National Consultant Writer and Editor

Job no: 596261
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Dar-es-Salaam
Level: Consultancy
Location: United Republic of Tanzania
Categories: Communication

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 Commitment.

In 2026, UNICEF marks 80 years of working alongside governments, communities and partners to advance the rights and well-being of children around the world. In Tanzania, this milestone presents an opportunity to reflect on the progress achieved for children over the past decades, recognize the leadership, investments and partnerships that have driven that progress, and renew commitment to accelerating results for every child at a time of increasing global and national challenges.

As part of the global UNICEF@80 campaign, Choose a Future for Children, UNICEF Tanzania is developing a national advocacy and storytelling campaign centred on Progress for Children. A flagship output will be a coffee table book that chronicles Tanzania's journey for children across key areas including health, nutrition, education, WASH, child protection, social policy, social and behaviour change, innovation, and climate action.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of the consultancy is to research, structure, write and edit the narrative for the UNICEF@80 Tanzania coffee table book, ensuring that the publication presents a coherent story of progress for children in Tanzania over time. The publication will document the policies, investments, partnerships and collective actions that have contributed to meaningful improvements in children's lives, while accurately reflecting UNICEF's contribution alongside Government, communities, development partners and other stakeholders.

The consultant will translate technical evidence, historical records and programme insights into coherent narratives; connect past achievements with present realities and future priorities; and ensure consistency of voice, factual accuracy and high editorial quality throughout the publication. This approach aligns with UNICEF80's focus on demonstrating how progress for children is the result of choices and renewing commitment to the choices needed to accelerate progress for future generations.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the editorial framework and structure for the publication, including the overall storyline, chapter architecture, narrative approach and flow, aligned with Progress for Children and Choose a Future for Children.

• Conduct the research and consultations required to build the publication, reviewing Section inputs, historical records, data and archival materials, and interviewing relevant UNICEF colleagues, Government counterparts, partners and other identified contributors to verify and strengthen the evidence base.

• Write and edit the coffee table book narrative, translating the research into compelling, accessible legacy stories that trace Tanzania’s progress for children over time and connect historical achievements with human experiences and the unfinished agenda.

• Develop timelines of progress for children, photo captions, pull quotes, and other editorial elements required.

• Collaborate closely with programme specialists and technical experts to verify data, ensure accurate attribution and integrate consolidated feedback across sections.

• Ensure all content reflects UNICEF's storytelling principles, including accuracy, dignity, agency and a focus on children, families and communities as active participants in change.

• Copy-edit and proofread the full manuscript to ensure clarity, consistency, readability and alignment with UNICEF editorial standards and brand guidance.

• Work closely with the designer and campaign team to ensure appropriate text hierarchy, narrative pacing, and integration of visual and editorial content for the final publication.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Masters in Journalism, communications, international development, social sciences, public policy or another relevant field. An advanced degree is an asset.

Work Experience: Minimum 10 years of professional experience in writing, editing, journalism, research, publishing or strategic communications, including demonstrated experience producing long-form publications, institutional narratives, annual reports, books, feature writing or similar high-quality editorial products.

Skills: 

• Excellent writing, editing and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technical evidence into clear, compelling and accessible narratives.

• Strong understanding of Tanzania's development context and ability to write accurately about social development, public policy and children's rights.

• Proven research and synthesis skills across technical sources, datasets, reports and interviews.

• Ability to distinguish and articulate the respective contributions of Government, UNICEF and partners, avoiding unsupported attribution.

• Strong fact-checking, copy-editing and proofreading skills, with meticulous attention to dates, data, names, sources and consistency.

• Ability to collaborate with technical specialists, communications colleagues and designers, manage feedback from multiple stakeholders

and deliver to tight deadlines.

Language Requirements: Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of Kiswahili and ability to conduct interviews in Kiswahili.

Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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 

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of misconduct.
UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks.
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 are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel.
Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

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. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.

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.

Advertised: 13 Oct 2026 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 19 Oct 2026 E. Africa Standard Time