Senior Adviser - Early Childhood Development (P-5), FT, # 00003172, ECD Section, PD - NYHQ

You will be strengthening UNICEF’s position as the global reference agency for ECD and Lead a team of professionals to achieve the goals of UNICEF in the area of Early Childhood. You will also provide technical oversight and management to shape the scaling up of national programmes in country offices seeking alignment with MTSPIMDGs targets. Leverage resources for ECD through the identification of global partners and forging partnerships and alliance building.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

(ECD) features for the first time in history in the Global agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG), UNICEF, at global, regional and country levels, is actively engaged to promote awareness on the importance of early years. 

A global call for action has been made to boost national investments and engage communities and families in the demand for integrated packages of interventions to ensure a fair start to all young children. ECD targets children under 8.

 For every child, a healthy childhood….

You will be strengthening UNICEF’s position as the global reference agency for ECD and Lead a team of professionals to achieve the goals of UNICEF in the area of Early Childhood.

You will also provide technical oversight and management to shape the scaling up of national programmes in country offices seeking alignment with MTSPIMDGs targets. Leverage resources for ECD through the identification of global partners and forging partnerships and alliance building.

You will also coordinate with all outcome areas seeking programmatic synergies across all them. Promote shared understanding among all focus areas to ensure holistic policy development, coordinated planning, effective implementation, and concerted results evaluation in the area of ECD. Advocate and build programme partnership platforms for ECD at all levels needed in the global forum where UNICEF can make a difference.

How can you make a difference?

Planning, Monitoring and Leveraging

• Plan, monitor, and leverage resources for ECD interventions by generating and using evidence based policy advocacy and programming tools, as well as tools that will measure such interventions.
• Contribute to ECD issues to be placed on the agenda of major global and regional forums.
• Provide outcome specific, high quality and timely reporting on progress towards MDGs, implementation of CRC in Early Childhood, and WFFC.
•  Leverage opportunities to create strategic partnerships and mobilize resources.

Knowledge Generation, Management and Capacity Development

• Manage knowledge acquisition and analysis of programming in Early Childhood Development, and in related MTSP areas, through documentation, annual reporting, assessment of best practices, accountabilities, analyses of management of resources. Coordinates effective dissemination of best practices.
• Strengthen UNICEF's linkages with research and development agencies and with professional organizations to build global knowledge networks and communities of practice for specific components ofECD including policies, service modalities and improved parenting and care.
• Provide guidance to HQ programme teams on general ECD policy and strategies. Identifies and recommends human resources required for programmes.
• Leads matrix managed teams, both cross-sectional and cross-divisional towards the achievement of timebound results

 Relevant and timely Technical Field Support

• Provide practical guidance and timely technical support to field and regional offices responding to direct requests.
• Direct and coordinates preparation of guidelines for field offices in anticipation of developments in the area of responsibility.
• Periodically update materials by monitoring and analysing global trends and the work of key partners and ensures effective dissemination.
• Undertake field visits to monitor and assess programme implementation and recommends on required corrective actions when necessary. In collaboration with DHR task teams, assists country offices to plan and strengthen capacity in country and regional offices for the mainstreaming of ECD across all programme sectors.

Global Leadership in ECD

• Research and identify opportunities for bringing to stakeholders attention and call their action on issues that ECD needs to be integrated as a sustaining programmatic strategy.
• Represent UNICEF in meetings with high level and senior officials, as well as multi-lateral, bilateral agencies and NGO's; interacts, negotiates and advocates programme goals and strategies.
• Identify strategic alliances, and influences policy development to facilitate achievement of programme goals at all levels.
• Monitor global developments. Initiates new approaches and develops methodologies to best meet goals and objectives of global ECD strategy. Writes position papers for use in the development of the UNICEF global programme policy.

Strategy Planning and Implementation

• Actively participates in the preparation of the MTSP and organizational strategies, and similar strategic plans and international development agendas to include relevant ECD goals, including the development of indicators for implementation monitoring.
• Support the evaluation of new country programmes, including the assessment of current CCAIUNDAF indicators.

Programme and Knowledge Management

• Monitor the overall commitment and expenditure through VISION and identifies trends that can impact ECD positively or negatively. Cross fertilizes knowledge across countries and regions to make optimal use of global information.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Social Sciences, Early Childhood Development, Public Health, Education, and/or in relevant field is required.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in social development, more specifically in the area of early childhood development policies formulation and programme implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation is required.
• Proven international - "hands-on" programme management experience in different regions and countries is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with the United Nations System is an asset.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respective, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page.  If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.