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 purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical support for the development of an Integrated Parenting Support Framework (IPF) for Uzbekistan, building on existing parenting support interventions, standards, procedures and service-delivery platforms.
The consultant will undertake a focused desk-based mapping and strategic gap analysis across health, preschool education, child protection and social protection. The review will encompass Universal Progressive Home Visiting (UPHV), parenting standards and standard operating procedures (SOPs) prepared for the National Agency for Social Protection (NASP) and the Ministry of Preschool and School Education (MoPSE), and relevant digital tools such as Bebbo and Internet of Good Things (IoGT). It will examine the coherence, coverage, inclusion and institutional complementarity of these instruments.

Drawing on the complementary behavioural insights prepared by another consultant (milestones for each consultancy are largely aligned), the consultant will produce an overarching framework defining shared objectives, a continuum of universal, targeted and intensive parenting support, sector responsibilities, coordination principles and implementation priorities. This will support operationalization of Uzbekistan’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) Strategy and align with UNICEF’s Global Parenting Support Framework for parents and caregivers of children aged 0–8 years.

Within a focused, primarily remote assignment, the consultant will support the policy and framework development process. UNICEF and government counterparts will facilitate access to documents, stakeholder input and the complementary analytical outputs. In particular, the consultant will:
• Agree at inception with UNICEF and the behavioural insights consultant the division of labour, document list, strategic review criteria, timetable and validation process. 
• Conduct a rapid desk-based inventory of existing parenting support approaches, including UPHV, NASP and MoPSE parenting standards/SOPs, preschool education resources, social work, and relevant face-to-face and digital channels. (D2)
• Assess at a strategic level how existing provision addresses responsive caregiving, positive and non-violent discipline, prevention of violence against children, caregiver mental health and psychosocial well-being, fathers’ engagement, gender norms and disability inclusion. 
• Identify priority gaps, duplications and inconsistencies in population and age coverage (0–8 years), accessibility, content, continuity, institutional mandates, workforce arrangements and coordination; distinguish existing assets to retain/strengthen from areas needing adaptation or future development. 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  External_TOR_Integrated_Parenting_Framework TMC0007632.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master’s degree in public policy, ECD, social policy, child protection, education, social work or related social sciences.
• Work Experience: Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in national policy/framework development, parenting support, early childhood development, child protection and/or cross-sectoral social service systems strengthening.
• Skills (optional): Demonstrated ability to assess existing government programmes, standards and institutional arrangements; prepare concise policy frameworks, identify strategic gaps, and facilitate high-level technical validation. Knowledge of UNICEF parenting/ECD guidance and inclusive, violence-preventive parenting approaches.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English.

Desirables:

• Experience in Central Asia/Uzbekistan and with UNICEF or another UN agency.

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 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.

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 (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) (attach the financial template to be completed) Financial proposal TMC0007632.xlsx

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. 

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.