Jobs at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

Purpose of this post

• UNICEF Nigeria uses capacity building as one amongst two other strategies of advocacy and innovation to support the government of Nigeria in increasing equitable access to quality early learning to achieve school readiness.
• At the core of the capacity building strategy are interventions focused on strengthening access and quality of public pre-primary education.
• To support the Nigerian government in addressing some of the barriers to effective implementation of one year of quality pre-primary education, UNICEF is seeking to engage an experienced international early learning consultant with extensive knowledge and experience working in pre-primary education and teacher training to provide technical support in the review of the existing curriculum and training documents and provide strategic recommendations for policy dialogue, implementation and action by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for pre-primary implementation.

Scope of Work
Reporting to the Education Specialist-ECD, and working closely with the Special Programmes team of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the consultant will:

• Review the one-year pre-primary curriculum: The consultancy will review and analyse the curriculum to identify it is consistent with effective, evidence-based or innovative practices, and the challenges and opportunities in the Nigerian context. The consultant will also edit and revise the curriculum to include key recommendations across content and approaches paying particular attention to cross-cutting issues including gender, inclusion and use of technology.
• Support the NERDC and the ECE technical committee to develop the one year pre-primary curriculum implementation teacher’s guide and teacher’s training manual. This will include leading the national consultations and writing workshops.

Under the management supervision of the Chief Basic Education and guidance of the Education Specialist-ECD, as well as inputs from other relevant government partners, the consultant shall carry out the tasks outlined below:

Review the one-year Pre-primary Curriculum:
UNICEF has recently supported the development of a one year pre-primary curriculum. Here the consultant will answer the following questions (based on previous discussions had and identified priorities/ objectives the curriculum is supposed to be achieving):

• How aligned and age and developmentally appropriate is the content of the pre-primary curriculum in addressing skills children need to be ready for school? How inclusive, gender-responsive and culturally relevant is the content of the revised curriculum?
• To what extent does the curriculum mirror the national policy and priorities for pre-primary education, to what extent is it aligned with needs for early learning identified in other research especially towards achieving SDG4.2?
• Are the key competencies clearly and consistently integrated across the curriculum? Are they clearly defined for the users (i.e., the teachers and school leaders) to know when children have demonstrated these competencies?
• To what extent does the curriculum (or does the curriculum sufficiently) meet international standards for quality pre-primary education (i.e., child-centred, play-based, differentiated, etc.)?
• Is the pre-primary curriculum coherently linked both in itself (i.e., across developmental domains and does it progressively built on itself to reinforce the learning already achieved on students’ readiness and needs) and with the primary one curriculum? What linkages are strong and which others are needed? What revisions and improvements should be made to align, simplify and improve the one year pre-primary curriculum?
• What revisions and further guidance are needed for teachers to effectively implement the curriculum, especially for teachers with very limited training and support? This will form the basis for the teacher’s guide to be developed.
• What inputs should be considered for improved use and application of these documents at the school level?

Support the development of the teacher’s guide (TG) and teacher’s training manual (TM) for the one year pre-primary curriculum:

• Develop an inception report to document the desk review and initial consultation - Conduct desk review of existing documents and data, carry out an inception consultation with the ECE technical working group to draw up the proposed approach, review framework and other tools, process and timeline, the expected engagement of the TG and TM development process.
• Conduct review and develop first draft of the TG and TM- Conduct a series of writing workshops with the ECE TWG to develop the TG and TM which should clearly present all relevant details in easy-to-read charts, tables, and annexes. The structure of the TG should be agreed with the ECE TWG and a draft will be reviewed by the TWG. The consultant will participate in consultations to gather and document the feedback on the draft including validation of findings of the review.
• Second draft of TG and TM- Based on the feedback provided in the first draft, revise and develop a second draft. The consultant may be expected to present the second draft to all stakeholders for final review and feedback.
• Final TG and TM- Based on the feedback received on second draft, finalize the TG and TM for submission. The TG and TM will be finalized with endorsement from the ECE TWG.
• Dissemination - The consultant will be expected to support the planning for, facilitate and actively participate in a national workshop for the dissemination of the TG and TM.
• The consultant will be expected to create an online shared folder of all documents reviewed, minutes of consultations, and the draft and final versions of all deliverables and share them with UNICEF.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

Qualifications or specialized knowledge / experience required:

• Advanced Degree in Early Childhood Care and Education.

