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

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the first global movement and fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. Established in 2016 during the World Humanitarian Summit, ECW works with international humanitarian and development organizations and public and private donors to reposition education as a priority on the humanitarian agenda, foster greater collaboration and mobilize additional funding to help ensure that every crisis-affected child and young person is in school and learning. ECW is hosted by UNICEF and has offices in Geneva

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Director (D-1), the Coordinator will lead the strategic management of ECW’s Acceleration Facility (AF), the Fund’s catalytic investment window that supports the development and uptake of global public goods, innovation, and systems strengthening in education in emergencies and protracted crises (EiEPC). The role will ensure that AF investments are effectively designed and implemented to support ECW with three strategic goals in 2027-2030: 1) Reaching 10M children of the world’s most vulnerable children with limited resources; 2) Diversifying funding partners and new financing approaches to contribute to reaching the $600M; 3) Strengthening local partners in order to support the target of 50% localization of disbursements. The Education Coordinator will oversee the full lifecycle of AF grants in close collaboration with all four teams across the Secretariat.

Key Tasks of the Coordinator (Education Programme - Acceleration Facility):

AF portfolio management and coordination
Supports the operationalization of ECW’s policies and guidelines, including on grants management and compliance
Oversees the AF lifecycle including design, implementation, monitoring and reporting
Provides dedicated programme quality assurance for AF portfolio
Coordination and Sector Stakeholder Engagement, Partnerships & Resource Mobilization
Learning, innovation and knowledge sharing

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference: Download File TOR - Coordinator (Acceleration Facility)_P3_TA.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements

Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Education,Economics,Psychology,Sociology and any other related fields.
Work Experience: A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in programme development, programme management, and/or research in Education in Emergencies (EiE) is required.
Skills:
- Humanitarian context experience is required.
- Proven success in developing partnerships, particularly in the philanthropic sector, is required.
- Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder education programmes, ideally in emergency or protracted crisis contexts, is required.
- A strong understanding of grant lifecycle management, from design and implementation through monitoring, reporting and closure, is required.
- Demonstrated ability to lead strategic funding portfolios, including innovation funds or catalytic financing mechanisms, is required.
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 an asset.
Evidence synthesis and strategic analysis.
Cross-functional coordination.
Global education and development knowledge
Education programme management
Gender and equity analysis
Organizational strategic planning
Education systems strengthening and policy dialogue
Education sector planning and policy analysis
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, qualified and suitable candidates from other regions, including Eastern and Southern Africa, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, West and Central Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Asia and the Pacific, 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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

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

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.

Coordinator (Education Programme – Acceleration Facility) (P-3), Temporary Appointment, 364 days #00138424, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) - Geneva, Switzerland