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.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

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

For every child, innovate…

This position is embedded in UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, focusing on the Learning Innovation Hub's objective of fostering accessible, inclusive, and equitable education globally. The office's priorities include driving initiatives that leverage digital innovation to support educational outcomes, particularly for children with disabilities, and strengthening partnerships to scale these innovations.

This position will have at least one supervisee for the technical management of the Accessible Digital Textbooks initiative, as well as a supervisory role in guiding and reviewing the work of country office staff and consultants involved in the implementation of Accessible Digital Textbooks.

The incumbent of the post will be able to work remotely.

 

How can you make a difference? 

The Innovation Manager (Accessible Digital Textbooks) will play a key role in advancing UNICEF’s goals for inclusive education by leading the Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) initiative. The position is responsible for driving disability inclusion within the Learning Innovation Hub, focusing on developing and scaling accessible digital learning tools for children with diverse learning needs. This role will ensure that the initiative aligns with global strategies for equity and inclusion, leveraging partnerships with donors, governments, and stakeholders to expand the reach and impact of the ADT programme. Additionally, the Innovation Manager ADT will oversee the effective implementation of the initiative, support in-country teams, and contribute to advocacy efforts for inclusive education on a global scale.

Children with disabilities remain one of the most marginalized and excluded groups and face multiple barriers and challenges related to accessing quality education. Additionally, when considering the SDG 4 goal to leave no child behind in learning - and recognition that students learn differently - it is important to note that the “one-size-fits-all” approach to education fails to recognize the great variability in learning needs. The lack of these essential components can result in students not enrolling in schools, dropping out or remaining in school but not achieving their full academic potential. Accessible Digital Textbooks also support multiple languages, with a particular focus on the languages of linguistic minorities, as well as sign language users.

The Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) initiative can help address the issue of accessible learning materials, which is one of many elements needed to promote an inclusive environment for students with disabilities. The initiative aims to address one of the key barriers to inclusive education resulting from the inaccessibility of core learning materials by using universal design for learning principles (UDL) and accessible technology. This will improve learning outcomes for ALL children. The initiative has been implemented in 11 countries, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean, with emerging work in South Asia, East Africa and other regions. It is set to expand to additional countries during the period 2024-2026.

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Adviser Innovation Learning Hub, this position will be responsible for:

• Strategic activities and expansion
• Project management
• Managing donor and partner relationships  
• Consultant and country teams’ management
• Advocacy and UNICEF representation
• Research and monitoring
• Communication

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD_ P4 Accessible Digital Textbooks ADT P4 TA.docx

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An Advanced University Degree in occupational therapy, disability studies, organizational psychology, health, social sciences, human rights, or a related field is required.

Work Experience:

• At least eight (8) years of increasingly responsible professional experience in disability inclusion in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.
• Experience working in developing countries is required.
• Experience working in the area of technology and innovation in relation to disability inclusion is required.
• Experience working and coordinating across sectors and teams on disability inclusion is an asset.
• Leadership experience in implementing disability inclusion policies at a strategic level would be an added advantage.
• Experience implementing Universal Design for Learning is an asset.
• Experience working in ADT regions – Latin America and the Caribbean, East Africa and South Asia is an asset, as well as experience working in emergency contexts.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Spanish is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is considered an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

 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)

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (2)

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (2)

(4) Innovates and embraces change (2)

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

(6) Thinks and acts strategically (2)

(7) Works collaboratively with others (2)

(8) Nurtures, leads, and manages people (1)

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

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.

In case of any questions, contact us at swe-ooi-recruitments@unicef.org