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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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, … Education

UNICEF’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) exists to provide coordinated, strategic emergency expertise to UNICEF country offices to assist them prepare for and mobilize rapid response to new or suddenly deteriorating humanitarian situations. The ERT adds value to UNICEF’s global strategic thinking on improving humanitarian operations and systems, through its practical multi-disciplinary experience operating in a wide range of current emergencies.

How can you make a difference?

Join UNICEF as an Education Specialist ERT and make a significant impact on education in emergencies! Working under the Senior Education Advisor, you'll help develop, implement, and evaluate emergency education strategies, ensuring compliance with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children. You'll collaborate with headquarters and regional offices to enhance our capacity for effective educational support during Level 2 and 3 emergencies. Expect to be deployed approximately 70% of the time, working in challenging conditions to deliver high-impact interventions and guide local teams. When not deployed, you'll contribute to ongoing education initiatives, making this a dynamic and fulfilling role for those dedicated to improving children's learning in crisis situations.

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

As an Education Specialist ERT, you will play a crucial role in enhancing education in emergency contexts by conducting thorough situation analyses and strengthening education information systems. You will support country offices in consolidating data to inform education responses, advising on additional information needs, and conducting field visits to assess program progress and address challenges. Your collaboration with country, regional, and headquarters teams will help develop effective education policies and strategies that align with national priorities and emergency needs, while also identifying capacity development opportunities for UNICEF staff and partners.

In addition to strategic development, you will identify resource needs, promote partnerships with relevant agencies, and lead efforts in monitoring and evaluating emergency responses. You will work to improve UNICEF’s emergency response systems by addressing institutional bottlenecks and ensuring high-quality contributions to education in emergencies. By designing training programs and supporting emergency preparedness plans, you will help build the capacity to respond effectively in crisis situations. When not deployed, you will also engage in regular education initiatives, contributing your expertise to ongoing programs.

The following minimum requirements:

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in programme management or advisory support in the area of education assessment, programming or policy work at national level, at least 3 years of which at international level, is required.
• Experience in emergency settings (preparedness and response) required.

Desirables/Assets:

• Relevant experience in education programme/project development and management in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Experience with the IASC Cluster approach desired.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset.

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…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

All selected candidates will 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.

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 may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

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.

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.

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.