Contract Duration : 14 Months

Working arrangement: Home Based

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.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNICEF is seeking one national consultant to support MoGEI in the development of the National Safe Schools Guidelines. The national consultant will work with an international consultant who will lead the development of the guidelines and who will be recruited by UNICEF separately. These Guidelines will serve as a practical and harmonized framework to strengthen prevention, preparedness, response, and accountability mechanisms across all public, private, faith-based, and community basic and secondary schools in South Sudan.

The purpose of this assignment is to develop comprehensive, practical, and nationally endorsed Safe Schools Guidelines that will guide education authorities, school leaders, teachers, learners, parents, and communities in establishing and sustaining safe, inclusive, gender-responsive, and child-centered learning environments.

The National Consultant will lead national coordination, field consultations, contextual analysis, and operational inputs to ensure the Guidelines are relevant and applicable to the South Sudan’s context.

1. National Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement
2. Preparation and Facilitation of Workshops
3. Data Collection and Consolidation
4. Contextual Analysis and Technical Inputs
5. Documentation and Reporting
6. Operationalization and Systems Alignment
7. Revisions and Finalization

If you would like to know more about this consultancy on the detailed deliverables and expected outcomes, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0001215 External ToR.pdf

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master`s degree in Education/ Economics/ Social Sciences/ or related field
• Work Experience:
• At least 8 years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in school safety, child protection, safeguarding, education in emergencies, and/or development of national education policies and frameworks.
• National work experience, including engagement with government institutions, development partners, civil society, and/or private sector actors; expertise in international development and humanitarian response contexts is a strong asset.
• Prior experience working with UNICEF, Ministries of Education, or UN agencies on children’s rights, safeguarding, gender equality, and inclusive education is an advantage.
• Skills:
• Demonstrated excellent writing skills, with specific experience drafting national guidelines, policy documents, technical frameworks, and knowledge products related to education, protection, or gender-responsive programming.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within international, multicultural, and interdisciplinary teams, and to establish effective and professional working relationships with government counterparts and stakeholders.
• Experience working within international organizations, UN agencies, or similar institutions is desirable; familiarity with UNICEF systems and procedures is an asset.
• Experience in fragile, conflict-affected, or developing country contexts, with a strong understanding of field-level education and protection challenges, is desirable.
• Knowledge of UN/UNICEF systems, safeguarding standards, and education sector coordination mechanisms is an asset.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage sensitively and effectively with diverse audiences, including government officials, educators, communities, and development partners.
• Proven ability to work under tight deadlines and manage deliverables efficiently.
• Language recuirements: Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required.
• Technical requirements: Submission of a sample report or policy document demonstrating excellent analytical and writing skills, with specific experience drafting national guidelines, frameworks, or technical knowledge products related to education, protection, safeguarding, or gender-responsive programming

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities 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 promoting 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 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A detailed technical proposal (sample report or policy document)
• A separate financial proposal  TMC0001215 Template for Financial Proposal.docx

Remarks:  

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.