Home-based: ECD Skills Narrative Consultant (7 working days ) - ECARO

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 thrive.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF ECARO is seeking the support of a consultant to develop a concise framing note and a brochure that articulate the links between the Childcare and Early Learning Financing Facility (CELFF) and the skills & jobs agenda. Existing CELFF materials already highlight CELFF’s role in advancing workforce participation, women’s economic empowerment, and the professionalization of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce, but require some further concrete links to situate CELFF within broader national, regional (e.g. EU), and global skills strategies. This work will contribute to CELFF’s positioning as a flagship UNICEF initiative that usefully connects ECEC, employment, and skills agendas.

The consultant will develop a concise framing note (5-7 pages) and a brochure (4-5 pages) that connect CELFF as a catalytic financing platform with the jobs & skills agenda.

Key tasks:

1. Content framing

• Draft narrative linking ECEC financing to skills development & job creation (labour market participation, workforce readiness, ECEC workforce training, human capital development, care economy, etc.).
• Review EU and global skills strategies to integrate in CELFF’s existing materials

2. Strategic messaging

• Develop clear, user-friendly messaging (tailored to specific stakeholder group – such as IFIs, philanthropy, etc.) that emphasizes CELFF’s contribution to both ECEC, jobs creation and skills development.
• Identify 3-4 headline messages for use in the brochure and related communications.

3. Drafting and refinement

• Produce a structured framing note (5-7 pages) and a brochure (4-5 pages) that connect CELFF as a financing platform to advancing the skills agenda.
• Provide concise talking points for UNICEF leadership and senior management to use in high-level dialogues.

Work Assignment Overview Deliverables/Outputs Delivery Deadline Framing note (5-7 pages) connecting CELFF with ECEC and skills agendas 15 July 2026 (2 days) Brochure (4-5 pages) connecting CELFF with ECEC and skills agendas 20 July 2026 (2 days) Messaging toolkit: 3-4 headline talking points and short blurbs for partner communications 30 July 2026 (3 days)

Estimated Duration of the Contract

7 working days between 1 July-31 July 2026.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultants will be home-based with no travel is foreseen at the moment.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Master's Degree in international development, economics, public policy, education, or related field.
• Specialized training or coursework in skills development or financing for social sectors is an asset.

Experience:

• Experience working in skills & jobs agenda in international contexts.
• Proven ability to draft clear, concise policy notes and communication materials for diverse audiences.
• Familiarity with EU and global skills strategies and shifts in global/regional jobs and skills agendas within select organizations (IFIs, MDBs, bilateral donors, etc.).
• Experience in communication for development is an asset.

Skills:

• Technical understanding of jobs and skills agendas.
• Strong writing and synthesis skills.
• Ability to develop headline messages and structured documents.

Others:

• Languages: Excellent English writing and communication.
• Experience with an IFI/MDB organization is strongly preferred.

Please submit a full CV, samples of your published written work and a financial proposal (in USD) in your application. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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…

(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:

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.