International Consultant: Education Programme Donor Compliance and Knowledge Management.
Job no: 590732
Position type: Consultant
Location: Afghanistan
Division/Equivalent: Kathmandu(ROSA)
School/Unit: Afghanistan
Department/Office: Kabul, Afghanistan
Categories: Education
How can you make a difference?
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, Education!
Background & Purpose of the Assignment:
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes 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.
UNICEF Afghanistan’s Education Section manages one of the largest and most complex education portfolios in the region, implemented under three strategic outputs encompassing access to education, quality and learning, and system strengthening. The programme spans a wide range of interventions from large-scale community-based education and teacher development to infrastructure rehabilitation, learning material provision, and emergency response. These are funded by multiple partners, with the top five education donors (including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Union, ECHO, and the Government of Japan) collectively providing close to 90 per cent of UNICEF Afghanistan’s total funding portfolio.
In a rapidly evolving operational and financial landscape, the education programme faces increasing demands for stringent compliance, transparent financial management, and evidence-based reporting. The overall funding environment has become more constrained, particularly with respect to flexible resources, requiring UNICEF to optimize and strategically manage donor-specific contributions in alignment with their unique conditionalities and reporting frameworks. At the same time, the volatility of Afghanistan’s operational context, including frequent exchange rate fluctuations, shifting access dynamics, and evolving implementation modalities. necessitates ongoing budgetary repositioning, forecasting, and financial restructuring across grants and outputs.
- Track performance across grants, outputs, and cost centers, and provide timely recommendations for corrective actions.
- Ensure compliance with donor conditions, flagging risks and proposing remedial measures.
Carry out scenario analysis and advisory support: - Provide analytical summaries, and advisory inputs for budget revisions, reprogramming, project extensions, and donor financial reports.
- Maintain a structured repository of financial and programmatic information accessible to the Section.
Performance analysis and Management Briefings: - Lead preparation of monthly, quarterly, mid-year, and annual briefings integrating expenditure, forecast, and variance analyses.
- Prepare management-ready summaries highlighting key issues, risks, and decision points for the section.
- Support structured review of discussions through evidence-based presentations and briefing materials.
Support knowledge management and corporate planning/reporting:
- Facilitate the development of knowledge management products to capture, analyze, and utilize sectoral or programme-specific data from field operations for policymaking, advocacy, and fundraising purposes.
- Provide inputs for all donor financial reports in line with each donor requirements. Provide inputs for all donor financial reports in line with donor requirements.
- Synthesize information from various sources in support of generating KM products for internal and external audiences
Enhance cross-functional collaboration and information exchange: - Proactively engage with Kabul and field offices to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and recommend adaptive measures to maintain programme delivery within financial and contextual constraints.
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Work Assignments Overview |
Deliverables/Outputs |
Delivery timeline |
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1. Inception and planning - Inception meeting online with Education output teams and the budget unit. - Identify key milestones for the consultancy and develop work plan |
- Inception meeting conducted |
5 working days |
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2. Resource mapping - Conduct output level regular monthly meetings - Present updates in monthly section meetings |
- Monthly output specific budget management and compliance meetings held - Monthly FO level presentations made in section meetings |
66 working days (6 days x 11 months) |
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3. Developing plans for and monitoring fund allocations - Ensure matching of amounts and outputs for newly received grant allocations - Monitor fund allocations to ensure alignment with donor conditions and evolving programme needs. |
- Fund allocation plans and monitoring reports per grant |
44 working days (4 days x 11 months) |
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4. Conducting financial analysis to support strategic decision-making
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- Quarterly financial analysis reports for the Chief of Education |
44 working days (4 days x 11 months) |
|
5. Contributing to corporate reports and knowledge management products |
- Corporate report inputs and KM products |
44 working days (4 days x 11 months) |
| Total Assignment Days (Working days) | 203 working days |
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in Economics, Public Administration, Finance, International Development, Education or a related field.
The following expertise and skills are expected qualifications of the individual consultant
Work Experience: Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme financial management, budgeting, and reporting in international development contexts is required.
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Proven expertise in multi-donor financial management, budgeting, and variance analysis required.
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Demonstrated experience with UNICEF or other UN agency financial systems and donor reporting required.
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Strong proficiency in MS Excel, vision or similar tools for financial analysis and reporting required.
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Familiarity with Results-Based Management (RBM) and programme performance frameworks is desired.
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Excellent communication, analytical, and coordination skills. Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams is desired.
Expertise desired/asset: -
Experience of supporting FM for grants funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and/or EU, as well as various other funds is an asset.
- Language Requirements: English proficiency is required.
How to apply:
- Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template here:
Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx - Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.
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:
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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.
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.
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.
Advertised: Afghanistan Standard Time
Application close: Afghanistan Standard Time
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