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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, every right

UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) is seeking a consultant to manage and lead the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) portfolio in the region and to find synergies between the TSI portfolio and the wider, regional ECD portfolio.

How can you make a difference? 

With funding from the EU Commission’s DG REFORM, under which UNICEF has been contracted to provide technical support, UNICEF will be working with the national authorities of Bulgaria, Portugal and the Federal State of Lower Saxony to strengthen the quality of their early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems. This will be achieved through 3 TSI projects of the duration of 2 years, comprising the following key activities:
a) Evidence generation
UNICEF will support the Federal authorities in gaining extensive knowledge of the current status of the ECEC sector through an as-is analysis and a good practice report from other European countries.
b) Framework development and testing
UNICEF will develop 3 different frameworks aimed at strengthening the quality of ECEC service provision: one quality framework for Portugal, one M&E framework for Bulgaria and a framework for supporting outcome-oriented competence development in ECEC for Lower Saxony.
c) Recommendations for framework adoption
UNICEF will draft reports with final recommendations for implementation and dissemination of the frameworks by the national and federal authorities.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
1. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results of 3 TSI projects.
• Coordinate the project steering committees of the programmes.
• Coordinate with the ministries on the operational arrangements for the implementation of the programmes.
• Lead and oversee the impactful implementation of the programmes, together with steering committee.
• Lead regular project standing meetings.
• Join quarterly steering committee meetings and provide updates as required.
• Provide the ECARO ECD team with timely information to inform project reports.
• Manage and follow-up on the implementation of all program components related to the ECEC programme to ensure their progress is in accordance with the established goals, plans and strategies.
• Ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined across the programme and ensure all components are being implemented in sequence with concrete linkage between programme activities and streams of work.
• Draft ToRs for the recruitment of staff needed for the implementation of activities.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions.
• Oversee implementation and delivery of all activities foreseen by the projects in a quality and timely manner.

2. Coordination of 2 umbrella agreements
• Lead on the drafting of 1 interim and 1 final reports across 10 different projects under 2 umbrella agreements
• Organize quarterly update calls across the 2 umbrella agreements
• Support the development of an external webpage with TSI related materials

3. Networking and partnership building.
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders across relevant sectors through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on ECD programmes.

4. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.
• Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.

5. Provide technical support to create linkages between TSIs and the regional ECD portfolio
Working closely with the ECARO ECD team to support linkages between the tools, frameworks and insights from current and previous TSI projects with ongoing shifts and developments within the broader ECEC portfolio. Key activities include:
• Contribute to create a knowledge management platform that hosts all finalized and shareable versions of outputs created under the TSI projects and can usefully enable cross-country learning, exchange and strengthening technical capacity of UNICEF staff
• Facilitation and/or participation in at least 2 online exchanges, webinars and dialogues organized by the regional ECD team to facilitate and consolidate cross-country learning and socialization of tools, frameworks and outputs created through the TSI projects

Working modality: home-based consultancy for 230 working days between June 2025 and July 2026. 

Deliverables and deadlines:

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

• Master’s degree in Education, social studies and development, public health and/or medicine, nutrition, psychology, human development, child development, families' studies or another relevant technical field is required.
• Five years minimum of relevant professional experience in social development planning and management in early childhood development related areas is required.
• At least 1 year experience in managing a TSI project.
• Experience working with EU funded grants, and Ministry reform programmes is considered an asset.
• Experience working on ECEC reforms.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English is essential.

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 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.

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.