International Consultant- Technical support to develop the National ECD Policies in Tonga and Palau and ECEC/ childcare system in Fiji,Education, 9 months, Remote ( With Travel) Internationals Only#596873

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.

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For every child, the right to Education

How can you make a difference? As custodian to the Pasifika Call to Action, the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Development (PRC4ECD) unites Ministers and Permanent Secretaries from education, health, finance, and social welfare in 15 PICTs (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu), and encourages countries to tailor the Call to Action to their specific contexts, and to drive collaboration among leaders, policymakers, and program implementers to address gaps in health, nutrition, protection, care, learning and stimulation that affect the development of young children across the region. These efforts align with broader regional priorities, such as the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, the Pacific Culture Strategy, and sectoral goals set by Pacific Ministers of Education, Health, and Women. Together, these frameworks also underscore the importance of parenting engagement as a central element in the holistic development of young children. Since 2017, The Pacific region has made important progress in strengthening national and regional ECD systems, including through the Pasifika Call to Action on ECD, national ECD policies, multisectoral coordination mechanisms, workforce development, monitoring systems, and support for parents and communities. In 2025, the Pacific ECD Forum Leaders have strengthened the regional mandate for Early Childhood Development by endorsing ECD as a standing agenda item within the People Centred Development thematic area of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. More recently, the PIF Women Leaders Meeting endorsed the importance of ECD as a cross-sectoral priority linked to gender equality, social inclusion, resilience, child wellbeing, and long-term human development. UNICEF supports governments by facilitating dialogues and coordinated action, providing technical support, and convening stakeholders in consultative and participatory sessions on ECD, including the coordination and integration of efforts across multiple sectors within ECD, as well as with cross-cutting concerns such as climate change. UNICEF is supporting PICTs in translating the momentum gained from the PRC4ECD commitments to concrete advances on ECD. At the national level, the focus is on improving the environment enabling ECD, specifically on multi-sectoral coordination within a clearly defined ECD system. Therefore, UNICEF is looking for a consultant to support the governments of Tonga and Palau to develop their National ECD Policies, building on the previous work that both countries has been advancing in this area. As the second stream of work, the consultant will also support the governments of Fiji, to assess the status and produce recommendations and suggested services on the way to build the ECEC/ childcare system for children aged 0-3/4.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here  TMC0007764 External.pdf

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

• Minimum requirements:
• Education: Master's in early childhood development, early childhood education, education policy and planning, public health, economics of education, or a closely related social science discipline
• Work Experience: A minimum of twelve (12) years of progressively responsible professional experience in early childhood development, early childhood education and care, of which at least five (5) years in professional experience in programme planning, management, and research within the field of early childhood development.
• Demonstrated professional experience in Pacific Island Countries, including direct technical work with Pacific ministries and governments.
• Demonstrated experience developing ECD plans and costed implementation plans and providing direct technical assistance to ministries from different sectors, including policy implementation.
• Demonstrated experience bringing analytical publications to print-ready standard in collaboration with designers and copy editors.
• Understanding of formal and non-formal ECEC provisions is preferred and issues pertaining to licencing, regulation, quality assurance
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset
• Skills: Demonstrated ability to translate systems analysis into ministerial-level policy recommendations and advocacy products.
• Excellent analytical writing in English, with the ability to write for both technical and ministerial audiences. Proven ability to work remotely across Pacific time zones, to engage government counterparts respectfully and effectively, and to deliver to firm deadlines within a regionally governed process.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Desirables: Work experience in other small island developing states of comparable scale and geographic dispersion. Familiarity with the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Development (PRC4ECD) and with the Conference of Pacific Education Ministers process.
• Experience facilitating multi-country validation and capacity building processes

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 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.

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

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template)  TMC0007764 Financial proposal.docx
• A detailed technical proposal Applicants must submit: a technical proposal of no more than five (5) pages setting out the proposed methodology and workplan, and how the comparability constraints identified in the Scope of Work will be managed