Education Specialist - Teacher Development and Workforce, P-4, Temporary Position, Global Programme Division, 364 days, COE, Amman - Jordan, #00137289 (Remote)

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

How can you make a difference?

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy emphasizes the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families and ensures that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential.

UNICEF’s Education Programme supports countries to deliver equitable, inclusive, and high‑quality learning for all children and adolescents, in line with Every Child Learns Education Strategy 2019–2030 and the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2026–2029. Central to this agenda is the transformation of teacher and workforce systems as a core driver of education quality, resilience, and equity.

Education Centers of Excellence (CoEs) provide predictive, integrated, and trackable technical assistance to countries. The Education Global Practice supports education system reform across the learning lifecycle, from school readiness to skills for life and work, with teacher and workforce development recognized as one of the most critical leverage points for improving learning outcomes and strengthening system resilience, particularly in fragile and crisis settings

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Senior Advisor Education, the Education Specialist (Teacher Development and Workforce) supports the Advisor in managing the Teacher Development and Workforce portfolio in the UNICEF Education Center of Excellence.

The Education Specialist plays a key role in bringing a high level of technical expertise, innovation and overall support to the development, preparation and implementation of the Teacher Development and Workforce plans and programs.

The Education Specialist will provide technical guidance and operational support throughout all stages of programming to facilitate the management and delivery of results focused on teacher development and workforce, thus contributing to strengthening national education systems to improve both teaching and learning outcomes.

Key accountabilities include:

• Management and advisory support to the Senior Education Advisor
• Technical, Analytical, and Country Support
• Policy, Guidance, and Knowledge Products
• Evidence, Learning, Coordination, and Reporting

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

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Education, International Development, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Teacher Development and any other related fields.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in teacher development, education systems strengthening, and/or teacher workforce policy and programming, teacher competency and certification systems, programme planning, management, and/or research in education (teacher development and workforce) is required.
• Skills: Teacher development,workforce programming, Education policy, Technical advisory, programme coordination, Knowledge management and coordination, Partnership engagement, Data analysis and evidence use.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• An advanced degree (and practical experience) in the area of teacher development and workforce would be an asset.
• Familiarity with global education agendas, including SDG 4 and teacher professionalization reforms.
• Demonstrated experience supporting policy analysis, program design, technical assistance and advocacy in teacher development and workforce.
• Experience and familiarity with using EdTech and AI for teachers
• Experience working in low‑ and middle‑income countries; experience in fragile, crisis, or humanitarian contexts is an asset.
• Experience as a classroom teacher is an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as 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

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.