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 innovation. 

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

Global evidence consistently shows that quality early childhood education is one of the most powerful investments a country can make: children who access at least one year of effective pre-primary education are more likely to succeed in school and in life.

Fiji has achieved high pre-primary enrolment (92%), yet learning outcomes remain a concern. PILNA results show many children are not meeting expected literacy and numeracy levels, highlighting the need to strengthen the quality and inclusiveness of pre-primary teaching and learning.

National policies and frameworks—such as the 2024 National Pre-Primary Education Policy, the Fiji National Curriculum Framework, and Na Noda Mataniciva ECE Curriculum (2009)—provide a strong foundation. However, Na Noda Mataniciva urgently requires to be updated, and recent analyses show gaps in pedagogical guidance, culturally relevant learning materials, teacher professional development, and clarity on learning expectations for 5-year-olds.

The Ministry of Education, supported by UNICEF and partners, is advancing several complementary initiatives, including the Yavutu Programme, which focuses on three reforms:

• An updated, developmentally appropriate curriculum for all 5-year-olds
• Inclusive, culturally relevant teaching and learning materials
• Comprehensive teacher training and mentoring

Aligned with national priorities and the Pacific Regional Education Framework, Yavutu strengthens school readiness and smooth transition to primary education.

Against this backdrop, the MoE—with UNICEF support—seeks an international consultant to develop a coherent, evidence-based package to improve pre-primary teaching and learning and ensure every child enters primary school ready to thrive.

How can you make a difference? 

The objective of the consultancy is to provide technical leadership support to MOE to develop:

• An inclusive, developmentally appropriate pre-primary curriculum for 5-year-old children, including clear teacher pedagogical guidance and formative assessment approaches and tools.
• A recommended list of aligned inclusive teaching and learning materials, with clear descriptions of their purpose, curriculum linkages, and pedagogical use.
• Teacher training modules to support effective curriculum implementation, including guidance on inclusive practices and classroom application.

The consultancy will be delivered in five interconnected phases, as outlined in the ToR.

Please refer to the ToR ( INTERN~1.PDF) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

Please submit a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a breakdown for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel
• Living allowance where travel is required
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

Applicants should clearly indicate any previous consultancy or work experience with UNICEF or other UN agencies in their application.

 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Education, curriculum studies, or a closely related social sector field.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of eight (8) years of demonstrated experience in curriculum review, design, and implementation for pre-primary and/or primary education, including structured pedagogy and differentiated learning approaches.

Skills:

• Technical expertise: Proven ability to lead complex education reform processes, including curriculum framework development, learning progression design, and production of teacher and learning materials.
• Contextual knowledge: Strong understanding of education systems in Fiji or the wider Pacific region, including familiarity with national curriculum frameworks, teacher education systems, and policy environments.
• Stakeholder engagement: Demonstrated capacity to engage and coordinate with ministries of education, teacher training institutions, and development partners in multi-stakeholder settings.
• Monitoring and evaluation: Experience in documenting implementation processes, conducting pilot evaluations, and translating evidence into policy or practice recommendations.
• Teamwork and relationship building: Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, with a track record of working effectively within multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
• Equity, inclusion, and quality: Sound understanding of these cross-cutting priorities within education programming, including gender-responsive and disability-inclusive approaches.
• Communication: Exceptional written and oral English communication skills, with the ability to produce high-quality analytical and technical documents and to facilitate participatory workshops.
• Personal attributes: Flexible, adaptive, and solutions-oriented professional with a commitment to national ownership, capacity strengthening, and collaborative ways of working.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required, with demonstrated ability to produce high-level written documents.

 

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 

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 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.

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.

Remarks:  

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable male and 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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

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.