Equity, Disability, Gender and Inclusion in Education Consultant

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. How can you make a difference? UNICEF works to ensure that every child has the right to learn, develop and participate fully, without discrimination. Within UNICEF Global Programme Division, the Education Practice works to strengthen education systems so that they are more equitable, inclusive, gender-responsive, and resilient across the life course. This includes supporting countries to improve policy and planning, financing, data and evidence, teacher and workforce development, accessible and inclusive learning environments, and cross-sectoral coordination for children’s learning, development, and wellbeing in development and emergency contexts. The Equity, Disability, Gender, and Inclusion team advances this agenda through global technical leadership, guidance, evidence generation, advocacy, and country support. This includes work on disability-inclusive education, gender transformative education, out-of-school children, and intersectional approaches that address overlapping forms of disadvantage and exclusion. A key element of the team’s strategic approach is to accelerate mainstreaming of equity, disability, gender, and inclusion across the broader education portfolio, including in early childhood education, where inclusive approaches are critical to strengthening systems from the earliest years. Despite growing commitment to inclusive education, many education systems continue to lack practical, accessible guidance, tools and evidence on how to translate equity, disability, gender and inclusion commitments into systemlevel reforms, planning processes and implementation support. UNICEF is seeking an international consultant to provide technical and coordination support to advance key priorities under the global Equity, Disability, Gender, and Inclusion agenda in education, with a focus on developing practical knowledge products, public goods, learning opportunities, and platforms that support UNICEF country offices, ministries of education, and partners to strengthen inclusive and equitable education systems. A major component of the consultancy will be the development of a Disability-Inclusive Education Hub — a dynamic, accessible global platform that brings together evidence, tools, guidance, and country experiences on disability inclusive education system reform. Organized around key education system building blocks, the hub will translate global frameworks and emerging evidence into practical resources to support system strengthening for inclusion, including policy, financing, teacher development, data, and learning environments. The consultancy will also include a focused workstream on disability-inclusive early childhood education, including an evidence synthesis and the development of global guidance, practical tools, validation processes, and country case studies on disability-inclusive ECE workforce development. In addition, the consultant will support learning and public goods activities related to gender-transformative education planning and out-of-school children, including peer learning webinars, an in-person or convening-linked learning session, and support for global public goods development. The consultant will work under the supervision of the Education Specialist (Disability Inclusion) and in close collaboration with other UNICEF staff throughout the assignment. If you would like to know more about this consultancy's scope of work and expected deliverables, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: TMC0003715 ToR.pdf To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have: Minimum requirements: • Education: Advanced (Master's) degree in relevant field, preferably inclusive or special education, international education, human development or social sciences. • Work Experience: • At least 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of international disability-inclusive education from early childhood education onwards. • Understanding and experience with early identification and intervention approaches for disability inclusion in early childhood education and expertise in ECE workforce development will be highly desirable. • Demonstrated experience and good understanding about gender transformative education in and through education. • Demonstrated experience drafting high-quality technical, policy, and advocacy documents for diverse audiences. • Deep expertise with the UNICEF-UNESCO-IIEP Inclusive Education Systems Framework • Experience facilitating and leading technical discussions on inclusive education and gender transformative education in and through education with a technical audience. • Previous experience with UN agencies or multilateral institutions is an asset. • Skills: Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable outputs. • Excellent coordination and stakeholder engagement skills. • Ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously while meeting established deadlines • High level of autonomy and ability to work effectively with minimal supervision. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Working proficiency in other UN languages an asset. • Proficiency in developing high-quality presentations and written materials (e.g., PowerPoint, Canva). 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) TMC0003715 Financial Proposal Template.docx • A technical proposal: A sample technical report demonstrating the understanding of disability-inclusive education related issues Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers. 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. All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.