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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 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 learn

How can you make a difference? 

1. Inception Phase (20 working days – by end of February 2025)

• Conduct consultation meetings with MoSAL, the Technical Institute, UNICEF, and other key stakeholders (10 days remote + 10 days in-country, Damascus).
• Identify gaps, needs, and priorities.
• Review the existing curriculum.
• Conduct a desk review of national and international resources on social work, child protection, and integrated social services.
• Propose a conceptual and methodological framework for the revised curriculum, including key course areas and learning outcomes.
  Deliverables:
• Inception Report
• Report of consultation meetings and workshops
• Desk review findings
• Proposed conceptual framework and preliminary curriculum outline

2. Drafting of the Social Work Curriculum (60 working days – by September 2026)

• Hold regular consultations, meetings, and workshops with the Institute.
• Conduct regular consultations with UNICEF.
• Develop the first draft of the curriculum approach and outline.
• Prepare course descriptions, syllabi outlines, practicum framework, and assessment approaches.
• Present the first draft to UNICEF and national partners for feedback.
• Develop the full two-year curriculum.
  Deliverables:
• First full draft of the two-year Social Work curriculum
• Presentation of the draft to stakeholders

3. Finalization of the Curriculum (10 working days – by end of October)

• Incorporate feedback from MoSAL, the Institute, national stakeholders, and UNICEF.
• Finalize course content, practical components, and assessment tools.
  Deliverables:
• Final two-year Social Work Curriculum (full package)

4. Development of the Training Kit for Social Workers (10 working days – by end of October)

• Design a standardized training kit for assistant social workers aligned with the new curriculum.
• Prepare trainer guide, participant manual, PowerPoint package, exercises, and case studies.
  Deliverables:
• Complete training kit (trainer + participant package)

5. Training of Educators (15 working days – by end of November)

• Facilitate training for 15 selected educators/lecturers from the Technical Institute.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and practical exercises to ensure effective delivery of the revised curriculum.
• 15 days in-country (Damascus).
  Deliverables:
• Training completed and educators certified

6. End-of-Assignment Reporting and Technical Support (10 working days – by end of December)

• Produce a final report covering the methodology, stages of work, challenges, and recommendations.
• Provide any final technical adjustments needed after curriculum endorsement.
  Deliverables:
• End-of-assignment report

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:
  • PhD in Child Development, Protection, Sociology, Social Work, Anthropology, Social Sciences, statistics or a related field is required.
• Work Experience:
  • Minimum 8 years of experience in teaching social work/social service, sociology or related fields at at university or technical institute level.
  • Proven experience in developing academic curricula and competency-based training programmes in social work, child protection, or social services (experience developing full curricula packages, syllabi, assessments, and practicum frameworks is highly desirable).
  • Demonstrated knowledge of key child protection and family services approaches and best international practices. 
  • Demonstrated knowledge of international standards and best practices in child protection, social work education, and integrated social services.
  • Experience working in Middle East or conflict/post-conflict settings is an asset.
• Skills
  • Strong analytical and research skills, with demonstrated ability to conduct reviews, assessments, and comparative analyses of academic or professional training programmes.
  • Proven ability to engage and collaborate effectively with government institutions, academia, and national social service providers.
  • Excellent facilitation and capacity-building skills, with experience training faculty or social service professionals.
  • Ability to adapt international best practices to local institutional, cultural, and policy contexts.
• Language Requirements:

  Fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken) is required.

  IMPORTANT: EVALUATION PROCESS (OF APPLICATIONS):

  Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

  1. Applications through UNICEF’s Talent Management System (TMS) 2. Cover Letter

  3. CV.
  4. Financial quote as lump sum for professional fees only.
  5. Examples of previous work/proposed methodology/approach to managing the project 

  Shortlisted applicants may be invited for further technical assessment. Final recommendation will be made based on “best value for money”, i.e. the hiring section/office shall normally select the individual who quoted the lowest fee from among the candidates who are assessed as suitable for achieving all tasks on time, as per the criteria stipulated in this ToR, and based on the outcome of the evaluation/assessment conducted.

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

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.

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.

Should “mission travel” be required, UNICEF will pay for travel-related expenses directly on the contract, upon consumption.  However, this will be subject to the following prerequisites: Security Clearance through the Travel Request Information Process (TRIP) system, the BSAFE Security Training, Travel Visa, and liability waiver. 

Travel cost shall be calculated based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel.  Costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC at http://icsc.un.org).  The consultant must travel on UNICEF-approved airlines.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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 sick leave; adoption leave, Paid Time Off or any other kind of leave within the period of their contracts. Consultants are responsible and certify that they are fully covered by adequate medical/health insurance and that, if required to travel beyond commuting distance from their usual place or residence to UNICEF (other than to duty station(s) with hardship ratings “H” and “A”, under the list available at icsc.un.org) the Consultant’s medical/health insurance covers medical evacuations. 

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. 

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.