Education Specialist (Adolescent Engagement and Youth Participation)

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, LEARN

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent, with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures, with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist, National consultant will undertake the following responsibilities:

A.          Technical Support

• Under the PROSPECT 2.0 program, supervise meaningful youth engagement by facilitating adolescent participation and organizing volunteer activities aligned with their interests.
• Provide support to UNICEF in conducting consultations with adolescents and young people on different programmatic issues and in different areas related to their lives, through different instruments (face-to-face and online).
• Provide technical support to the regional education bureau in work planning and implementation of adolescent and youth engagement to ensure adolescent-responsive and gender-sensitive approaches are integrated into programme planning and implementation.
• Initiate and maintain partnerships with youth-led organizations, and those targeting adolescents and young people in Afar with particular focus on organizations working on climate change, education, entrepreneurship, skills development, and mental health.
• Advocate for meaningful participation of adolescents and youth in programme design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes
• Monitor the integration of adolescent-responsive approaches into formal and non-formal education interventions.
• Supervise adolescent leadership, civic engagement, and life skills initiatives.
• Promote inclusive participation of vulnerable and marginalized adolescents, including girls and children with disabilities.

B. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Documentation

• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, supply, and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments,
• standards of accountability and integrity.
• Contribute on drafting regular/mandated education program/project reports for management, donors, and partners to keep them informed of program progress.
• Undertake field visits, surveys, seasonal assessments, support data collection, analysis and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Reporting on programme performance and implementation outcomes.
• Document lessons learned, success stories, practices, case studies and learning on adolescent engagement approaches.

C. Coordination and Advocacy

• Support advocacy initiatives promoting adolescent participation and inclusive education.
• Facilitate linkages and engagement between adolescents, schools, communities, and government institutions.
• Contribute to identifying, capturing, producing quarterly education newsletters, and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders.
• Participate in emergency and regular education coordination meetings, cluster meetings, technical working groups, and sector forums related to adolescent and youth programming and takes minutes and share with field office Education Programme Specialist.

D. Capacity Building and Partnership Support

• Strengthen collaboration with youth-led organizations, community groups, and education stakeholders.
• Support government counterparts in mainstreaming youth participation within education sector plans and policies.
• Support the establishment and strengthening of student clubs, youth networks, peer-to-peer initiatives, and adolescent advisory groups.
• Promote adolescent leadership and civic engagement initiatives in schools and communities.
• Strengthen adolescent and youth participation mechanisms within education programmes.

Work Assignment Overview	Deliverables/ Outputs (SMART)*	Delivery deadline		Planned Travel* (For travel, please include destination, number of trips and days. This travel will be shared with the applicants to provide lump-sum financial proposal)	Estimated Budget for 1 consultant in contract currency included travel. (input days x estimated daily professional fee rate + estimate of planned travel) **
		Exact date to complete* the deliverable	Input days**
Work Plan Technical Support	REB led work plan developed on time,	July 31, 2026 -(USD 58)	10 days
Support the establishment and strengthening of youth networks, peer-to-peer initiatives, and adolescent advisory groups and support in mainstreaming youth participation within education sector plans and policies.	Adolescent participation adequately mainstreamed to the education plan	28 Aug 2026	20 days
Establish & strengthen school clubs Follow up the establishment & functionality of youth/adolescent engagement structures and participation platforms	Established functional youth/adolescent engagement structures and participation platforms	20 September 2026	18 days
Final Assignment	Comprehensive report summarizing achievements, challenges, and recommendations	31 Oct 2026	19 days
Total consultancy cost
Programmatic Visit -Travel Aug. 2026			4 days
Programmatic Visit -Oct 2026			6 days

Notice: applications without financial proposals will not be considered.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• University Degree in education, economics, Psychology, environmental science, Communications, Marketing, International Relations, international Development, sociology, or social sciences, is required.
• At least five (5) years of progressively advanced work experience in skills development and education sector systems.
• Experience working on related assignments training, entrepreneurship, skills development, climate change, education, sport, mental health as well as civic, social, and economic engagement.

Work Experience:

• At least five (5) years of progressively advanced work experience in skills development and education sector systems.
• Experience working on related assignments training, entrepreneurship, skills development, climate change, education, sport, mental health as well as civic, social, and economic engagement.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in spoken and written English and working knowledge of the duty station is an advantage.

Skills

• Professionalism; Integrity, Teamwork and respect for diversity; Commitment to continuous learning;
• Planning and organizing; Communication; Flexibility; Genuine commitment towards the principles of adolescent engagement, voluntary engagement,
• Language Requirements: [Insert the primary UN language you need for the fluency requirement]

Desirables:

• Demonstrated familiarity with Adolescent Engagement and Youth Participation, Good interpersonal, networking and communication skills.
• Flexible and open to learning and new experiences;
• Motivated to contribute towards adolescent & youth empowerment, peace and development and to serve others.
• Computer skills: Knowledge of relevant computer systems and applications; excellent knowledge of MS Office social media, and others is required. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. (This criteria is essential as a desirable and should be included in all job postings.)

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

The 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 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.

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.

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.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.