This international consultancy will support the UNICEF Iraq Country Office (CO) in developing a foundational skills (literacy and numeracy) training package for primary school teachers and delivering Training of Trainers (ToT) for lead trainers from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the General Directorates of Education (GDoEs). The initiative aims to strengthen teachers’ capacity to support children with special needs, girls, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and returnees, thereby addressing high rates of repetition and dropout in the early grades.

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.

How can you make a difference? 

In line with the purpose of this consultancy, two key outputs are expected:

Output 1: Module Development

Development of a comprehensive teacher training package on foundational learning skills (literacy and numeracy) for primary education, in close collaboration with MoE. The package will integrate a clear sustainability strategy to ensure institutionalization, scalability, and long-term impact.

Output 2: Training of Lead Trainers

Design and delivery of ToT for selected MoE and GDoE lead trainers, using the developed training package. The ToT will include support to GDoEs in developing practical action plans for cascading the training to school level.

Detailed activities and deliverables under each output are presented in the table below.

The consultant will report to and be supervised by the Education Specialist (Education Quality), UNICEF Iraq.

The consultant will undertake a total of eight (8) travel missions as follows:

  • Three (3) trips to Baghdad during the Inception Phase, Module Development Phase, and Training of Lead Trainers phase.
  • One (1) trip to Salah Al-Deen (no overnight stay required).
  • Three (3) trips to Erbil.
  • One (1) trip to Ninewa (no overnight stay required).

For further information on the tasks please check the attached TOR.

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

Minimum requirements:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Education, Curriculum Development, Educational Psychology, Inclusive Education, or related field.

Minimum 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in foundational literacy and numeracy programming, particularly in early primary grades.

Proven skills, knowledge, and/or experience in the following:

  • Designing and delivering teacher professional development programs, including Training-of-Trainers (ToT) models at scale.
  • Inclusive education approaches, including strategies to support children with disabilities, girls, IDPs, and other vulnerable learners.
  • Early grade assessment frameworks and evidence-based structured pedagogy approaches for foundational skills (literacy and numeracy).
  • Develop high-quality training materials, facilitator guides, and monitoring & evaluation tools.
  • Experience working with government education systems, including collaboration with Ministries of Education and sub-national education authorities.
  • Prior experience in fragile, conflict-affected, or humanitarian contexts; Middle East experience is an asset.
  • Strong workshop/training facilitation, coaching and mentoring, stakeholder coordination, and capacity-building skills.
  • Computer skills, including Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.)
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Language:

  • Fluency in spoken and written English.
  • Fluency in Arabic is strongly desired.

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

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Remarks:  

  • Duration of the assignment is 123 days within 12 months.
  • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
  • Applicants must submit a financial quotation indicating consultant fee (USD) against monthly deliverables as part of the application.
  • Consultant is remote with 3 travels to Iraq and 2 in-country (Travel to a Field Office by air from Baghdad.)
  • Consultant needs to produce a copy of their health insurance coverage at the time the contract is awarded.

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 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. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.