Safe to Learn - Programme Consultant, Programme Division, Education Section, NYHQ, remote. Req#588284
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Job no: 588284
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: New York
Level: Consultancy
Location: United States
Categories: Education
About UNICEF
If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines fordeveloping countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.
Consultancy: Safe to Learn – Programme Consultant
Duty Station: Programme Group, Education Section
Duration: 1 February 2026 – 31 January 2027
Home/ Office Based: Remote
BACKGROUND
Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:
Safe to Learn (STL) is a global initiative hosted by UNICEF that brings together governments, civil society, and international partners to end violence in and around schools so that every child is safe to learn. The initiative supports countries to strengthen policies, systems, and practices that prevent and respond to all forms of violence—physical, sexual, psychological, and online—while promoting positive, inclusive, and gender-responsive learning environments.
The Safe to Learn Secretariat, housed in UNICEF’s Education Section, provides technical guidance, coordination, and knowledge management for partners, governments, and field practitioners. STL is intensifying efforts to generate and use evidence through STL benchmarking assessments, diagnostic tools, and country-led learning to inform national policy and programming. To ensure high-quality implementation, learning, and reporting, the Secretariat requires additional capacity to strengthen its monitoring and learning functions, and provide field facing technical support to country partners.
Scope of Work:
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical support at the global and country level to the Safe to Learn Initiative. The consultant will work closely with the STL Secretariat, UNICEF Country Offices, and members of the STL Country Engagement Task Force, under the supervision of the Head of the Safe to Learn Secretariat.
The scope of work is as follows, in line with the STL 2026 work plan objectives;
1. Monitoring Progress and Impact
- Provide technical support to UNICEF Country Offices and partners in the design and implementation of Safe to Learn diagnostic assessments, ensuring alignment with STL benchmarks and methodology.
- Facilitate the development and refinement of methodologies, tools, and guidance for benchmarking and diagnostic exercises, including data collection and validation approaches.
- Provide advisory support to ongoing STL country benchmarking exercises through direct technical assistance, remote training and quality assurance to ensure methodological consistency and rigor.
- Support the consolidation of monitoring data and analysis to inform the impact reporting of the Secretariat.
2. Learning
- Document lessons learned and good practices from diagnostic assessments and STL country engagement, ensuring findings are translated into actionable learning.
- Draft country briefs and synthesis reports related to benchmarking and diagnostics, ensuring accessible and policy-relevant communication of results.
- Contribute to the development of global public goods, including the revision of STL’s programmatic framework, knowledge products, and guidance notes for country implementation.
- Support curation of evidence and knowledge outputs on the STL SharePoint and website repository to strengthen knowledge access and dissemination across the partnership.
3. Programme Management
- Draft inception and progress reports for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Safe Learning programmes
- Advise on development of costed GPE workplans in coordination with UNICEF Country Offices and STL partners.
- Support programme management reporting for GAC-funded programmes, including preparation of Year 1 MEL and progress report, development of case studies and organization of learning webinars.
- Contribute to the development of resource mobilization briefs, donor proposals, and presentations to strengthen STL’s partnership base and funding pipeline.
4. Country Advisory Support
- Support STL Country Engagement Task Force (CETF), including agenda preparation, technical input, and documentation of outcomes.
- Advise national governments on STL, in collaboration with CETF members and STL partners, including support to newly endorsed countries.
- Provide ongoing technical inputs to country-level STL activities, including follow-up to benchmarking, diagnostics, and learning priorities identified in workplans.
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of a global repository of STL tools, country examples, and learning materials to promote cross-country knowledge exchange
Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:
Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline
Task 1: Monitoring progress and impact
1. Diagnostic Assessments (technical support to country-led diagnostics)
- 4 GAC countries and 5 GPE countries supported through 3 2-hour online advisory support sessions per country to provide feedback and advice to UNICEF CO and partners on how to conduct diagnostic assessments, based on STL Diagnostic Methodology Note to ensure standardized approach across countries
30 Jan 2027
2. Develop methodology for benchmarking and diagnostics
- STL Diagnostic methodology note developed and agreed with STL partners (for internal use by STL)
30 Mar 2026
- STL Benchmarking methodology note developed (for internal use by STL). Design and deliver 1 online training session for UNICEF/STL consultants (at national or global level) that are undertaking country benchmarking assessments, with up to 3 follow up mentoring sessions.
30 Mar 2026
3. Advisory support to national benchmarking assessments
- QA of methodology and draft assessment produced by 2 UNICEF CO undertaking national STL benchmarking exercises
30 Jun 2026
- 3 regional online capacity-building sessions on diagnostics delivered
30 Jan 2027
Task 2: Learning
4. Quality assure benchmarking assessments
- Review 6 countries benchmarking reports providing feedback to COs
30 Jan 2027
Draft country briefs on Benchmarking and Diagnostics
- 4 GAC country briefs (4 pages) produced based on diagnostics assessments, and 6 Benchmarking Country Briefs, providing actionable insights, with quality assurance of designed version
30 Jan 2027
5. Diagnostics Lessons Learned Publication (2026): preparatory phase
- Outline and framework developed for publication; initial content compiled from 4–6 countries
30 Jan 2027
6. Develop global public goods including revised programmatic framework
- Revised edition of STL programmatic framework developed in consultation with STL partners.
- Quality assurance of the designed publication in English, French and Spanish
30 Jan 2027
Task 3: Program Management
7. Draft Inception Report (GPE Sri Lanka)
- 1 inception report finalized and approved by STL Secretariat and GPE partners
31 Mar 2026
8. Advisory support to GPE Work Plans - Sri Lanka
- 1 costed workplan finalized and validated with Country Offices
30 Mar 2026
9. GAC programme management including Year 1 report
- Drafting of STL input to GAC progress report, including QA of country inputs.
- Year 1 MEL session conducted for 4 GAC countries in consultation with WCARO and documentation of outcomes
28 Feb 2026
10. Inputs to resource mobilization briefs and proposals
- 2 proposals or donor briefs developed
30 Jan 2027
Task 4: Country Advisory Support
11. Convene Country Engagement Task Force (CETF) meetings
- At least 6 CETF meetings organized with agenda, presentation materials, and outcome documentation
30 Jan 2027
12. Coordinate advisory support to national governments (including newly endorsed countries)
- At least 2 calls and 1 half-day capacity building session conducted for 6 countries to provide tailored technical advice through CETF and STL partners with documented outcomes per country
30 Jan 2027
13. Contribute to development of global repository and sharing of technical resources
- At least 5 new technical resources identified and shared per quarter for inclusion in STL Global Repository
30 Jan 2027
Qualifications
Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in child protection, education, social work, international development or other related discipline
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:
- A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the fields of education or child protection, with a focus on violence prevention and response
- At least 3 years' experience working with national governments in a low or middle-income country
- Demonstrated understanding of gender and inclusion
- Previous experience with Safe to Learn and technical tools is an asset
Competencies:
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, both technical and nontechnical
- Ability to work in a diverse, multicultural, and highly collaborative environment
- Experience working with UN agencies is an asset
- Fluency in English (both oral and written) and working proficiency in another UN language (French or Spanish) required
Requirements:
Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and
- Upload copy of academic credentials
- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
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- the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
- travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
- Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
- Indicate your availability
- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
U.S. Visa information:
With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.
Remarks:
Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.
Advertised: Eastern Standard Time
Deadline: Eastern Standard Time