National Consultant Technical Support of ECD Implementation for Sarmi District, Papua, Indonesia, 9 months (home-based with travels as required), for Indonesian Only
Job no: 580401
Position type: Consultant
Location: Indonesia
Division/Equivalent: Bangkok (EAPRO), Thailand
School/Unit: Indonesia
Department/Office: Jayapura, Irian Jaya, Indonesia
Categories: Education
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, Education
How can you make a difference?
Background:
Providing access to good quality early childhood learning and development opportunities affects wellbeing, health, and the academic success of young children[1]. The Government of Indonesia aims to ensure that the implementation of quality early childhood development or Pendidikan Anak Usia dini (PAUD) could be done through the fulfilment of several elements that include ensuring the quality of the learning process, parent’s engagement, provision of essential services, and the efficient and effective management of resources. This could be achieved through capacity building for teachers, educating parents and caregivers[2], as well as advocacy work with the government both at national and sub-national level, particularly with reference to leveraging government resources to fulfil obligations regarding the standards of service provision.
Papua has the lowest enrolment rates in Early Childhood Education (ECE) across the country, with only 19.6 per cent of children aged 3-6 years enrolled in ECD[3] centres leading to high disparity in the literacy rates of early grade students. [4]. Less than half of Papuan children have birth certificates that hinders them from obtaining essential services[5]. Additionally, almost one in four children under five years of age in Papua are categorized as being stunted and around 10.6 per cent are categorized as experiencing wasting.[6] As a result, the obstacles faced by children in Papua are hindering the realization of the national ECD strategy to promote equity.
To address the urgent development needs of young vulnerable children in Papua, quality ECD services must be made available and expanded. The services must draw upon cross-sectoral assistance to meet the complex and intersecting needs of young children, including access to quality learning and development as well as other essential services to support their holistic wellbeing. To deliver such services, UNICEF is partnering with district stakeholders, especially with the local Holistic and Integrated ECD (HI ECD) taskforces or the appointed local government office to coordinate the HI ECD programme. Additionally, it is becoming more apparent that students with learning challenges are less supported. Teachers and parents must be equipped with skills to detect, stimulate, and care for students with learning challenges, in collaboration with relevant experts, including professional health workers, psychologist and/or organizations of people with disabilities.
In 2025, UNICEF’s work with key partners to implement quality ECD programming in Papua will continue implementation in Sarmi district, adding another 10 ECD centres to the programme reach. As 2025 is the final year of the current UNICEF-Prudence Foundation partnership, HI ECD implementation in Sarmi district, requires crucial coordination and intensive documentation of the programme achievements and lessons learned. Additionally, this year, UNICEF is beginning to intensively support 6 district governments in 5 provinces in Tanah Papua to implement quality ECD programming as part of the Early Grade Learning (EGL) Phase 3.2 programme with DFAT.
In close coordination with Pokja Bunda PAUD at provincial/district levels, district government and UNICEF implementing partners, UNICEF will deploy a dedicated consultant to help ensure the ECD programme in the remaining 10 ECD centres in Sarmi district and in 36 ECD centres in an additional 6 districts is implemented with quality and is able to leverage resources from local government to replicate and expand the programme.
The consultant will help to adapt the national level teacher training module on HI-ECD, including nutrition education in ECD center as part of the free nutritious meal programme, and positive parenting to fit the local context, following a new national government administration. He/she will also coordinate and facilitate training and document behavior change practices at targeted ECD centres in Sarmi district, and in 36 centres in 6 districts under the EGL Phase 3.2 programme. The consultant is also expected to be actively engaged in advocating for quality ECD programme replication in across target provinces.
Scope of Work:
To ensure quality implementation of ECD programming in Sarmi district and in 6 districts under the EGL Phase 3.2. programme, the consultant is expected to provide the following tasks and deliverables.
- Update ECD in-service teacher training module following the new ministerial direction to promote 7 healthy behaviors and nutrition education (aligned with school meal’s guidance) in ECD centres.
- Coordinate and facilitate refresher training for district trainers on quality ECD (which includes 7 key healthy behaviors and nutrition education, aligned with school meal’s guidance) for Sarmi District in coordination with local governments and UNICEF.
- Provide refresher training for UNICEF implementing partners’ facilitators in 6 districts in the Papua Provinces under the EGL Phase 3.2 programme, with the support of implementing partner coordinators.
- With Selected district trainers, assist to coordinate and facilitate in-service teacher training on quality ECD for additional ECD centres in Sarmi District.
- Provide regular mentoring and monitoring with district trainers and implementing partner facilitators of targeted teachers on quality ECD implementation, through regular teacher working group activities.
- Support the implementation and monitoring of parenting sessions of the ECD programme at targeted ECD centres with trained district trainers and implementing partner facilitators, using the contextualized parenting session modules.
- Document behavior change indicators using the approved monitoring tools, and database aimed specifically for teachers, particularly on teaching practices, school management and engagement with parents.
- Conduct joint monitoring visits to targeted ECD centres in Sarmi district with national and sub-national stakeholders for advocacy purposes.
- Conduct advocacy workshops with local government for replication and scale up, including district regulation drafts on HI ECD.
- Provide a report on overall ECD programme implementation in Sarmi District, and implementation progress of the ECD component of EGL Phase 3.2 programme in the 6 targeted districts.
Please refer to the Term of Reference attached for the detailed tasks and deliverables.

[1]Huston A, ed. Children in poverty: child development and public policy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991: 190-221
[2] Dewees, Antony, et al. Early Childhood Development Strategy Study in Indonesia. SMERU Research Institute, 2013.
[3] Education Statistic, BPS 2024.
[4] Education Statistic, BPS 2024.
[5] National Socio-Economic Survey (SUSENAS) 2020. 42% of children aged 0 – 4 years old, and 50% of children age 18 years old
[6] Survei Status Gizi Indonesia (SSGI), 2022
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- Bachelor’s degree in education, psychology, sociology or other social science field
- A minimum of 3 years of professional experience in early childhood development, social development planning and management in education and related areas at the international and/or in a developing country is required.
- Relevant experience in education and related areas, program/project development and management in Papua Provinces and in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
- Fluency in English and Bahasa Indonesia
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) and core competencies:
- Builds and Maintains Partnerships
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
- Drive to achieve results for impact
- Innovates and embraces change
- Manages ambiguity and complexity
- Thinks and acts strategically
- Works collaboratively with others
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. This vacancy is open for Indonesians only.
Advertised: SE Asia Standard Time
Application close: SE Asia Standard Time
Apply now