UNICEF Pacific National Consultancy: Education and ECD Evidence and Visibility Consultant, Suva, Fiji, 216 working days over 12 Months

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 a voice.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

The region is unique: small, remote islands spread across a vast ocean, each with its own strengths and challenges. UNICEF Pacific works closely with national governments, regional bodies, and development partners to improve essential services for children, including education, health, and child protection.

The Education Section leads UNICEF’s support to countries across the Pacific, helping to build strong, inclusive, and resilient education systems, as well as multi-sectoral ECD, both at regional- and national-levels. The portfolio is organized around four main areas of work:

• Early Childhood Education (ECE): expanding access to quality, play-based early learning so that children start school ready to succeed.
• Teaching and Learning: improving what happens in classrooms, from foundational literacy and numeracy to inclusive and gender-responsive pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and teacher development.
• System Strengthening: supporting education sector planning, leadership, data and evidence systems, budgeting, and resilience, ensuring education systems can plan, adapt, and respond to crises.
• Early Childhood Development (ECD): promoting holistic support for young children and families, including parenting programmes and community-based initiatives that connect health, nutrition, protection, and early learning.

Working across these four pillars and across multiple countries, the Education Section, through the programmes it supports, contributes to producing a wide range of experiences, data, results and insights. From digital learning initiatives and foundational learning pilots to ECE reforms and resilience-building in schools, the programme generates rich knowledge that can inspire change across the Pacific and beyond. However, much of this work is not yet fully documented or shared. Busy teams, tight timelines, and geographic distance often mean that great stories and results remain unseen.

There is a growing need to strengthen communications, visibility, and knowledge translation so that Pacific achievements and innovations are recognized, shared, and used to influence policy and practice. More engaging stories, clearer briefs, and better-designed presentations can help highlight the powerful work happening in Pacific classrooms, communities, and ministries.

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant will be responsible for supporting the Education Section across the following areas:

Communication and Visibility

• Prepare and format PowerPoint presentations for meetings, conferences, and partner engagements.
• Draft short content for social media, newsletters, bulletins, human interest stories, talking points, blogs and event materials, aligned with UNICEF communication standards.
• Support the development of simple visual assets (graphics, layouts, templates) using tools such as Canva.
• Ensure relevant and consistent application of UNICEF branding and visual identity guidelines across communication and visibility products.
• Support donor and partner visibility across education outputs and events, in line with agreed branding and acknowledgement guidelines.

Knowledge Management and Evidence Translation

• Collect and synthesize thematic information across key programme areas (ECE, ECD, teaching and learning, inclusion, foundational learning, digital education, system strengthening, etc.) into briefs, one-pagers, and other knowledge products.
• Draft, edit, and format public-facing briefs, summaries, and human-centered stories based on technical content shared by the Education team.
• Copy-edit proposals, concept notes, reports, and other key documents to ensure clarity, coherence, and readability.
• Support documentation of learning events, consultations, and cross-country exchanges.
• Maintain and organize knowledge management systems related to communications and visibility products, ensuring materials are stored, accessible, and updated (e.g., briefs, presentations, messaging frameworks, visibility assets).

Messaging Consistency and Education Communications Support

• Support the Education Section to align messaging and narrative across key outputs (briefs, reports, proposals/pitches, presentations, speaking notes), ensuring consistency in terminology, “who we are / what we do / what we are asking for,” and how evidence is used to support key claims.
• Consolidate and maintain a simple message bank (priority messages by theme, suggested language, data), based on inputs from Education specialists and UNICEF Communications.
• Support coordination of Education communications planning by maintaining a light communications tracker/workplan (priority products, audiences/channels, timelines, responsibilities), and updating it regularly based on agreed decisions.
• Flag inconsistencies, gaps, or risks (e.g., branding, donor acknowledgement, sensitive content) and liaise with UNICEF Communications and the Education Supervisor for guidance and quality assurance.

Internal Organization and Team Support

• Help maintain the Education Section’s repository of knowledge products, stories, and communication assets.
• Assist in preparing briefs, notes, and documentation for internal meetings, donor engagements, and regional events.
• Support day-to-day communication needs of the Education team to ensure consistent and timely documentation of results.

The consultant will work closely with the entire UNICEF Pacific Education team and participate in day-to-day programme work. They will collaborate regularly with the four output leads as well as national staff across the education workstreams. The consultant will be expected to approach all communication and visibility work with sensitivity to Pacific cultures, values, and ways of communicating. This includes ensuring that products and stories are respectful, context-appropriate, and reflective of local perspectives and priorities. The consultant will also work in close coordination with the UNICEF Communications team to ensure quality control, alignment with branding and safeguarding standards, and consistent messaging across platforms.

Please refer to the ToR ( EDU.MCO.Evidence.Visibility.Consultant.ToR.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

Please submit a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a breakdown for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel)
• Living allowance where travel is required
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communication, Journalism, Education, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.

Work Experience:

• At least two years of relevant experience in communication, writing, research, education, or documentation (internships, volunteer work, or university projects may count).
• Experience drafting short materials such as briefs, summaries, stories, or social media content.

Skills:

• Strong writing and editing abilities, with the skill to turn complex ideas into clear, engaging content for different audiences
• Ability to prepare and format presentations (PowerPoint or similar tools) and familiarity with simple design software such as Canva.
• Good organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Comfortable using digital tools (Microsoft Office, SharePoint, or similar platforms) for collaboration and document preparation.
• Creativity, curiosity, and a strong interest in storytelling, visibility, and communication for development, with sensitivity to Pacific cultures, values, and ways of communicating.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills; able to work well in a diverse, multi-country team.
• Interest in Pacific education issues and a commitment to contributing to positive change for children and young people.
• Demonstrated commitment to UNICEF’s core values (CRITAS: Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability) and ethical conduct

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required, with demonstrated ability to produce high-level written documents.

 

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.

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.

Remarks:  

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable male and 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.