Chief of Education

Job Description

Rwanda has made strong progress in expanding access to education and prioritizes quality and relevant learning under Vision 2050 and NST2. However, challenges remain in foundational learning, school completion and transition, and access to education and employment opportunities for adolescents and young people. Through its 2025–2029 Country Programme, UNICEF supports national priorities in early and foundational learning, teacher development, inclusive and digital education, education data, and flexible learning pathways. The Chief, Education will provide strategic and technical leadership and strengthen partnerships to accelerate equitable learning and skills outcomes, particularly for the most disadvantaged children and young people.

Purpose of the Position:

As Chief of Education, you will provide strategic leadership for UNICEF Rwanda’s education portfolio, ensuring the delivery of sustainable, high-impact results aligned with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and results-based management principles. You will oversee major education investments and partnerships, including grant-funded programmes, while supporting government-led sector coordination and strengthening national education systems. The role drives inclusive, equitable and resilient learning opportunities by promoting innovation, multisectoral collaboration, Generation Unlimited (GenU), and South-South cooperation. You will also champion resource mobilization and innovative financing solutions, leveraging partnerships across government, donors, the private sector, foundations and civil society to expand quality education and skills development opportunities for children and young people across Rwanda.

Lead UNICEF Rwanda’s education portfolio and help shape inclusive, equitable and future-ready learning opportunities for children and young people across the country. As Chief of Education, you will provide strategic leadership, technical direction and operational oversight for a diverse education programme spanning early childhood development, foundational learning, secondary education, skills development, and school-to-work transitions.

Working closely with government, development partners, the private sector and young people, you will drive the design and delivery of high-impact education initiatives, including RISE Rwanda and other major grant-funded programmes. You will champion innovation, data-driven decision-making and technology-enabled learning, while ensuring that gender equality, disability inclusion, refugee inclusion and climate resilience are embedded across all programmes.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team, mobilize resources and strategic partnerships, strengthen national education systems, and support government efforts to expand quality learning and skills opportunities at scale. The role also serves as a key advisor on education policy, financing and sector reform, helping to translate evidence and innovation into sustainable national impact.

Key Accountabilities:

• Managerial Leadership
• Programme Development and Planning
• Programme Management, Monitoring and Quality Control of Results
• Advisory Services and Technical Support
• Advocacy, Networking and Partnership Building
• Innovation, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Job Descriptions Chief Education (P4).pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in education, economics, psychology, sociology, international development, public policy, public administration, statistics, educational technology, development studies and any other related fields is required.
• Work

Experience

• At least 8 years of relevant work experience in programme, research, education, education program management, education policy, sector coordination, monitoring and evaluation, grant management, resource mobilization, digital learning, education data systems, inclusive education, youth skills development and any other related fields is required.
• Skills:
• Professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education at the international level is required.
• Good knowledge of global developments in education and international engagement strategies is required.
• Good education and policy sector analysis capacity, understanding of policies and strategies and ability to support policy dialogue is mandatory.
• Good technical knowledge of digital pedagogy, accessible technology-enabled learning is required.
• Demonstrated ability in results-based programme and grant management is mandatory.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams is expected.
• Language

Requirements

• Fluency in English is required.

• Desirables

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

• Good ability to support engagement with partners.

• Good understanding of gender and inequity issues in relation to education and development and the application of gender / equity analysis to policy and planning in education.

• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

• 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 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

• (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

• 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 doe