National Consultant – Writer and Editor, UNICEF@80 Coffee Table Book, Tanzania.

National Consultant – Writer and Editor, UNICEF@80 Coffee Table Book, Tanzania.

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• Consultant

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Eastern and Southern Africa Region

• United Republic of Tanzania

Functional Area

External Relations

• Communication

Position level

• Consultancy

National Consultant – Writer and Editor, UNICEF@80 Coffee Table Book, Tanzania.

Apply now 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: Terms of Reference template Writer and editor.pdf

• 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 8th 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, enabl