Consultancy: ROSTER: Early Childhood Development Specialists (Various Areas of Expertise)

Section/Division/Duty Station: Early Childhood Development Team, GPD, Remote based

Duration: 2026-2029

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

ECD is a fundamental right for every child. The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the importance of supporting children’s survival, growth, development, protection, and participation from the earliest years of life. Under the Strategic Plan (2026-2029), UNICEF positions ECD as a strategic priority. ECD is now explicitly featured under Impact Result 1 of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and has a designated sublevel target, as outlined below:

Impact Result 1: 10 million child lives saved and at least 500 million children healthy, well-nourished, and developmentally on track
Sub-level Result: 400 million children under 5 years of age benefitting from early stimulation, nurturing care, childcare services, and parenting support, including children with disabilities, by 2029.

To achieve this ambition, UNICEF will apply a dual-path approach that combines dedicated ECD programme strengthening with mainstreaming early stimulation across sectors. Together, these pathways build a coherent and resilient ECD ecosystem so that early stimulation is both widely delivered and systemically embedded.

Purpose of the Roster:

To help achieve the results set out in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and respond to growing demand from country offices and government partners for technical support on ECD, UNICEF is establishing a Global Roster of ECD Expert Consultants. The roster will play a central role in supporting UNICEF’s Centers of Excellence work on ECD by providing Country Offices with timely access to specialized expertise. The roster will function as a stand-by mechanism, enabling UNICEF to rapidly mobilize pre-qualified experts to provide timely and quality support on ECD.

The roster will encompass three complementary areas of expertise, aligned with the three areas of UNICEF’s Vision for Early Childhood Development 2030:

Area 1: Policies and legislation that enable opportunities for ECD
Area 2: Programmes and services that protect, promote, and support ECD
Area 3: Support to parents and caregivers in caring for their young children and themselves

All outputs under this roster will align with the UNICEF Strategic Plan (2026–2029), reinforcing the CoE’s leadership in advancing ECD for children worldwide. Depending on the needs of the consultancy, expertise may be required in one or more of the areas listed above.

Note

Please note that inclusion in the roster does not imply automatic employment, compensation, deployment or guarantee any type of formal engagement with UNICEF. Most assignments will be home-based with possible travel depending on country requirements.

Scope of Work:

Under the Global Roster of ECD Experts, UNICEF seeks qualified consultants to provide technical expertise in at least one of the following areas. Applicants may apply to one or more areas of expertise:

A. Areas of Expertise and Responsibilities

Area 1: Policies and legislation that enable opportunities for ECD
Key responsibilities: Technical expertise is needed in:

Supporting the development and strengthening of multisectoral ECD policies/frameworks and costed action plans
Advising on strengthened ECD governance and coordination mechanisms
Advising on ECD financing mechanisms including public finance for ECD as well as innovative/hybrid modalities
Developing ECD monitoring and evaluation frameworks, including advising on ECD M&E tools and indicators
Advising on public-private partnerships for ECD/childcare

Area 2: Programmes and services that protect, promote, and support ECD
Key responsibilities: Technical expertise is needed in programme design, planning, implementation, M&E and scale-up of ECD programmes, with a focus on the following areas:

Integration of early stimulation, responsive caregiving, and play into sectoral platforms (e.g., health, nutrition, protection, education)
ECD interventions in emergencies
Disability inclusion/ Early Childhood Intervention
Childcare services
Digital tools and innovations for ECD

Area 3: Support to parents and caregivers in caring for their young children and themselves
Key responsibilities: Technical expertise needed in policies and programme planning, design, implementation, M&E, and scale-up support with a focus on:

Parenting support programmes for ECD including digital/hybrid modalities of support
Caregiver mental health programmes with a focus on ECD
Adolescent parents

B. Evaluation of Applicants

Only applicants who submit a complete application and meet the minimum eligibility requirements will be considered for further evaluation. Reference checks and academic credential verification will be conducted for shortlisted candidates as part of the selection process.

Applicants accepted onto the roster will be eligible for direct recruitment by UNICEF offices for short-term consultancy assignments over a period of three years. When a need arises, UNICEF offices will contact suitable roster consultants with specific Terms of Reference outlining the scope and duration of the assignment and will confirm interest, availability, and the applicable fee.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Qualifications

Education:

Advanced university degree (Masters' degree) in Early Childhood Development, International Development, Developmental Psychology, Education, Global Health or related fields

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

General Requirements (All Areas of Expertise)

Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in international development.
Minimum of 8 years of specialized experience in Early Childhood Development at the global level.
Strong technical writing/communication skills and research skills, including demonstrated experience producing reports, case studies/documentation, and academic articles.
Strong capacity to ensure quality, internal coherence, and timely revision of deliverables in response to internal and donor feedback.
Willingness to participate in technical consultations, validation processes, and virtual or in-person missions, as required.
Demonstrated commitment to knowledge sharing, documentation of lessons learned, and capacity strengthening related to ECD.
Experience working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams, including UN staff, government counterparts, and development partners highly desirable.
Experience in supporting resource mobilization efforts highly desirable

Specific Requirements (Per Area of Expertise)

Area 1: Policies and legislation that enable opportunities for ECD
Candidates must meet at least 3 out of the 5 requirements below to be considered for this Area.

Demonstrated experience advising/supporting development of ECD policies, frameworks, costed action plans, and/or M&E frameworks
Demonstrated experience conducting ECD scoping/landscape analyses or ECD investment cases
Demonstrated experience working on projects/initiatives focused on ECD financing mechanisms
Demonstrated experience working on public-private partnerships for ECD
Demonstrated experience producing global or regional reports on ECD trends and data

Area 2: Programmes and services that protect, promote, and support ECD
Candidates must meet at least 3 out of the 5 requirements below to be considered for this Area.

Demonstrated experience working with governments/national partners at country level to design and implement ECD programmes
Demonstrated experience developing ECD training packages for front-line workers
Demonstrated experience conducting trainings (e.g., TOT, front-line worker trainings) on ECD packages and tools
Demonstrated experience working on at least one of the four areas listed below:
- ECD interventions in emergencies
- Disability inclusion/ Early Childhood Intervention
- Childcare services
- Digital tools and innovations for ECD
Demonstrated experience conducting research and/or writing technical reports/documentation on ECD programmes

Area 3: Support to parents and caregivers in caring for their young children and themselves
Candidates must meet at least 3 out of the 5 requirements below to be considered for this Area.

Demonstrated experience developing and/or implementing parenting for ECD programmes and tools
Demonstrated experience developing parenting support for ECD training packages for front-line workers
Demonstrated experience delivering trainings on parenting support for ECD packages (e.g. TOT, front-line worker trainings)
Demonstrated experience adapting/contextualizing parenting programmes to local contexts
Demonstrated experience conducting research and/or writing technical reports/documentation on parenting for ECD programmes

Requirements:

- Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- A curriculum vitae (CV)

- A cover letter

- A document listing relevant areas of expertise (from the sub-areas listed above), level of expertise, supporting evidence, and the proposed daily rate (applications without a daily rate will not be considered). Please indicate clearly which Area(s) of Expertise you are applying to.

- The names and contact details of three professional references (applications submitted without references will not be considered)

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

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 Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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 the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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 to ensure 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.

Global Roster of Early Childhood Development Specialists (Various Areas of Expertise), ECD Team, Global Programme Division, Remote, Req # 595680