Experience:

• At least 8 years of experience and expertise in ECE, curriculum development and implementation, early learning assessment, teaching and learning
• Deep familiarity and understanding of pre-primary context and culture in developing context, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of same in West Africa will be an advantage.
• Technical Knowledge about Early Childhood Development and Education
• Substantial experience in conducting reviews, analysis of ECE and primary curricula and producing user-friendly syntheses and presentations for a range of different audiences
• Experience in developing technical user-friendly and easy-to-understand guidance documents to be used by ministries of education.
• Excellent workshop facilitation and training skills, especially with teachers and government officials.
• Diplomatic skills to liaise with government counterparts and different stakeholders.

Language requirements:

• Excellent oral and written communication in English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

• UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

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For Every Child, Education

• In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with government, civil society, children and families. UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally.

How Can you Make a Difference? 

• Under the guidance and general supervision of the Chief, Field Office, the Specialist supports the development and preparation of the Education (or a sector of) programmes and is responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting the progress of education programmes/projects within the country programme.
• The Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on education programmes / projects to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education, especially for children who are marginalized, disadvantaged and excluded in society.

Summary of Key Functions / Accountabilities

• Support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the education programmes to ensure that current and comprehensive data on education issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy, advocacy, intervention and development efforts on education programmes.
• Help supervisor set priorities, strategies, design and implementation plans. Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery.
• Participate in strategic programme discussion on the planning of education programmes. Formulate, design and prepare programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans and Country Programme and coherence/integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.
• Establish specific goals, objectives, strategies and implementation plans for the sector using results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentations for programme review and approval.
• Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes and to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.

Programme Management, Monitoring and Delivery of Results:

• Plan and collaborate with internal colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators to assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector on education programmes.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses in programme management.
• Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Actively monitor programmes/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.
• Monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity, ensuring timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
• Prepare regular and mandated programme reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.
• Technical and operational support to programme implementation
• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and country office partners and donors on interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices and approaches on education and related issues to support programme management, implementation and delivery of results.
• Provide technical support for the implementation of FLN, safe school, alternate and remote learning platforms to improve equitable and inclusive access and learning outcomes of the children
• Arrange/coordinate availability of technical experts with Country office to ensure timely and appropriate support throughout the programming process.
• Participate in education programme meetings including programme development and contingency planning to provide technical and operational information, advice and support.
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use.

Networking and Partnership Building:

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant government counterparts, national stakeholders, global partners, donors, and 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 education programmes.
• Prepare communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund raising for education programmes.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) discussions on education and related issues to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF planning and preparation of programmes/projects ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNDAF process in development planning and agenda setting.

Innovation, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building:

• Apply and 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 programme results.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best practices in education management. 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 programmes and projects.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders to promote sustainable results on education and related programmes/projects.

Qualifications
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.
• Experience: A minimum of five (5) 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.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.
• Vaccination requirements: The person needs to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others.
• Nurtures, leads, and manages people.

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Background
For every child, Protection:

• Nigeria has made significant progress towards strengthening the child protection systems at both Federal and State levels. This has been achieved through the setting up of coordination structures to address violence and other child protection challenges, adoption of legal frameworks to support the implementation of child focused interventions; the setting up of gender desks in police stations at LGA levels; and the development of an information management system to provide data on case management and strengthen the delivery of services. 
• Most recently, the country initiated the mapping and assessment of the social and para-social service workforce with a view to developing training materials to strengthen their capacity based on the gaps identified. 
• While a lot has been done to strengthen institutional prevention and response framework at the federal and state levels, the capacity of the country to protect children will remain limited unless and until a parallel effort is conducted at the community level. This is because the current social workforce, which stands at approximately 10,000 social workers for a population of more than 200 million inhabitants, is too small to efficiently respond to incidents of violence and other child protection challenges at the household or community levels. 
• There is increasing recognition of the need for action at the community level, and this has found expression in community-based child protection groups. Community-Based Child Protection Groups (CBCPGs) refer to a collection of people, often volunteers, that aim to ensure the protection and wellbeing of children in a village, urban neighborhood, or other community. If these groups are systematically linked to formal mechanisms and service providers at the LGA and state levels, they have the potential to become a critical and indispensable component of the national child protection system. Their presence in the communities places them in a vantage position to perform the core functions of identifying, reporting, and responding to cases, including making referrals to appropriate mechanisms and agencies.
• UNICEF has invested in various community structures such as the Child Protection Network in the early 2010s, the community-surveillance teams within the FGM programmes in five focus states in the south of the country (Imo, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, and Ebonyi) which was scaled-up within the Spotlight Initiative to address violence against women and girls in additional states (Lagos, Cross River, Adamawa and Sokoto), and other community-based women, youth and traditional institutions. 
• These groups were sensitized on child protection issues, especially as it relates to girls, and were able to provide substantive results in supporting children and families who had experienced incidents of violence and other child protection challenges. Many other groups have also been set up by other donor agencies and institutions to support community focused interventions in other sectors like health and social protection. The typologies of these groups differ, depending on the level of community ownership and involvement in its establishment, administration and accountability.
• Despite the huge potentials of these groups, it is important to adopt an evidence-based approach in determining their effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the opportunities for sustainability and scalability. This entails an inquiry into the models and approaches of existing CBCPGs, the process of assignment of roles and responsibilities to its members, their legitimacy, governance structures and modus operandi in a systematic way. 
• It is also important to evaluate the knowledge and capacity gaps of these groups with a view to determining how they can be strengthened to better deliver a defined package of services to children and households in the community. Informal engagement and interactions with some of these existing groups appear to indicate that the groups would benefit from being further structured and strengthened in their capacity to prevent and respond to child protection challenges. 
• Beyond the groups that are known to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and UNICEF, many other structures exist building on community-based reporting and resolution mechanisms that would need to be further understood and brought within the current child protection system being developed for the country, particularly as they relate to FGM, Child Marriage and violence against children.
• For this reason, UNICEF is seeking to recruit a consultant to undertake the development of a framework for the mapping of existing community-based child protection groups at community levels in 13 States (Lagos, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Imo, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa) and to develop the tools to strengthen these entities to support the efforts of the government to strengthen the child protection system in Nigeria.

