National Consultant for the Revision of draft Multisectoral ECCD Strategic Action Plan.

UNICEF Bhutan invites proposals from eligible national consultants to revise the draft multisectoral ECCD Strategic Action Plan.

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.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Education

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The National Education Policy 2024 underscores the importance of a multisectoral approach to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), recognizing that quality early learning requires coordinated efforts across education, health, nutrition, and child protection sectors. To translate this policy commitment into action, the development of a multisectoral ECCD Strategic Action Plan is essential. It will serve as a guiding framework to align sectoral priorities, improve service delivery, and ensure that all children in Bhutan have equitable access to nurturing and developmentally appropriate environments during their early years.

Although the Multisectoral ECCD Strategic Action Plan (Multisectoral ECCD SAP) was initiated in 2020, it remains in draft form and requires revision to reflect current priorities. The revision is necessary to update existing data with current statistics, align with emerging priorities, and ensure the plan includes measurable indicators with clear targets and baselines that reflect the government’s current direction.

Objective:

Travel International/Local: The travel both international and local is not foreseen for this assignment.

• 30% upon completion of "Deliverable 2" at the end of week 4 and upon acceptance and endorsement by UNICEF.
• 70% following the completion of "Deliverable 3" at the end of week 6 and upon acceptance and endorsement by UNICEF.

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

Minimum Requirements: 

1. Education Qualification: 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Early Childhood Care and Development, Education, Child Development, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Additional training in strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, or multisectoral programming is an asset.

2. Work experience/Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required

• Minimum 5 years in Early Childhood Care and Development, Education, Child Development, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Ability to analyse and synthesise technical documents, and make them practical, evidence-based, and aligned with national priorities.
• Strong facilitation and coordination skills to work with multiple sectors and stakeholders.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to manage consultations and feedback processes.
• High level of organisational and project management competency to meet timelines and deliverables.
• Commitment to child rights, equity, and inclusive development.
• Experience working with government institutions, UN agencies (especially UNICEF), and civil society organisations in the field of education, policy and other relevant areas.
• Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs within tight timelines.

Submission of Proposals and Evaluation CriteriaProposal should include the following:

1. Motivation Letter.
2. Consultant’s full Curriculum Vitae.
3. Proposed approach and methodology that will be followed in executing the assignment.
4. A lump sum fee structure, indicating a breakdown of professional fee for the anticipated number of working days, including travel.
5. Name(s) of collaborator(s) (if applicable) with their full curriculum vitae.
6. Reference to similar work (final products or links to previous work can be shared along with the proposal)

Selection will be done by UNICEF Bhutan as follows:

1. Technical Evaluation (75 points)

2. Financial Evaluation (25 points)

Procedures and Logistics

1. The consultant is expected to use his/her computer and work from his/her own workstation and arrange his/her own logistics for the travel.
2. The consultant will report the progress periodically to the UNICEF's SBC Specialist who will monitor the progress, provide further directives and endorse the report.

Remarks: 

1. The candidates must submit the financial proposal along with the technical proposals. 
2. 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 

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

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:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.