Home based: People Centered Education in Emergencies

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The Global Education Cluster (GEC) has several commitments on its Gender/GBV portfolio as part of its Acceleration Facility (AF) partnership with Education Cannot Wait (ECW). First, the multifaceted nature of humanitarian crises and the Humanitarian Reset and Cluster Reform processes have highlighted the imperative of stronger intersectoral collaboration between the Education Cluster (GEC), Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CPAoR), and the Gender Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBVAoR) to better respond to girls’ and boy’s education as well as protection needs. Ensuring country teams have the requisite tools, guidance, knowledge and skills to plan, coordinate and implement holistic responses which take these diverse needs into consideration is paramount. In May-June 2025, the GEC and global CP AoR have initiated a stocktake exercise of the existing CP‑EiE Collaboration Framework. Education Clusters and Child Protection Coordination Groups at country level were invited to complete a survey looking into the extent to which Education Clusters and CP actors have collaborated to integrate CP and Education in humanitarian coordination and programmes, as guided by the joint Framework. In addition, the GEC is also working on integrating GBV actors as key partners for safe and protective EiE coordination and response and highlighting collaboration between Education and GBV actors, or between Education and CP actors on issues of GBV against children (including school safety). Following the survey where countries expressed interest in sharing and participating in the documentation of their experiences, including good and promising practices and challenges on education‑protection collaboration with others, the GEC organized country calls to identify those with good or promising practices of collaboration to highlight in the revised Framework. Second, aligned with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator’s call for more locally‑led coordination, with the participation and protection and women and girls at its centre – including Women‑Led Organizations (WLOs) that represent them – the GEC aims to amplify the voices and experiences of Women Led Organizations (WLOs) and the women and girls they represent in Education Clusters, and consequently enhance their representation, participation, advocacy, strategic decision‑making leadership in EiE coordination and response on matters related to safety and protection of school‑age girls and boys. The GEC Seeks a Consultant To Co‑lead the ongoing work on strengthening intersectoral collaboration between education, child protection and GBV actors at each phase of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) and across the 6+1 Core Cluster functions, including finalization of the stocktake and update the CP‑EiE Collaboration Framework, with strong integration of a GBV lens and of the GBV sector as a key partner for specific coordination processes and programmatic activities. Support country Education Clusters (through deployments and global knowledge product development) with practical guidance, country examples and recommendations on how to strengthen women’s representation, participation, and leadership in cluster coordination, building upon the pilot in Nigeria in June 2025. Deliverables Deliverable 1: Support Country Education Clusters and Child Protection and GBV actors to collectively identify and follow up on implementation of priority actions to strengthen gender‑sensitive education and protection collaboration for better responses (including school safety) in two contexts. Sub‑deliverable: Facilitate workshop with Education, Child Protection and GBV partners and develop country‑specific Collaboration Framework in two countries. Sub‑deliverable: Follow up on implementation of priority actions agreed at Mali/Nigeria workshops. Deliverable 2: Based on recent School Safety literature and reports, update Safety Audit tools to reflect child violence and protection needs of risk‑exposed children in emergency contexts. Sub‑deliverable: Safety audit tool(s) adjusted based on scan of best school safety practices in emergency‑affected contexts. Sub‑deliverable: Safety audit tools tested, vetted and updated through local women group stakeholders from 5 cluster platform either in face‑to‑face workshops, or through online consultations. Deliverable 3: co‑lead on updating the CP‑EiE Collaboration Framework, strongly integrating GBV lens and documenting good and promising practices and lessons learned around Education, Child Protection, School Safety and Gender Based Violence collaboration and integration. Sub‑deliverable: Meaningfully integrate GBV throughout the main body and all annexes of existing CP‑EiE Collaboration Framework. Sub‑deliverable: Organize and facilitate follow‑up consultations with countries selected for case studies. Sub‑deliverable: Write up and share 10 deep dive country‑ or thematic‑focused case studies highlighting education, school safety, child protection, and GBV collaboration for each step of the HPC – in collaboration with GEC CP‑EiE Collaboration Specialist. Sub‑deliverable: Finalize the EiE‑CP‑GBV Collaboration Framework, including presentation of first draft to Advisory Group / key expert stakeholders, incorporation of feedback, validation of final package and plan for collective dissemination and roll out. Sub‑deliverable: Organize a webinar to launch the revised Framework and facilitate peer learning and exchange across contexts and teams. Deliverable 4: Develop “State of Play” study on the representation, participation, and leadership of Women‑Led Organizations in Education Cluster coordination. Responsibilities The Consultant will conduct a “State of Play” study to document