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, protection

UNICEF has been an active partner of the Government of the Philippines and civil society in realizing the rights of every Filipino child, in line with priorities to achieve the SDGs. UNICEF efforts have been focused on the most vulnerable regions identified by the Government of the Philippines Development Plan, particularly in the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. To ensure that interventions are sustainable and scaled up, UNICEF will support both the national and local government units (LGUs) as the main instruments of delivering services and building systems. The level of engagement with government institutions will consider capacities, economies of scale and sector issues.

UNICEF Philippines has two offices. One office is based in Manila and a field office in Cotabato City, the second largest city in Mindanao, Southern Philippines, with some 300,000 population. The city is the regional administrative center of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and over 80 percent of the population is Muslim. Mindanao is both conflict-affected and prone to frequent earthquakes and typhoons.

Visit this link for more information on Philippine Country Office: https://www.unicef.org/philippines/

How can you make a difference? 

TERMS OF REFERENCE OR WORK ASSIGNMENT: 

This consultancy aims to facilitate the development of a situation analysis on children in early childhood in BARMM to support the crafting of an ECCD policy in the region or the Bangsamoro ECCD System Act (not the final title) which shall be anchored on the Republic Act 12199 or the ECCD System Act, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and related policies; the Bangsamoro Local Governance Code and the Bangsamoro Education Code.  The consultant will focus on data gathering and consultations with different relevant stakeholders while the UNICEF Education Officer will coordinate the overall ECCD work planning with the Bangsamoro ECCD TWG.

Tasks:

The primary work of the consultant is to develop the ECCD situation analysis in BARMM to support the holistic early childhood development (ECD) programming in UNICEF Mindanao Field Office and government counterparts. He/she will primarily report to the Education Officer and the Bangsamoro ECCD Technical Working Group in crafting the BARMM ECCD situation analysis report with policy recommendations.

Specifically, the following are the tasks expected to be delivered by the consultant:

Task 1: Prepare inception report

Deliverable:

• Inception report

Task 2: Prepare the BARMM ECCD situation report

Deliverables:

• Research/ECCD Situation analysis design
• Review of ECCD related literature including existing policies related to ECCD (global, ASEAN, Philippines and BARMM)
• Actual conduct/facilitation of participatory primary data gathering
• LGU capacity assessment to implement RA 12199
• Draft Bangsamoro ECCD Situation Analysis
• Documentation of the consultation workshops

Task 3: Coordinate and provide technical assistance in the completion, consolidation and analysis of the LGU capacity assessment to implement RA 12199 initiated in late 2025

Deliverables:

• Analysis of the LGU capacity assessment to implement RA12199, incorporated into the larger situation report

Task 4: Present the ECCD Situation Analysis Report for validation and finalization

Deliverable:

• Validated and finalized ECCD Situation Report in BARMM

Duty Station: Cotabato City

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

Education: Master Degree of Public Management preferably Major in Public Policy and Program Administration, Public Administration, Early Childhood Development (ECD), Education Policy, Social Work, Community Development, Human Ecology, Family Life and Child Development and related fields

Work Experience: 5-10 years’ experience working on ECCD, child rights situation analysis/situation analysis and policy work

Skills and Desirables:

Knowledgeable in ECCD/ECD. Skilled on coordination and consultation with government, civil society organizations and local and international non-government organizations. Expert on partnership building, community organizing and community development, facilitating child-rights situation analysis (CRSA), policy development and program administration. With very strong analytical and writing skills particularly in report preparation and recommendations on policy development. 

Actual experience on situation analysis on children and policy development for ECCD in any UN agencies or other organization/office. Familiarity on context of BARMM.  

Previous engagement on the development of situation analysis for children in early childhood in the Philippines and/or in BARMM (an advantage).

HOW TO APPLY

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an online candidate profile in http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ by 30 September 2026. Only applications sent through the e-recruitment portal under Job Number: 595836 will be considered.

All candidates are requested to submit a COVER LETTER, and the duly filled P11 Form which can be downloaded from our website at P11 Form.docx (sharepoint.com) indicating three (3) previous supervisors. Please indicate your professional fees and the soonest availability to take on the post based on the above terms of reference.

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 supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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:  

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable eligible and suitable candidates irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.