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?

The UNICEF country programme 2026-2030 supports the Government’s efforts to ensure that, by 2030, the most vulnerable children, adolescents and young people in South Africa will live in a safer and more equitable environment, get a fair chance in life and realize their rights to survive, thrive and reach their full capacity.

The theory of change states that children and adolescents will progressively realize their rights if they can more fully utilize social assistance and basic social services supported by: (I) Government implementation of legislation with greater accountability, more strategic use of evidence, better interdepartmental coordination and more effective public finance management; (II) a “whole-of-society” approach to leveraging investments in children, mobilizing support from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society; (III) parents, caregivers and front-line service providers that deliver integrated programmes to reduce harmful practices and promote optimal behaviours for children’s and adolescent’s development and well-being; and (IV) empowerment to participate in decisions that affect their lives and communities.

The country programme has four programme outcomes aligned with the national priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2026–2030. These outcomes focus on investing in children; child survival and adolescent well-being; education; and child protection. The programme will maximize opportunities to advance child rights, presented by the global stature of South Africa, rooted in the legacy of Nelson Mandela and its leadership in development and human rights.

Job organizational context:

This programme component responds to the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to increase public investment in early childhood education and to strengthen the quality, equity, relevance, and inclusiveness of education systems, particularly for children with disabilities and those affected by disasters and other shocks. It focuses on ensuring that all children from birth to nine years acquire holistic foundational skills through quality, play-based early learning, laying the foundation for improved educational outcomes and reduced dropout rates. The programme prioritizes emergent literacy and numeracy from birth to five years and promotes learning-through-play approaches to enhance school readiness. UNICEF will support the Department of Basic Education to integrate early learning programmes into the formal education system based on evidence of effective practices; strengthen the early learning workforce; engage parents as active partners; and improve the inclusion of children with disabilities.

The Programme is anchored in two key pillars that support the transition from learning to earning: (I) scaling evidence-based foundational literacy and numeracy, and (II) fostering twenty-first-century competencies. UNICEF will support efforts to address learning poverty, implement the Reading Literacy Strategy (2023–2030), strengthen learning assessment, data management, and evidence-based decision-making, and scale proven models. In parallel, it will enhance curriculum relevance in science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and innovation; expand coding, robotics, and digital skills; and promote the development and measurement of transferable skills and leadership. Together, these efforts aim to better prepare children and adolescents—in and out of school—for higher education, life, and the labour market.

As the Education Specialist (Foundational Learning), you will report to the Chief of Section for guidance and general supervision. You will be responsible for providing technical leadership and programme management support to strengthen foundational learning outcomes, particularly early literacy, numeracy, and socio‑emotional learning, with a strong focus on equity, gender, inclusion, and skills acceleration.

The position contributes to UNICEF’s Education Strategy 2019–2030 and supports national efforts to ensure that all children acquire foundational skills by the end of primary education, including in fragile, emergency, and development contexts.

You will therefore contribute to the achievement of concrete and sustainable results on ECD related programmes/projects according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File NO-3 Education Specialist (Foundational Learning).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, public administration, public health, nutrition, economics, psychology, sociology, human development, child development, family studies or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience: A minimum of five years of professional experience management in early childhood development and foundational learning related areas is required.
Skills: To be considered for this position, you should demonstrate expertise in Foundational Learning, Early Literacy, Numeracy Development, Programme Management, Learning Assessment and Stakeholder Partnership.
Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is considered an asset.
Experience working in a developing country is considered an asset.
Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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

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

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 are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

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 national 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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

Education Specialist (NO-3), FT, #137965, Pretoria - South Africa, ESAR