Education Specialist (Early Childhood Development)

UNICEF

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Contract type

• Temporary Appointment

Locations

East Asia and Pacific Region

• Samoa

Functional Area

Programme

• Education

Position level

• NO-3

Education Specialist (Early Childhood Development), NOC, TA, 364 days, #138826, Apia, Samoa (Pacific Islands) MCP, APR, For Nationals of Samoa Only

Job no: 596381

Contract type: Temporary Appointment

Duty Station: Apia

Level: NO-3

Location: Samoa

Categories: Education

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 future.

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.

The Pacific Multi-Country Office is the oldest and largest MCO in UNICEF. As such it is a model for the new MCOs being established. 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. UNICEF’s programme focuses on advancing children’s rights and wellbeing through integrated efforts in health, nutrition, education, child protection, climate resilience, and social policy—addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing small island developing states, including vulnerability to climate change, geographic isolation, and service delivery constraints.

Through the MCO approach, staff contribute to meaningful, system-level changes supporting governments and communities to strengthen essential services, improve equity for the most vulnerable children, and build resilience across generations. With nearly 40 per cent of the region’s population under 18, the impact of UNICEF’s work is both immediate and long-term, shaping healthier, safer, and more inclusive futures for children across the Pacific. Education forms an important part of programming.

Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands and in the short video: Work for UNICEF in the Pacific

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief of Field Office in Samoa and with technical guidance from the Education team in Suva, you will provide technical, operational and programme management support across the Education and Early Childhood Development (ECD) portfolio. You will contribute to the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes across Samoa, Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands, helping to deliver results that improve learning outcomes and promote equitable, inclusive and quality education for all children.

The

Education

• Specialist (ECD) is expected to apply strong technical expertise, analytical skills and a collaborative approach to programme delivery. Working closely with government counterparts, partners and colleagues, you will support the achievement of UNICEF’s education and ECD priorities, with a particular focus on reaching children who are marginalized, disadvantaged and excluded.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Support to Education and ECD programmes/projects development and planning

• Support the design, planning and implementation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes using evidence-based approaches and results-based management principles.

• Contribute to the integration of ECD priorities across sectors and ensure alignment with national priorities and UNICEF strategies.

• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results on Education and ECD programmes

• Monitor programme implementation, track results and support reporting to ensure the effective delivery of ECD outcomes.

• Support programme reviews, field monitoring and resource management to identify challenges, promote accountability and drive continuous improvement.

• Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, partners and stakeholders throughout the programme cycle.

• Contribute to the development of policy briefs, strategic documents and technical materials to support programme delivery and decision-making.

• Networking and partnership building

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with government, development partners, academia and civil society to advance ECD priorities and results.

• Support advocacy, resource mobilization and inter-agency collaboration to strengthen investments and partnerships for children.

• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Promote innovation, knowledge sharing and the application of good practices to strengthen programme effectiveness and impact.

• Support capacity-building initiatives to enhance partner competencies and strengthen sustainable ECD systems and services.

• If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: ECD Specialist Level 3.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, public administration, public health, nutrition, economics, psychology, sociology, human development, child development, family studies or another relevant technical field. A first-level university degree (Bachelors) in a relevant field combined with two additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work

Experience

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in social development planning and management, research in education, early childhood development, and related areas is required.
• Skills: Strong skills in child protection programming, programme management, monitoring and reporting, partnership building, research and analysis, and effective communication.
• Language

Requirements

• Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Experience working in a developing country context.

• Experience with the UN system or an international development organization.

• Experience in early childhood development, education programming and partnership coordination

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

• 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…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People

• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

• Works collaboratively with others

• Builds and maintains partnerships

• Innovates and embraces change

• Thinks and acts strategically

• Drive to achieve results for impact

• Manages ambiguity and complexity

• Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

• This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply

• 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 righ