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Consultancy: Gender and EiEPC Consultant  

Duty Station: Programme Group/Education Section/UNGEI Team

Duration: 1 January 2026 – 30 Nov 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

UNICEF’s fundamental mission is to uphold the rights of every child, everywhere. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals, the Strategic Plan2026–2029 places equity at the centre of its education work. The education programme offer is designed to ensure that every child and adolescent has access to quality, inclusive, and resilient learning opportunities. It prioritises three key transitions in a child’s learning journey: readiness for school, acquisition of foundational and transferable skills, and preparation for life and work. These transitions underpin UNICEF’s focus on equitable access, improved learning outcomes, and continuity of education in emergencies and fragile contexts.

Within this framework, gender equality is recognised as both a right and a powerful driver of education system transformation. Girls in particular continue to face barriers that limit their access to and success in education, including discrimination, violence, poverty, and restrictive social norms. Addressing these inequities is essential to achieving sustainable and transformative progress for all children.

As part of this commitment, the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) was established in 2000. UNGEI catalyses action locally, nationally, regionally, and globally for girls’ education and gender equality through education. Its mission is to influence global policy, promote evidence-based solutions, and facilitate the sharing of good practice across contexts. By strengthening cross-sector collaboration and engaging diverse development actors, UNGEI accelerates progress towards gender-transformative education.

UNGEI is a global convener of partners working on gender equality in and through education. These include the UNGEI Partnership, Global Working Group to End School-Related Gender-Based Violence, Partner Coalition to End Gender Stereotypes in Schools, GCI Alliance, Feminist Network for Gender Transformative Education and Transform Education. These platforms consist of civil society organizations, international non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations, representatives of Ministries of Education, donors, young feminist activists and academia.

The Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI) is a multistakeholder initiative to promote gender equality in and through education with partner countries in Africa. It is jointly coordinated by UNGEI and IIEP-UNESCO. GCI works with governments, civil society and young feminists to strengthen technical gender capacity, foster political will and support the transformation of harmful gender norms.

This consultancy will provide critical support to an initiative to bridge the gap between the gender equality and Education in Emergencies & Protracted Crises (EiEPC) spaces at global and country level. This will be done by contributing gender in EiEPC expertise to UNGEI’s global platforms and advocacy, as well as to the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI), and by supporting UNGEI’s advisory roles in various fora.

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Gender Equality Technical Assistance Initiative (TAI) aims to provide critical technical capacity support to partner countries to meaningfully include gender equality in education sector plans, policies and budgets and hold an inclusive sector dialogue on gender equality in education with all stakeholders (governments, civil society, technical partners, young activists). This will include  providing technical capacity support to Jordan and Pakistan (Balochistan province) and this consultancy will provide support to setting up the Gender Equality TAI in Jordan and Pakistan.

Scope of Work: The Gender and EiEPC Consultant is primarily responsible for four streams of work: i) meaningfully integrate EiEPC in the platforms, forums and movements that UNGEI convenes and leads; ii) include a crisis and resilience lens into the GCI initiative, integrating a crisis component into its political and technical support to countries and strengthening the gender capacity of of EiEPC actors; iii) support the inception phase of the GPE Gender Technical Assistance Initiative in Pakistan and Jordan; and iv) support UNGEI’s advisory roles in various fora. The Gender and EiEPC Consultant will be supervised by the GCI Lead. They will work closely with the Programme Manager for Gender Transformative Education, UNGEI Advocacy and Communications Lead and other members of the UNGEI Secretariat, the UNICEF HQ EiE team and the GCI team at IIEP-UNESCO Dakar.

Specific deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Gender in EiEPC Advocacy & Partnerships

• Conduct a mapping of current and potential EiEPC members in all partnerships and working groups led by UNGEI.
• Develop and implement an outreach strategy to invite new EiEPC members in UNGEI partnerships and working groups.
• Design and coordinate a dedicated Gender in EiEPC event/session (online or in person), develop agenda, invite speakers and participants, facilitate logistical organization of the event.
• Facilitate participation from EiEPC contexts in UNGEI global events by reviewing draft participants lists, support with active outreach to participants from EiEPC contexts.
• Design and organize at least 2 webinars on gender in EiEPC issues, in collaboration with key gender and EiEPC partners.
• Develop key messages, talking points and short briefs on gender in EiEPC issues to include in UNGEI convened statements, recommendations, events and knowledge products.
• Develop a joint advocacy product on gender-transformative education in crisis contexts in West and Central Africa, in partnership with EiEPC actors, feminist CSOs and young feminist activists.
• Design and organize a session on gender in EiEPC for the GCI Alliance meeting, integrating lessons and good practices from GCI, amplifying key GCI voices, ensuring alignment with other meeting sessions.
• Create and amplify EiEPC messages for UNGEI’s social media channels.

Deliverable 2: GCI data analysis and capacity building

• Review and update the Gender Equality in Education Snapshot Tool (GES) to integrate a crisis lens and EiEPC indicators, with participation from EiEPC partners. 
• Pilot the revised GES assessment tool in at least 2 GCI partner countries with Multi-Year Resilience Plans (MYRP), supporting Ministries of Education on data analysis, organizing and facilitating results workshops in collaboration with Education Clusters, drafting workshop reports.
• Design at least 2 contextually relevant capacity building activities on crisis-focused gender-sensitive education sector planning and gender and EiEPC issues for country partners (Ministry of Education staff, civil society actors, education clusters) in GCI partner countries.
• Facilitate at least 2 trainings on crisis-focused gender-sensitive education sector planning and gender and EiEPC issues in GCI partner countries, draft workshop reports.   

