For every child, the right to learn
Join UNICEF's Global Programme Division (GPD) and play a leading role in advancing education outcomes for children affected by emergencies, conflict, displacement, and climate-related crises. GPD provides strategic leadership, policy direction, technical expertise, and programme excellence across UNICEF, ensuring that global standards and evidence-based solutions translate into meaningful results for children worldwide.
As part of UNICEF's Centres of Excellence structure, this position is based in Amman and supports Country and Regional Offices across multiple regions by delivering high-quality, demand-driven technical assistance and strategic guidance. Through collaboration with governments, partners, and global stakeholders, UNICEF helps strengthen resilient and inclusive education systems so that children and adolescents can continue learning during crises and recovery.
How can you make a difference?
As Senior Adviser, Education (Education in Emergencies), you will provide strategic direction, technical leadership, and high-level advocacy to strengthen UNICEF's global capacity to support children and adolescents affected by conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks, and other emergencies.
Working across headquarters, regional and country offices, you will lead the development of global policies, strategies, standards, and guidance for education in humanitarian settings. You will foster strategic partnerships, influence global policy agendas, support resource mobilization efforts, and promote innovation, knowledge management, and evidence generation to improve education outcomes in crisis-affected contexts.
Through leadership in programme excellence, emergency preparedness and response, and inter-agency coordination, you will help ensure that children everywhere have access to safe, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities, even in the most challenging circumstances.
Minimum requirements
Desirables
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
- In-depth understanding of global development challenges (poverty, conflict, climate change,urbanization) and their impact on education, with experience promoting inter-sectoral approaches in collaboration with health, child protection, nutrition, WASH, and social policy sectors.
- Familiarity with education systems, sector planning, governance, financing, and institutional structures, including linkages across sub-sectors (early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary, inclusive education).
- Commitment to gender equality, disability inclusion, and equitable education.
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(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
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 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, eligible and suitable candidates 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.