Consultancy: Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) Coordinator, Office of Innovation, Learning Hub, 6 months (remote)

The UNICEF Learning Innovation Hub is seeking a consultant to lead partnership development, coordination, and research under the Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) initiative. The consultant will engage with governments, donors, UN agencies, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to advance national ownership and sustainable implementation. The role includes supporting country teams in the rollout of the ADT initiative, coordinating training and stakeholder engagement, and contributing to research and evidence generation in collaboration with UNICEF’s Global and Innocenti teams.

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 innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovation for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives.

The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets start-up thinking, technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.

UNICEF's Office of Innovation creates opportunities for the world's children by focusing on where new markets can meet their vital needs. We do this by:

• Connecting youth communities (or more broadly -- anyone disconnected or under-served) to decision-makers, and to each other, to deliver informed, relevant and sustained programmes that build better, stronger futures for children.
• Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach -- in a traditionally risk averse field -- to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children.
• Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the public, private, and academic sectors in order to deliver fast, lasting results for children.

The Global Learning Innovation Hub under the UNICEF Office of Innovation has been established in Helsinki with the mission to radically transform education around the world by making it a wonderful adventure for every child. Working with corporates and non-profit partners, the Learning Innovation Hub supports governments in accelerating access to digital learning; invests from pilot to scale on game- changing edtech innovations and explores how new innovative pedagogies and technologies can create environments where children can learn, unleash their unique talent, and become true entrepreneurs of their life. It is part of the Reimagine Education initiative and has the bold ambition to become a global “home for the architects of the future of learning”.

Our team

We're an interdisciplinary team around the world tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling new technologies and practices. With our partners, we focus on convening and collaborating on new and different solutions, low- and high-tech, by:

• Looking at the 2-5 year horizon to evaluate emerging and trending technologies and to see how UNICEF can work with the private sector on doing better business while improving essential services for children;
• Investing in early stage solutions that show great potential to positively impact children in the 02 year future including the Venture Fund that invests in open source technology solutions from start-ups based in UNICEF’s programme countries;
• Identifying proven solutions that can be implemented at national scale in multiple countries – taking the ideas that help thousands in one country, bringing them to dozens of countries across multiple sectors, and impacting the lives of millions of children.”

The Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) Initiative

Millions of children still lack access to learning materials in formats they can use, with 240 million children with disabilities among the most excluded. Since 2016, UNICEF’s Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) for All Initiative has worked with governments to embed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into education systems, policies, and curricula. This approach ensures that content is inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs of learners, regardless of ability, language, or connectivity. Producing Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) has traditionally taken 6–9 months and costs up to USD 50,000 each. In 2024, UNICEF and a tech company began co-developing an AI-powered tool to automate and streamline production, making it faster, more affordable, and scalable. Human quality assurance remains central to ensure accuracy and meet the diverse needs of learners facing accessibility and language barriers.

This tool is one part of a larger effort: the success of the initiative depends on strong global and national partnerships to align processes, share expertise, and ensure contextual relevance. It is country-led by design, with governments driving the vision, priorities, and integration into existing systems, supported by a growing network of technical, policy, and implementation partners. In doing so, the initiative aims not only to produce accessible digital content, but to catalyze long-term, systemic change toward more inclusive and equitable learning for all. In pursuit of UNICEF’s vision of inclusive education for every child, the ADT initiative is fostering inclusion, tackling systemic challenges through an iterative co-creation process with teachers and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, leveraging cutting-edge technology, and addressing data gaps as its top priorities.

Since its inception, the ADT Initiative has steadily advanced, with the past year marking significant achievements that have generated momentum and new opportunities to reach more children, with disabilities and without disabilities:

• Implemented in 12 countries, including six Latin American & Caribbean countries (Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay), three South Asian countries (Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka), and 5 in Eastern and Southern African countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia).
• Since 2021, 1,975,329 students have used ADTs, and 84,818 teachers have been trained.
• More than 100 textbooks were converted to ADTs in total.
• Mobilized a total of three million US dollars this year.
• The new innovative AI-generated solution to produce AI, developed with OpenAI, greatly cuts the time, human resources, and cost involved compared to traditional production methods significantly. As a result, in 2025, Uruguay has produced the very first AI-led accessible digital textbook (ADT) prototype at the global level.
• Strong partnerships established with Ministries of Education, technical experts, and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). In the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Paraguay, governments have integrated the ADTs into their national inclusive education efforts, ensuring long-term sustainability.
• Independent regional technical teams were established to strengthen capacity and ensure sustained implementation and scale-up.
• Evidence base strengthened through a total of 12 research developed with Innocenti, including three country reports (Nicaragua 2023; Paraguay 2023; Dominican Republic 2024), which document user experience and cost-effectiveness, with further cost-effectiveness analysis forthcoming.
• Recognized as a global leading initiative in inclusive digital learning, winning the Zero Project Award and being featured in the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Shaping the Future of Learning: The Rold of AI in Education 4.0 – Insight Report, as well as highlighted as good practice in UNICEF AI Strategy 2025-2030.

 How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Innovation Manager (ADT), the consultant is expected to coordinate country implementation of the ADT initiative, support ongoing and potential partnerships to ensure effective collaboration, sustained engagement, and timely delivery of activities. The consultant will also coordinate the development of the ADT teacher training component. 

Your main responsibilities will be:

Specifically, we are seeking someone to:

1. Partnership Building and Management:

1. Initiative Coordination and Implementation:

1. ADT Teacher training materials

1. Research: .

To know more about this consultancy, please access the full ToR here:  TOR Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) Coordinator LIH.pdf

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

1. Education

• An advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in social sciences, international relations, public policy, international development, education, or related field.

1. Knowledge/Expertise/Skills Required:

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional work experience at the national and/or international level in education, international development, EdTech, disability and inclusion, or a related area.
• Knowledge of assistive technology, EdTech strategies in developing countries, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles applied to accessibility is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of software engineering, coding, and artificial intelligence is an asset.
• Working experience with children with disabilities is a strong asset.
• Previous experience with UNICEF is an asset.
• Strong skills in partnership building, donor engagement, and coordination across multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent drafting and communication skills, including the ability to prepare proposals, reports, and presentations.

1. Language

• Fluency in English. Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

1. Others

• Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and critical analysis.
• Commitment and drive with autonomy, with a clear focus on results.
• Positive, proactive, ‘can-do’ approach.
• Ability to juggle competing priorities, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
• Availability to travel to UNICEF country offices.

Travel:

• Travel will be considered for participation in key stakeholder meetings where the consultant will support the Hub with technical expertise and participate in internal and external-facing relevant events during the duration of the consultancy contract. Travel arrangements for 2026 will be determined at a later stage.
• The consultant is responsible for arranging his/her own travel, including visa and travel insurance.

Payment details and further considerations

• Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant. 

How to apply:

• Interest applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee.  Please see the financial proposal template. 
•   Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
• Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class) and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.

General Terms and Conditions:

Please review UNICEF's General Terms and Conditions for Consultants here for important information regarding contract obligations, including medical insurance, SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) vaccination, and income tax requirements.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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 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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced 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 for ensuring 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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.