• Collaborate with GCI Lead, GCI Country Support Coordinator and UNICEF country offices to ensure participation of EiEPC actors and Education Cluster members in all country-level GCI trainings, updating contact lists, coordinating invitations.
• Monitor results of GCI EiEPC activities, inputting into GCI Annual Report and ECW annual and interim reporting.

Deliverable 3: GPE Gender Equality TAI inception phase

• In collaboration with GPE and IIEP-UNESCO, develop an action plan for the inception phase and EiEPC activities of the Gender Equality Technical Assistance Initiative in Jordan and Pakistan, including consultations with Ministries of Education, UNICEF country offices, Local Education Groups and other relevant stakeholders 
• Facilitate at least 2 inception workshops, one in Pakistan and one in Jordan, ensuring meaningful participation of EiEPC and gender stakeholders, draft workshop reports.
• In collaboration with GCI Lead and UNICEF country offices, develop country-level workplan and budget for GPE Gender Equality TAI, including integration of a crisis and resilience lens.
• Report on results from GPE implementation in GPE interim report and GCI Annual Report.

Deliverable 4: UNGEI’s advisory roles to ECW

• Support ECW’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Protection, Gender, and Inclusion Workstream through agenda setting, reviewing global public goods and ensuring gender lens in TAG’s deliverables.
• Document and report on UNGEI’s advisory roles to ECW, as part of the annual and interim reports of the ECW funded programme

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

Deliverable 1: Gender in EiEPC Advocacy & Partnerships

• Conduct a mapping of current and potential EiEPC members in all partnerships and working groups led by UNGEI.
• Develop an outreach strategy to invite new EiEPC members in UNGEI partnerships and working groups.
• Design and coordinate a dedicated Gender in EiEPC event/session (online or in person), develop agenda, invite speakers and participants, lead logistical organization of the event.
• Develop a list of potential EiEPC participants for UNGEI’s annual in-person convening and webinars, including an outreach strategy.
• Design and organize at least 2 webinars on gender in EiEPC issues, in collaboration with key gender and EiEPC partners.
• Develop key messages on gender in EiEPC issues for at least 4 UNGEI knowledge products and 5 social media posts.
• Develop a joint advocacy product on gender-transformative education in crisis contexts in West and Central Africa, in partnership with EiEPC actors, feminist CSOs and young feminist activists.
• Design and organize a session on gender in EiEPC for the GCI Alliance meeting, integrating lessons and good practices from GCI, amplifying key GCI voices, ensuring alignment with other meeting sessions

30 Nov 2026

Deliverable 2: GCI data analysis and capacity building

• Review and update the Gender Equality in Education Snapshot Tool (GES) to integrate a crisis lens and EiEPC indicators, with participation from EiEPC partners. 
• Pilot the revised GES assessment tool in at least 2 GCI partner countries with Multi-Year Resilience Plans (MYRP), supporting Ministries of Education on data analysis, organizing and facilitating results workshops in collaboration with Education Clusters, drafting workshop reports.
• Design at least 2 contextually relevant capacity building activities on crisis-focused gender-sensitive education sector planning and gender and EiEPC issues for country partners (Ministry of Education staff, civil society actors, education clusters) in GCI partner countries.
• Facilitate at least 2 trainings on crisis-focused gender-sensitive education sector planning and gender and EiEPC issues in GCI partner countries, draft workshop reports.   
• Develop a list of potential EiEPC participants (including Education Cluster members) for at least 3 GCI trainings or events, including an outreach strategy.
• Develop a monitoring framework for GCI EiEPC activities that allows to input in GCI Annual Report and ECW annual and interim reporting

31 Jul 2026

Deliverable 3: GPE Gender Equality TAI inception phase

• In collaboration with GPE and IIEP-UNESCO, develop an action plan for the inception phase of the Gender Equality Technical Assistance Initiative in Jordan and Pakistan, including consultations with Ministries of Education, UNICEF country offices, Local Education Groups and other relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitate at least 2 inception workshops, one in Pakistan and one in Jordan, ensuring meaningful participation of all relevant education and gender stakeholders, draft workshop reports.
• In collaboration with GCI Lead and UNICEF country offices, develop country-level workplan and budget for GPE Gender Equality TAI

31 May 2026

Deliverable 4: UNGEI’s advisory roles to ECW

• Develop a list of agenda items for at least 4 meetings of ECW’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Protection, Gender, and Inclusion Workstream, in line with UNGEI’s priorities on gender in EiEPC settings. 
• Develop a monitoring framework to report on UNGEI’s advisory roles to ECW, including a collection of lessons learnt

30 Nov 2026

Qualifications

Education: Advanced University degree in  Education, gender or women’s studies, child rights, international relations, international development, political science, sociology, psychology, economics

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: 

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in education, gender equality or child rights is required.

• At least three years of experience in programming related to education in emergencies or recovery settings.
• Demonstrated experience in working for women’s and girls’ rights. Strong commitment to gender equality.
• Professional work experience in at least one emergency or recovery setting or developing country.
• Expert knowledge of the education in emergencies sector, including the functioning and dynamics of Ministries of Education, Education in Emergency Clusters and key education actors in crisis-affected countries, understanding of core education and emergencies data sets and indicators, understanding of Education Cannot Wait and MYRP processes 
• Expert understanding of gender equality frameworks and the ways in which they intersect with crisis.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills, excellent writing competencies, strong oral presentation skills.
• Experience in training and facilitation is an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is an asset

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

• • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.