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.

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For every child, the right to a Future

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF's fundamental mission is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in programmes, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy translates this commitment into action by focusing on the most disadvantaged and excluded children. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an equal chance to survive, develop, and reach their full potential — without discrimination. When any child faces an unequal chance in life, their rights are violated. Investing in the most disadvantaged citizens not only fulfils every child's potential but also drives sustained growth and stability. This focus on equity accelerates progress toward realising the human rights of all children, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while supporting the equitable development of nations.

Chief of Education, UNICEF Afghanistan

UNICEF works in some of the world’s most challenging contexts to uphold the rights of every child. In Afghanistan, this mission has never been more urgent. Decades of conflict, deepening poverty, recurrent crises and restrictions on girls’ education have created one of the most complex education environments globally. Millions of children are out of school, learning poverty remains extremely high, and adolescent girls continue to face severe barriers to accessing secondary education.

UNICEF Afghanistan is seeking a highly experienced, politically astute and solutions-oriented Chief of Education to lead one of UNICEF’s most important and complex education programmes. This is a role for a senior leader who is comfortable operating in ambiguity, navigating principled engagement with de facto authorities, and working with partners to protect and expand learning opportunities for every child — especially girls and the most disadvantaged.

The Chief of Education will provide strategic leadership to UNICEF’s education programme, balancing immediate humanitarian needs with longer-term system strengthening. The role requires sound judgement, strong representational skills, and the ability to shape innovative programming approaches in a highly sensitive operating environment.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Provide strategic and managerial leadership to the Education Section, setting priorities, guiding the team, managing performance, and ensuring delivery against agreed results.
Lead education programme planning, strategy development and implementation, ensuring that UNICEF’s work is informed by evidence, aligned with country priorities, and responsive to the evolving political and operational context.
Navigate the complexities of working under UNICEF’s principled approach, balancing engagement with de facto authorities with the imperative to uphold child rights, non-discrimination and access to quality education for all children.
Strengthen programme quality, monitoring, risk management and accountability, ensuring effective use of resources, timely reporting to donors and partners, and adaptive management in response to constraints and opportunities.
Provide high-level technical and policy advice to partners, including UN agencies, NGOs, donors and other stakeholders, on equitable and inclusive education programming in Afghanistan.
Advance innovative and context-sensitive approaches to learning, including alternative pathways for adolescent girls excluded from secondary education, community-based education, distance learning and other flexible models that preserve the goal of full and equitable access to education.
Build and sustain strategic partnerships with de facto authorities, donors, international financial institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, civil society and the private sector, leveraging advocacy and resources for children while maintaining principled positions on girls’ education and non-discrimination.
Represent UNICEF in inter-agency and donor coordination platforms, including education sector and aid coordination mechanisms, ensuring that UNICEF’s priorities and comparative advantage are reflected in collective strategies.
Foster innovation, learning and knowledge management across the education programme, promoting evidence-based programming, effective partnerships and scalable models that can deliver results in a constrained environment.

Impact of the Role

The Chief of Education will play a critical leadership role in shaping UNICEF’s education response in Afghanistan. Through strategic advocacy, principled engagement, innovative programming and strong partnership management, the role will contribute to expanding equitable access to quality learning, protecting education opportunities for girls and boys, and strengthening UNICEF’s credibility as a trusted partner for children in one of the world’s most complex operating environments.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File JD Chief Education Level 5.doc

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Education, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Education, Economics, Psychology, Sociology or another relevant technical field. and any other related fields.
Work Experience: At least 10 years of relevant work experience in Programme Management, Programme, Professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education at the international level is required and any other related fields.
Skills: Strategic Leadership; Programme Management; Policy Advocacy; Partnership Building; Results-Based Management; Team Leadership.
Language Requirements: Proficiency 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.
Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, or humanitarian and emergency settings with de facto authorities is strongly preferred.
Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

The strongest candidates for this role are likely to be those who combine the following priorities:

Senior education leadership experience at country or comparable level
Direct experience in fragile, conflict-affected or humanitarian contexts
Proven ability to navigate politically sensitive environments, including engagement with de facto authorities or non-traditional counterparts
Strong track record on girls’ education, equity and inclusive learning
Demonstrated partnership, advocacy and representation skills with donors, UN agencies, NGOs and authorities
Strong people leadership and programme delivery skills, including risk management, donor accountability and adaptive management

In summary, the ideal candidate should not only be a strong education technical expert, but also a politically astute senior leader who can manage complexity, protect principled positions, support teams, and deliver practical results for children in one of UNICEF’s most challenging operating environments.

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
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

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 may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

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 [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] 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.

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.

Chief Education, P-5, Fixed Term (2 Years), Kabul, Afghanistan, #00019395 (Non-Afghan Nationals Only)