UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Future  

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Regional Education Advisor, the Education Specialist (Digital Learning) as part of the MENARO education team, plays a key role in bringing innovation to the development, preparation and monitoring of digital/distance learning programs. The Specialist will manage the digital/distance learning portfolio in the MENA region, which includes supporting the implementation of the Learning Passport and identifying and amplifying other potential inclusive learning solutions for the region. The Specialist provides authoritative technical guidance and operational support throughout all stages of programming to facilitate Country Offices in the management and delivery of results on developing and identifying inclusive digital and hybrid learning solutions that support the continuation of learning, particularly for the most vulnerable children and in contexts of limited ICT infrastructure and Internet connectivity to contribute to improving learning outcomes and to promote universal access to quality, equitable and inclusive primary/early childhood education, especially for children who are marginalized, disadvantaged and excluded in society. This includes providing technical assistance in assessing country office requirements, localizing the technology, curating content, and ensuring that it is contextualized and can be effectively used in respective country offices. 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities: 

1. Programme development and planning

• Provide technical assistance and advice to colleagues in the education section on all aspects of programming and implementation to enable them to achieve performance objectives, in the field of digital and distance learning.
• Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies and to determine national priorities/competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.
• Aid in the development of country-level program implementation plans and activities, leveraging best practices and leading technical approaches, in coordination with Country Office teams, partners, and governments.
• Participate in strategic program discussions on the planning of inclusive education programs. Formulate, design, and prepare program proposals on digital learning, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans and Country Program and coherence/integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.

    2. Program management, monitoring and quality control of results

• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress on digital learning and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results. Provide guidance on programmatic and technical data.
• Identify lessons learned on digital learning and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Actively monitor digital learning programs/projects through field visits and surveys, and exchange information with stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.

       3.Advisory services and technical support

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to country office partners/donors on interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices and approaches on digital learning and related issues to support program management, implementation, and delivery of results.
• Arrange/coordinate availability of technical experts on digital learning with Regional Office/HQ to ensure timely/appropriate support throughout the programming/projects process.
• Participate in education program meetings including program development and contingency planning to provide technical and operational information, advice, and support.
• Draft policy papers, briefs, and other strategic program materials on digital learning for management use, information and/or consideration.
• Support ongoing roll out of Learning Passport platforms in MENA within the contexts of Education, ADAP and Generation Unlimited (GenU) and participate in regular calls with the global Learning Passport team.
• Troubleshoot technical, platform-level hardware and software issues with country teams and in coordination with the global Learning Passport team and engineering resources.
• Provide technical advice to key government officials, NGOs, UN system and other country office partners on policies, strategies, best practices, and approaches on digital learning to support program development planning, implementation and delivery of results.

4.Advocacy, networking, and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant counterparts and global partners/allies/donors/academia through active networking, advocacy, and effective communication to build capacity, exchange knowledge/expertise and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results on digital learning.
• Prepare communication and information materials for CO program advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for digital learning programs.

5.Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Apply/introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable digital learning program results.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark and implement best practices in digital learning. Assess, institutionalize, and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programs and projects.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders to promote sustainable results on digital learning and related programs/projects.

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

 Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology or another relevant technical field (e.g. technology).

Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required.
• 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.
• Familiarity/background with emergencies is considered as an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English is required. 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, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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. 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.

Remarks:

“UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Eligible staff members in the IP category, National Officers (NO) or General Service (GS) on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.