International Consultancy – Climate and Education Consultant at UNICEF

Job Description

International Consultancy – Climate and Education Consultant at UNICEF

Scope of Work

• Goal and objective: Under the supervision of the Education Specialist – Emergencies, Resilience & Climate / Education Section, the consultant will provide technical assistance and capacity building to the Regional Office and Country Offices for integrating the climate and education programming pillars into their country programmes and supporting governments in the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into their education systems. The consultant will also support knowledge generation and the development of public goods, information exchange, partnership engagement, and resource mobilization efforts for climate change and education programming at regional, global, and country level.
• Provide details/reference to Annual Workplan areas covered: This assignment contributes to deepening the Education-Climate Flagship nexus and expanding opportunities, capacities and partnerships on climate resilience, greening education and climate adaptation. This is an activity identified under Key Intervention 2.4 in the ESARO Education 2024 workplan, which is to “Strengthen multi-hazard resilient education systems that respond to the climate crisis and ensure access to safe and quality learning and MHPSS for all children and young people in humanitarian and crisis contexts.”
• Activities and Tasks: The consultant will support the ESARO Education Specialist (EiE, Resilience & Climate) in advancing the regional climate and education agenda, whilst also producing a number of global priority deliverables that will benefit ESA and other regions. The consultant will be responsible for the following activities:
• Technical assistance and capacity building to UNICEF COs
• Provide technical assistance to at least three country offices on the development, or deepening, of climate and education strategies and interventions and the mainstreaming of gender-responsive climate action in schools
• Regional knowledge generation, management, and exchange
• Update and finalize the ESA Regional Climate and Education analysis and programme framework
• Document promising practices of climate and education programming in select ESA countries through case studies or other documentation. Identify and document enabling factors, good practices, challenges/bottlenecks, and lessons learnt from CO implementation.
• Prepare key communications and advocacy materials on climate change and education in the ESA region, drafting at least one ESARO blog, one advocacy brief, briefings notes, presentations, and updating business cases and pitches with 2023/2024 results
• Support at least 2 regional or global learning events on climate and education
• Develop an engagement plan for COP29, in collaboration with relevant teams across HQ and RO divisions. This includes conceptualization, design, and execution of at least one high-level event; in addition to strategic inputs to policy and finance-focused events led by other PG/RO teams or divisions.
• Global public goods
• Coordinate and quality assure the development of a quality gender-transformative curricular framework on climate action in collaboration with relevant UN partners and experts, with institutional contract #1 (IC1)
• Coordinate and quality assure the consolidation and/or development of learning materials (textbooks and digital), teacher training materials and assessment assets on environmental and climate literacy and skills and anticipatory action for use by country offices, with institutional contract #1 (IC1)
• Develop the TOR and scope partnerships for a predictive information system on climate risks and hazards in vulnerable educational institutions that informs climate action of children and local education authorities. This model will be linked to early warning systems and enhance the ability of the system to account for climate impacts on school attendance. Coordinate and quality assure deliverables under institutional contract #2 (IC2).
• Develop guidance note for mainstreaming gender-responsive climate action in schools on gender-responsive action in schools
• Resource mobilization
• Update mapping of potential donors for climate change and education in ESAR and draft a regional resource mobilization strategy in consultation with relevant offices (PPD, PFP).
• Identify and prioritize key global, regional and country level opportunities and partnerships for climate and education programming and support RO/COs in the development of regional/sub-regional/CO fundraising proposals
• Work relationships: The Education Specialist – Emergencies, Resilience & Climate will oversee the assignment and provide guidance. The consultant will engage with selected Country Office education staff and regional/HQ climate specialists and climate and education focal points.

Desired Competencies, Technical Background And Experience

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields: education, public policy, environmental and/or social sciences.
• Minimum eight (8) years’ work experience in education policy and programming with a focus on climate change and environment.
• Proven experience in programme assessments and strategy development
• Understanding of education systems and policies related to environment, climate change and green skills
• High level of analytical ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data
• Demonstrated ability to produce high quality, concise, analytical and insightful reports and presentations in English
• Excellent communication, facilitation and presentation skills
• Proven ability to conceptualize, innovate, plan and execute ideas
• Ability to manage competing priorities under pressure, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines
• Experience in capacity building, government relationship building, training and/or facilitation an asset.
• Previous experience working in the ESA region is an asset
• Knowledge of the United Nations system or other international organizations is an asset
• Knowledge of international development, humanitarian issues and children’s rights is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other languages relevant to the ESA region is an added advantage.

Must exhibit the UNICEF Core Values of:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Competencies: list the competencies that the consultant should have for the assignment: Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, thinks and acts strategically, works collaboratively with others, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity
Administrative Issues

• The consultant/contractor is expected to be based remotely with anticipated travel. They should have some regular availability between 10 am to 4 pm Nairobi time to enable the delivery of technical assistance to country offices and the regional office during their working hours.
• As part of this assignment, an estimate of three (3) technical assistance missions to ESAR country offices are foreseen. Pending prioritization of staff participation from UNICEF management, travel to participate in COP29 may also be included. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.
  • Travel Clause
    • All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
    • All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
    • The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.
• Progress meetings will take place throughout the contract duration as needed.
• 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.
• 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.

Deadline: 11 Jun 2024 

International Consultancy – Climate and Education Consultant at UNICEF