How can you make a difference?
The Consultant(s) working under the supervision of the UNICEF Child Protection Chief, in close collaboration with the Child Protection Manager and the Child Protection Specialist on Social Welfare, will be responsible for the following:

Project outline and validating of activities:

• Develop an inception report which outlays the methodology for the assignment and data collection tools – to be done remotely ahead of traveling to Nigeria.
• Undertake a Desk Review of available documents and evidence (both quantitative and qualitative) and undertake a documentary analysis, identifying evidence gaps.

Mapping and assessment of structures and mechanisms at community level:

• The assessment will include elements related to the linkages between the informal and the formal (i.e. sanctioned by the government and guided by laws, regulations, and policies) child protection system to support acceptance of services and improved coordination between the two systems. The focus group discussions will include children and young persons, including adolescent girls to assess the level to which existing community structures respond to child protection needs within communities.
• In collaboration with any institution designated by UNICEF, to undertake a mapping of existing community-based protection groups (e.g. processes of group formation and participant selection, form, functions and role, resourcing (training, material, financial), activities, and linkages with formal and non-formal child protection systems. 
• Data collection phase: The Consultant will adopt a mixed method approach which combines analysis of available quantitative and qualitative data and includes key Informant Interviews and Focus Group discussions.    This will include developing tools for technical assistance (interview guides, and questionnaire templates). 
• The assessment will be carried out in the 13 states namely, Lagos, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Imo, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. Two LGAs in each of the states will be selected for the assessment. An institution with requisite competence will be selected and will undertake the field assessment under the guidance of the Consultant.
• Provide guidance for the drafting of the report and analysis of the mapping and assessment of community-based child protection groups, drawing lessons that could be integrated into future programming in the area.
• Development of guidelines for supporting community-based child protection groups and capacity toolkit for strengthening CBCPGs for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop draft framework for guidelines.
• Populate framework including best practices in CBCPGs, lessons learned and practical measures
• Develop infographics for toolkit (will need to outsource this to layout artist or seek internal support from UNICEF)
• Finalise draft of guidelines (with an admin note) and capacity toolkit.
• Pre-test the capacity toolkit through the facilitation of a TOT workshop with key stakeholders, develop a monitoring and evaluation plan and drafting a final report of the consultancy assignment.
• Pre-test toolkit with key a facilitation of a TOT with key stakeholders and officials of the CBCPGs.
• Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for the community-based child protection groups.
• Draft a final report of the consultancy.
• Expected products 

Draft inception report:

• Report of the rapid assessment of the community-based child protection groups.
• Guidelines for supporting community-based child protection mechanisms.
• Administrative Note to accompany the guidelines developed.
• User-friendly toolkit for community-based child protection groups.
• Monitoring and evaluation framework
• Final report of consultancy assignment.

Job Requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• Advanced University Degree (Master / PG) in a relevant field of study (Law, Social Sciences / Humanities / Social Work) with minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
• Excellent knowledge of statistics, social science research, social service systems, community-based mechanism, child protection systems, case management and development agenda
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in development of analytical reports, assessment, strengthening of community-based child protection groups.
• Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, policy, research, and report writing.
• Knowledge of human rights-based and gender approach to programming
• Experience in toolkit development and facilitating consultations with government representatives, NGOs, academia, children, community-based groups, children, and other stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills – references to previous work or institutions
• Previous experience with UNICEF is an advantage.
• Fluency in English
• Excellent writing and analytical skills