International Consultant- Technical support to develop the National ECD Policies in Tonga and Palau and ECEC/ childcare system in Fiji,Education, 9 months, Remote ( With Travel) Internationals Only#596873

Responsibilities

The consultant will provide technical support to the governments of Tonga and Palau to develop national early childhood development policies. Additionally, the role involves assessing and providing recommendations for building the early childhood education and childcare system in Fiji.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a master's degree in a relevant field and possess at least twelve years of professional experience in early childhood development. Demonstrated experience working with Pacific Island governments and ministries is required.

Skills

• Early childhood development
• Policy development
• Technical support
• Programme planning
• Research
• Systems analysis
• Stakeholder engagement
• Advocacy
• Analytical writing
• Project management
• Capacity building
• Multi-sectoral coordination
• Policy implementation
• Monitoring systems
• Education policy

About this role

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 [https://www.unicef.org/] to learn more about what we do at
UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Education

How can you make a difference? As custodian to the Pasifika Call to Action, the
Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Development (PRC4ECD) unites
Ministers and Permanent Secretaries from education, health, finance, and social
welfare in 15 PICTs (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji,
Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands,
Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu), and encourages
countries to tailor the Call to Action to their specific contexts, and to drive
collaboration among leaders, policymakers, and program implementers to address
gaps in health, nutrition, protection, care, learning and stimulation that
affect the development of young children across the region. These efforts align
with broader regional priorities, such as the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, the
Pacific Culture Strategy, and sectoral goals set by Pacific Ministers of
Education, Health, and Women. Together, these frameworks also underscore the
importance of parenting engagement as a central element in the holistic
development of young children. Since 2017, The Pacific region has made important
progress in strengthening national and regional ECD systems, including through
the Pasifika Call to Action on ECD, national ECD policies, multisectoral
coordination mechanisms, workforce development, monitoring systems, and support
for parents and communities. In 2025, the Pacific ECD Forum Leaders have
strengthened the regional mandate for Early Childhood Development by endorsing
ECD as a standing agenda item within the People Centred Development thematic
area of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. More recently, the PIF
Women Leaders Meeting endorsed the importance of ECD as a cross-sectoral
priority linked to gender equality, social inclusion, resilience, child
wellbeing, and long-term human development. UNICEF supports governments by
facilitating dialogues and coordinated action, providing technical support, and
convening stakeholders in consultative and participatory sessions on ECD,
including the coordination and integration of efforts across multiple sectors
within ECD, as well as with cross-cutting concerns such as climate change.
UNICEF is supporting PICTs in translating the momentum gained from the PRC4ECD
commitments to concrete advances on ECD. At the national level, the focus is on
improving the environment enabling ECD, specifically on multi-sectoral
coordination within a clearly defined ECD system. Therefore, UNICEF is looking
for a consultant to support the governments of Tonga and Palau to develop their
National ECD Policies, building on the previous work that both countries has
been advancing in this area. As the second stream of work, the consultant will
also support the governments of Fiji, to assess the status and produce
recommendations and suggested services on the way to build the ECEC/ childcare
system for children aged 0-3/4.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the
complete Terms of Reference here Download File
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To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...

* Minimum requirements:
* Education: Master's in early childhood development, early childhood
education, education policy and planning, public health, economics of
education, or a closely related social science discipline
* Work Experience: A minimum of twelve (12) years of progressively responsible
professional experience in early childhood development, early childhood
education and care, of which at least five (5) years in professional
experience in programme planning, management, and research within the field
of early childhood development.
* Demonstrated professional experience in Pacific Island Countries, including
direct technical work with Pacific ministries and governments.
* Demonstrated experience developing ECD plans and costed implementation plans
and providing direct technical assistance to ministries from different
sectors, including policy implementation.
* Demonstrated experience bringing analytical publications to print-ready
standard in collaboration with designers and copy editors.
* Understanding of formal and non-formal ECEC provisions is preferred and
issues pertaining to licencing, regulation, quality assurance
* Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an
asset
* Skills: Demonstrated ability to translate systems analysis into
ministerial-level policy recommendations and advocacy products.
* Excellent analytical writing in English, with the ability to write for both
technical and ministerial audiences. Proven ability to work remotely across
Pacific time zones, to engage government counterparts respectfully and
effectively, and ...

About UNICEF

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