Home-based: ECD Senior Consultant - TSI advisory (90 working days) - Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO)

UNICEF ECARO is looking for a qualified ECD senior consultant (TSI advisory) to provide technical and strategic oversight on the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) portfolio in the region and to find synergies between the TSI portfolio and the wider, regional ECD portfolio.

Knowledge Management and Communication Consultant

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, a chance.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) is seeking a senior consultant to provide technical and strategic oversight on the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) portfolio in the region and to find synergies between the TSI portfolio and the wider, regional ECD portfolio.

Scope of Work

With funding from the EU Commission’s DG REFORM, under which UNICEF has been contracted to provide technical support, UNICEF will be working with the national authorities of Bulgaria, Portugal and the Federal State of Lower Saxony to strengthen the quality of their ECEC systems. This will be achieved through 2 TSI project of the duration of 2 years, comprising the following key activities:

a) Evidence generation

UNICEF will support the Federal authorities in gaining extensive knowledge of the current status of the ECEC sector through an as-is analysis and a good practice report from other European countries.

b) Framework development and testing

UNICEF will develop 3 different frameworks aimed at strengthening the quality of ECEC service provision: one quality framework for Portugal, one M&E framework for Bulgaria and a framework for supporting outcome-oriented competence development in ECEC for Lower Saxony.

c) Recommendations for framework adoption

UNICEF will draft reports with final recommendations for implementation and dissemination of the frameworks by the national and federal authorities.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities

1) Strategic and technical oversight to the TSI regional portfolio

Working closely with the ECARO ECD Officer and lead consultants:

• Provide support to the project coordination and implementation:
  • Partake in regular project meetings, as required
  • Oversee the impactful implementation of the projects, together with the project coordination team.
  • Provide timely technical review and suggestions to inform the development of project deliverables.
• Review and provide feedback to draft deliverables

2) Provide technical support to create linkages between TSIs and the regional ECD portfolio

Working closely with the ECARO ECD team to support linkages between the tools, frameworks and insights from current and previous TSI projects with ongoing shifts and developments within the broader ECEC portfolio. Key activities include:

• Advisory support to create a knowledge management platform that hosts all finalized and shareable versions of outputs created under the TSI projects and can usefully enable cross-country learning, exchange and strengthening technical capacity of UNICEF staff
• Facilitation and/or participation in at least 2 (per year) online exchanges, webinars and dialogues organized by the regional ECD team to facilitate and consolidate cross-country learning and socialization of tools, frameworks and outputs created through the TSI projects
• Organizing two high-level exchanges (one per year) that connect learning from the TSI projects and enable UNICEF positioning as a technical partner for ECEC in EU MS

3) Provide technical support to the regional early childhood education and care strategic initiatives

• Advisory support to create develop a regional childcare catalytic fund
• Advisory support for the developing of regional approach to engagement with the business and private sector in the area of ECE/D

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks / Milestone	Deliverables / Outputs	Timeline / Deadline
Strategic and technical oversight to the TSI regional portfolio.	Provide support to the project coordination and implementation: A) Partake in regular project meetings, as required B) Oversee the impactful implementation of the projects, together with the project coordination team. Provide timely technical review and suggestions to inform the development of project deliverables.	10 working days; By July 2026
Review and provide feedback to draft deliverables	35 working days; By July 2026
Provide technical support to create linkages between TSIs and the regional ECD portfolio	Facilitating 2 learning and exchange platforms	5 working days; By December 2025
Developing a concept and implement a plan for leveraging TSI work for the rest of the region	10 working days; By December 2025
Developing a capacity building platform for policy makers based on TSI learnings-	12 working days; By April 2026
Provide technical support to the regional early childhood education and care strategic initiatives	A regional childcare catalytic fund concept and plan	8 working days; By December 2025
A regional approach paper and guidance on engagement with the business and private sector in the area of ECE/D	10 working days; By December 2025

Estimated Duration of the Contract

90 working days between January 2025 and August 2026.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be home-based with no travels foreseen.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 90 working days to undertake this assignment.

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

• Master's degree in Education, social studies and development, public health and/or medicine, nutrition, psychology, human development, child development, families' studies or another relevant technical field.
• Seven (7) years minimum of relevant professional experience in early childhood education and care (at national/systems level).
• Understanding of ECEC quality assurance, data and monitoring, and policy/legal reforms is essential.
• Knowledge of the ECEC agenda in the EU.
• Experience managing national programme implementation is highly desirable.
• Experience working with Ministry reform programmes is an asset.
• Experience managing EU projects, including experience in developing project agreements and experience in EU narrative and financial reporting is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English is essential. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Please include a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.