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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, A champion 

Europe and Central Asia, like other parts of the world, faces a growing learning crisis.  While most children access education, the quality and learning outcomes remain a major challenge.  There are currently 24 million children in ECA who are considered out of learning (out of school and/or in school but not learning), representing 40% of the school age population.  Without urgent action, these multiple education crises will become a generational catastrophe. New, innovative, and out-of-the box approaches are needed to address this education poly-crisis which considers the challenging realities for teachers and learners in low-resource contexts.

Significant progress towards addressing the crises of out-of-school children and poor learning outcomes requires a paradigm shift - leapfrogging traditional methods to embrace digital transformation and innovation. The world is experiencing a seismic shift, with disruptive innovations like artificial intelligence, automation, and increased access to smartphones opening up new possibilities but also placing new demands for employability skills. Digital education is also in need of innovation, as it often replicates conventional teaching in digital form, which has yielded limited impact. Instead, we must rethink how we approach education by using these new innovations in better ways. This includes personalized learning leveraging AI that adapts to the level and interests of each child; creating accessible learning content for children with disabilities and minority language speakers; and developing tools to support and automate the work of teachers. Embracing new ways of teaching and learning is crucial for unlocking the true potential of education in today's rapidly changing digital world, but teachers and school leaders need to be central to – and supported – in this process, and part of the co-design of these tools and platforms.

UNICEF advocates and supports education systems to expand the use of technology and digital learning. In ECARO, this work has been articulated through the Regional Digital Learning and Education Transformation Strategy and the Regional Office is investing in technical support to governments to advance the digital learning agenda to ensure every child can take advantage of technologies to achieve learning outcomes.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the general supervision of the Regional Education Adviser and working in collaboration with other UNICEF sections and key partners, the Education Specialist leads regional agenda on digital learning and education transformation across all stages of the education cycle. Specifically, the Specialist:

• provides expert advice, advocacy, analysis and technical support to the ECAR country offices on programming, policies and operational strategies in digital learning and digital transformation of education systems;
• leads on knowledge development, consolidation of lessons learned, evaluations related to digital learning and skills work;
• in close collaboration with the Innovation office, PG and ITD, works on conceptualization, testing and development of regional public goods for digital learning;
• contributes to RO Education section, planning, monitoring, and reporting exercises.

The Specialist contributes to achievement of results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance, and accountability framework.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD_Education Specialist Digital Learning P4.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree (master's level or higher) in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field
• Work Experience: At least [8] years of relevant work experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education as it relates to promoting digital learning and skills development is required.

• Expertise working in the area of digital learning and use of education technology for learning is required.

• Experience working in an upper middle income and high-income country is required.

• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of Russian, both written and spoken, to effectively communicate with stakeholders and understand the regional context is an asset.

Desirables:

• Experience working in ECA region is an asset.

• Knowledge of EU policies, standards, and digital frameworks that support digital transformation in education is an asset.

• Examples of successfully navigating and collaborating with high-tech government entities in these regions is an asset

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. [Please do not remove this desirable; it should be present in all advertisements]

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 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.