the involvement of Women Led Organizations in Education Cluster Coordination, including an analysis of barriers and enablers to strengthening their representation, participation, and leadership. Specifically, the Consultant will be responsible for: Sub‑deliverable: Mapping of Women Led Organizations participation and leadership in Education Clusters based on CCPM 2024 and other sources. Sub‑deliverable: Desk review and KI interviews to document barriers, enablers, and opportunities for strengthening representation, participation and leadership of women‑led organizations. Sub‑deliverable: Desk review and KI interviews to document barriers, enablers, and opportunities for influencing school safety for girls and boys inside schools and on the way to schools. Sub‑deliverable: Draft State of Play study. Deliverable 5: Support Country Clusters and Women‑Led Organizations (WLOs) to collectively identify priority commitment and actions to enhance participation and leadership of WLOs in EiE coordination and response in two contexts. Education The Consultant will replicate and adapt the GEC workshop methodology piloted in Nigeria, including rolling out the UNICEF and VOICES tools (Guidance and Scorecard) to increase meaningful participation and leadership of Women Led Organizations in Education Clusters in two country contexts, based on key findings and lessons learned from the State of Play study and from the Nigeria pilot led by the GEC Gender and GBV Specialist. The Consultant will then develop practical recommendations to inform the GEC’s support to Country Clusters and Working Groups in enhancing the representation, participation, and leadership of Women‑Led Organizations in Education Clusters. Specifically, the Consultant will: Sub‑deliverable: Facilitate workshop with WLOs and Education Cluster teams in two countries. Sub‑deliverable: Produce “Case Study” reports to document the 2 workshops’ processes and outcomes. Deliverable 6: Develop and share guidance/learning brief on how to enhance participation and leadership of Women‑Led Organizations (WLOs) in EiE coordination and response. Sub‑deliverable: Produce and share Case Study with key stakeholders and technical experts in Education, Gender/GBV and Localisation at global and country level, including participating WLOs, country Education Clusters/Working Groups and the Global Education Cluster (GEC). The Localisation Case Study Includes Section 1: State of Play Section 2: 3 “deep dive” Country Case Studies as practical “how to” examples Section 3: Practical recommendations on further strengthening, institutionalizing and monitoring the representation, participation, and leadership of Women Led Organizations in Education Clusters Sub‑deliverable: Finalization based on feedback from key stakeholders and technical experts. Sub‑deliverable: Organize a webinar to launch the guidance/brief and facilitate peer learning and exchange across contexts and teams. Deliverable 7: Liaison between GEC and 5 country office cluster coordinators. Regular communication with countries to monitor humanitarian situation changes, the level of staffing, capacity gaps, remain informed of priorities and work done by the Cluster, with focus on core functions and key activities. Provide updates to GEC weekly meetings. Conduct induction calls for new country cluster team members. Travel There is an estimate of 4 travels planned as part of this contract (dates and locations not defined at the moment). The consultant will be reimbursed based on travel invoice. Minimum Requirements Education: Masters degree in International Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs, Education, Political Science, Management or other relevant field. Work Experience At least 8 years of progressively responsible work experience in humanitarian coordination and response. Demonstrated technical expertise in education in emergencies and GBV. Expertise in child protection preferred. Previous experience with UN/UNICEF and knowledge of humanitarian clusters preferred. Experience working with local and national Women Led Organizations an asset. Experience with consultations with women and girls and participatory approaches preferred. Skills Strong research, analytical and writing and synthesis skills, with proven experience in qualitative research, data collection and compilation. Ability to write clearly and present complex strategies into synthesized reports and findings. Ability to manage the available time and resources and to work to tight deadlines, with minimal supervision. Ability to communicate with high efficiency to diverse audiences. Proven evidence of research and writing skills. Demonstrated ability to work well both independently and within a multicultural team. Language Requirements Written and spoken fluency in English and French a strong asset. Other languages, particularly Spanish or Arabic, are strongly desirable. Estimated Duration of the Contract 155 working days between 01 February 2026 and 25 September 2026. Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel The Consultant will be home‑based with travel foreseen. 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. Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 155 working days to undertake this assignment. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as this consultancy requires women‑only consultations. UNICEF Core Values 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. Remarks Please include a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. 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. 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. 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 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 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. Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here. #J-18808-Ljbffr