Global Roster of Early Childhood Development Specialists (Various Areas of Expertise), ECD Team, Global Programme Division, Remote, Nairobi, Kenya

## Global Roster of Early Childhood Development Specialists (Various Areas of Expertise), ECD Team, Global Programme Division, Remote, Nairobi, Kenya - Organization:UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund - Office:UNICEF Nairobi, Kenya Consultancy:ROSTER: Early Childhood Development Specialists (Various Areas of Expertise) Section/Division/Duty Station:Early Childhood Development Team, GPD, Remote based 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. 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. 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. 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 ECDKey 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 ECDKey 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 - Digital tools and innovations for ECD Area 3: Support to parents and caregivers in caring for their young children and themselvesKey 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 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: - 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 ECDCandidates 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 fo