Education Officer

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment into action.

The Education Officer (Pre-School / Early Childhood Education (ECE) plays a critical role in ensuring the realization of young children’s right to quality, equitable, and inclusive education. This role focuses on addressing the dual challenges of recovery and emergency contexts, with a specific emphasis on children affected by conflict, displacement, and socio-economic disparities.

Under the supervision of the Chief, Education, the ECE Specialist provides technical, operational, and administrative support to the ECE programme, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s strategic objectives, national priorities, and the emerging needs of children and families in Ukraine. This includes coordination in emergencies, strengthening ECE systems, supporting policy and curriculum development, and fostering innovative approaches to service delivery.

Purpose for the job: Under the supervision of the Chief, Education, the Education Officer (Pre-School/ECE) provides technical, operational, and administrative support to the ECE programme, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s strategic objectives, national priorities, and the emerging needs of children and families in Ukraine. This includes coordination in emergencies, strengthening ECE systems, supporting policy and curriculum development, and fostering innovative approaches to service delivery.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Support to programme development and planning
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
• Technical and operational support to programme implementation
• Networking and partnership building
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Support to programme development and planning:

• Contribute to the preparation and updating of the situation analysis for the development, design, and management of ECE programmes/projects, with a focus on emergency and recovery contexts.
• Contribute to research and report on development trends (economic, social, health etc.) and data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of education and other related information for development planning and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Assist in the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, and strategies, ensuring alignment with the new Law on Preschool Education and other national frameworks.
• Provide technical support for the development of cost-efficient and diversified ECE service models, including mobile kindergartens, home-based preschools, and corporate ECE units.
• Ensure the effective integration of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into the national ECE curriculum through results-based planning and monitoring.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results:

• Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to collect, analyze and share information on implementation issues.
• Suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Support the costing and budgeting processes for the guaranteed package of ECE services to ensure cost efficiency.
• Provide technical support for the development of cost-efficient and diversified ECE service models, including mobile kindergartens, home-based preschools, and corporate ECE units.
• Ensure the effective integration of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into the national ECE curriculum through results-based planning and monitoring.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare draft inputs for programme/donor reporting.

 Technical and operational support to programme implementation:

• Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Support the costing and budgeting processes for the guaranteed package of ECE services to ensure cost efficiency.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on education related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.
• Promote the integration of SEL into teacher training and ECE programming to address the mental health and psychosocial needs of children in conflict-affected areas.
• Provide expert technical support to the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) and local authorities in developing and implementing the normative framework aligned with the new preschool education law.

 Networking and partnership building:

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programmes.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fund raising for education programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of education programmes/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.
• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with government counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders to advance the ECE agenda.
• Represent UNICEF in inter-agency coordination mechanisms for ECE in emergencies, advocating for the inclusion of early learning in humanitarian responses.
• Develop and disseminate advocacy and communication materials to raise awareness and mobilize resources for ECE initiatives.

 Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Contribute to identifying, capturing, synthesizing, and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with government counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders to advance the ECE agenda.
• Represent UNICEF in inter-agency coordination mechanisms for ECE in emergencies, advocating for the inclusion of early learning in humanitarian responses.
• Develop and disseminate advocacy and communication materials to raise awareness and mobilize resources for ECE initiatives.
• Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

Impact of Results :

• The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Education Officer to programme preparation, planning and implementation, contributes to the achievement of sustainable results to improve learning outcomes and universal access to quality, equitable and inclusive education. Success in education programmes and projects in turn contribute to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for mothers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, psychology, sociology or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience: 

• A minimum of two years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in English and Ukranian is required.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/580351