nations context.
  • Prior experience with internal administrative investigations.
• Language requirement: Fluency in English and strong oral and written communication skills. is required
• Skills:
  • Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, with ability to manage and analyze a large volume of data and information.
  • Discretion, sound judgment and ability to handle confidential and/or sensitive information

Desirables:

• Prior experience with a United Nations oversight office.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is considered 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

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 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.

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

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal  TMC0001730 Financial proposal.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.