Digital Education Communications and Storytelling Consultant, Office of innovation, Learning Hub,7 months full time with possibility of extension (remote/hybrid)
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Job no: 584802
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Helsinki
Level: Consultancy
Location: Finland
Categories: Education, Communication, Innovation
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 innovate
UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support the realization of children’s rights are key to improving children’s lives.
Worldwide, we innovate to tackle the most pressing problems faced by the most vulnerable children. We take a systematic approach to innovation, applying skills and energy across new tools and technologies, products, innovative financing, and new ways of working to boost our impact.
The Global Learning Innovation Hub under the UNICEF Office of Innovation has been established in Helsinki with the mission to radically transform education around the world by making it a wonderful adventure for every child. Working with corporates and non-profit partners, the Learning Innovation Hub supports governments in accelerating access to digital learning; invests from pilot to scale on game- changing edtech innovations and explores how new innovative pedagogies and technologies can create environments where children can learn, unleash their unique talent, and become true entrepreneurs of their life. It has the bold ambition to shape the future of learning now.
To achieve this, UNICEF has a diverse portfolio of digital education initiatives, which includes:
The Digital Education Strategy 2025-2030: Our new strategy aims to use technology to improve learning outcomes and build resilient education systems. It prioritizes the empowerment of teachers, foundational learning, skills development, systems strengthening and thought leadership.
- EdTech for Good Framework: A comprehensive tool to evaluate and identify high-quality, safe, and impactful EdTech solutions.
- Blue Unicorn Portfolio: An initiative that accelerates and scales proven EdTech solutions with the potential to reach over 100 million children worldwide.
- The Learning Cabinet: A public platform that features rigorously reviewed and curated EdTech solutions.
- Learning Pioneers Programme: An initiative that upskills UNICEF Country Offices and Ministries of Education in innovative thinking for digital education transformation. It helps countries model and scale impactful EdTech tools from the Blue Unicorn Portfolio.
- Tinkering with Tech: An initiative that aims to demystify AI and machine learning for children and adolescents, especially girls, fostering problem-solving, creativity, and digital fluency.
- Superstar Teacher Toolbox: A set of practical resources to empower educators with the skills and confidence to effectively integrate digital tools into their teaching.
- Gateways to Public Digital Learning: A partnership with UNESCO to help countries establish and improve public digital learning platforms and content, promoting digital learning as a public good.
- Accessible Digital Textbooks: An initiative which leverages AI models to personalize and expand access to learning, particularly for children with disabilities, making learning materials available, affordable, and accessible for all children.
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF’s Global Learning Innovation Hub is looking for an experienced communication consultant with strong expertise in innovation, education technology and entrepreneurship. The ideal candidate will also have a deep understanding of the unique complexities of the education sector.
Working in close collaboration with UNICEF Communication teams, the primary role of the Communications Consultant is to ensure consistent and compelling messaging across UNICEF’s digital education portfolio, contributing to a shared narrative that positions UNICEF as a global leader in the digital transformation of education for every child.
Your main responsibilities will be:
- Updating and implementing the communication strategy, in line with UNICEF’s Digital Education Strategy 2025-2030, broader mission and objectives.
- Supporting communication around the UNICEF Digital Education Strategy, working with the Education Programme Group.
- Gathering content across various internal and external stakeholder and rightsholder groups and producing effective communication assets, including human interest stories, newsletters, websites, thought pieces, multimedia products (videos, photos), press releases and other advocacy/information materials, in coordination and collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Developing clear, consistent, and impactful social media posts (including LinkedIn) on UNICEF’s digital education work, the Hub and its strategic partnerships and collaborations.
- Coordinating and organizing events, conferences, and other communication-related activities, ensuring comms coverage via photography, videography and producing written content, liaising with partners, suppliers and participants where relevant.
- Copyediting of relevant documents including communication materials, donor proposals, reports and briefing notes,when required.
- Maintaining and regularly updating a communication asset database (Human interest stories, videos, social media assets, publications referencing UNICEF’s digital education work globally, press releases and clippings, photographs, audio-visual materials, web resources, etc.)
- Monitoring and analyzing communication activities, assessing their effectiveness, and making recommendations for improvements.
- Coordinating with key stakeholders such as UNICEF National Committee focal points, Education Center of Excellence communication focal points, country offices communication teams, for the production of the newsletter, human interest stories, etc.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: ToR - Digital Education Communications Consultant.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in communications, media, education, information technology, or another relevant field.
- A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
- A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in communication, content creation, editorial planning and social media management, including planning and implementation.
- Proven ability to write engaging, flawless copy for media on tight deadlines in English including web content.
- Strong interpersonal skills in being able to develop and maintain effective working relations with a diverse range of stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently, be proactive and possess strong organizational skills, with good attention to detail.
- Proven experience in developing engaging visual design assets including presentation decks, infographics and documents.
- Demonstrated experience in supporting and/or managing projects to completion, including developing and implementing clear processes.
- Experience in leading the development and implementation of communication campaigns is an asset.
- Experience in web development is an asset.
- Experience using AI tools to support in developing infographics, videos, and other communication materials is an asset.
- Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues is an asset.
- Knowledge of technology, education and innovation ecosystems is an asset.
- Experience working with global organizations or development partners on advocacy and visiblity intiatives.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Travel:
- Trips may be required based on the 2026 work plan. For these trips, the Consultant does not need to include an estimated duty-related travel budget as part of the all-inclusive fee. UNICEF will provide the estimated budget for duty-related when the contract is signed and will reimburse the actual costs incurred upon submission of receipts.
Payment details and further considerations
- Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
How to apply:
- Interest applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template.
Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
- Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class) and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance
- Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.
General Terms and Conditions:
Please review UNICEF's General Terms and Conditions for Consultants here for important information regarding contract obligations, including medical insurance, SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) vaccination, and income tax requirements.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background 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.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
Advertised: FLE Daylight Time
Deadline: FLE Daylight Time