Education migration and education in emergencies, Consultancy, Panama City, LACRO (12 months /Home-Based)

LAC Regional Office is looking for a consultant who will deliver professional technical and operational expertise throughout the programming process for the education migration response agenda.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, education 

Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the regions with the most extensive and complex migration crises in the world. Millions of children, adolescents and families are in transit, as they have had to leave their homes for various reasons: instability, poverty, extreme weather events or armed violence, among others. However, not all of them can enter the legal channels for regular and orderly migration, due to lack of official documentation, lack of economic resources, which leads them to travel on foot, putting their safety at risk, such as the dangerous Darien Gap, located between Colombia and Panama. Despite the efforts of recipient countries to regularize and provide assistance, the humanitarian situation remains dire, with more than 4 million Venezuelans in Latin America facing difficulties in meeting their basic needs by 2023.

In Latin America, the situation of migrant children has reached unprecedented levels by 2023. According to UNICEF, approximately 25% of migrants in the region are minors, and most of these children are under 11 years old. Crossings of minors through dangerous routes, such as the Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama, have increased dramatically. Between January and October 2023, nearly 100,000 children crossed the Darien, almost double the previous year's figure.

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children. The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices, in which 16 are Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Internally, the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 details specific work dimensions to achieve 2030 education goals. To ensure that every child learns, UNICEF works in 2 result areas: 1) ACCESS to quality learning opportunities, despite recent progress, there are still too many children who aren’t attending school. And, for those who do attend, too many are not getting a good quality education. UNICEF’s work addresses both challenges – increasing access to education and improving the quality of education; 2) LEARNING, skills, participation and engagement, Children and adolescents are growing up in a transforming world. UNICEF’s work helps to prepare them for the future by providing opportunities for them to develop life skills, digital skills, transferrable skills, and vocational skills for specific jobs.

To achieve these objectives, UNICEF LAC Regional Office (LACRO) aims to improve access, learning and protection for children in emergencies and fragile contexts: prevention and response in emergencies, including displaced children. Strengthening policies, regulatory frameworks, and procedures to ensure access to education and completion for children on the move are some of the activities carried out by UNICEF LACRO section to fulfill its commitments to children. UNICEF LACRO is co-leader of the Regional Education Working Group for Latin America and the Caribbean, (GRE-LAC) through which it ensures the participation of various agencies and manages a work plan to develop joint actions for the benefit of children and adolescents, even in emergency and crisis situations.

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the UNICEF LACRO Education in Emergencies Specialist, the purpose of this consultancy is to support the LACRO EiE team to have key information and data products to facilitate the development of the education migration agenda as well as education in emergencies activities related to information management. The consultant will develop key Information Management products related to the GRE-LAC website and the R4V education sector activities related to the planning process.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac).

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Education in Emergencies Specialist, the consultant will deliver professional technical and operational expertise throughout the programming process for the education migration response agenda. This includes driving the development of the Regional Learning Passport initiative, R4V education activities, and advancing other regional migration preparedness and response initiatives. The consultant will spearhead the implementation of regional activities to establish and execute evidence-based policies, enhance capacities at regional and national levels, and enable countries to maintain reliable, accurate, relevant, and timely data regarding children on the move. The consultant will also update the GRE-LAC website and collect, systematize, and upload relevant resources to the website library. 

Specific tasks

In coordination with the EiE team and GRE-LAC, the consultant is anticipated to carry out the following duties and deliver the outputs:

• Compile and submit final updates on MYRP regional component partners' activities funded by ECW, as part of the final project report preparation for ECW.
• Maintain ongoing communication with GRE-LAC members and COs' EiE focal points to request, collect, systematize, and process relevant documents for uploading to the GRE-LAC library.
• Review and update key materials for the launch of the Resilient Schools and Disaster Risk Reduction MOOC's new cohort and facilitate stakeholder engagement by promoting the launch within the education sector.
• Review of the content of the Resilient Schools course and technical support in the adaptation and contextualization of the content according to the needs of the country.
• Organize the EiE focal points virtual meetings aimed at sharing relevant education migration preparedness and response strategies.
• Manage the GRE-LAC social media accounts, creating posts and stories that highlight regional and member activities to enhance education stakeholder engagement.

• Review and follow-up progress on the UNHCR-UNICEF joint strategy for migration education response.
• Research and compile existing documentation, case studies, and experiences from accelerated education programs to develop a document.
• Review the Learning Passport’s objectives and content and follow-up the development of the strategy.
• Collaborate with regional education sector co-leaders of the R4V platform to prepare narratives, review JNA and PIN for the RMRP and RMNA, and update the regional education sector section on the R4V website. Collaborate with regional education sector co-leaders of the R4V platform to prepare narratives, review JNA and PIN for the RMRP and RMNA, and update the regional education sector section on the R4V website.
• Gather updated materials and data from ongoing projects to update the R4V’s regional education platform.

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

• A bachelor's degree in economics, information management or any related field.
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in project management support and information management (IM), data analysis, and data visualization.
• Familiarity with data sources and use of Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, or other design or visualization software.
• Experience with data reports and dashboard visualization tools.
• Experience working in both development and humanitarian contexts is an asset.
• Experience working remotely, very responsive over email or throughout virtual applications.
• Understanding of UNICEF programme work in the region (desirable).
• Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically and works collaboratively with others.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Administrative details

Supervision: The consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the UNICEF Education Specialist.

Workplace: The consultancy is home-based. 

Duration:  Estimated start date is January 2nd, 2025, until January 15, 2026

How to Apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter, Study certificates and financial proposal (Daily fee or deliverable fee).

Qualified candidates are requested to indicate an all-inclusive (lump sum) fee for the services to be including all associated administrative and travel costs.

Consultants must have their own equipment, tools and materials needed to perform their services. They will use their own laptops/computers, any application or system needed to complete the assignment. They need to provide the full service without using UNICEF resources. The access to UNICEF email and system is restricted to UNICEF staff therefore consultants should not be granted access unless it is imperative to complete the assignment.

Travel

Travel is not foreseen for this consultancy. Should travel is requested, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

Remarks:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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.