National Consultancy: Safe Learning, Freetown, Sierra Leone (Open to Sierra Leone nationals only)

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 safe learning

Please access UNICEF Sierra Leone information here and here

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical and operational support to UNICEF Sierra Leone and Government counterparts—particularly the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and relevant child protection and gender coordination structures—to accelerate implementation of priority actions to prevent and respond to School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) and strengthen safe, inclusive and gender-responsive learning environments.

The consultancy will primarily support implementation of outstanding activities under:

• the GPE Safe Learning Technical Assistance Initiative (TAI) (systems strengthening for safe and enabling school environments), and
• the Spotlight Initiative (school-focused SRGBV prevention and response programming, March 2026–March 2027).
• Other cross-sectoral initiatives related to safe and enabling schools.

Objectives:

The consultant will contribute to the following objectives:

1. Strengthen SRGBV prevention and response systems in the education sector, including safe and child-friendly reporting and referral mechanisms aligned with ethical standards.
2. Support implementation of priority actions under the SRGBV Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Strategy, including capacity-building, dissemination, and district-level roll-out.
3. Strengthen monitoring, coordination and evidence systems for SRGBV-related interventions, including partner mapping, coordination follow-up, and school-level monitoring tools.
4. Support operationalization and use of national case management and information systems relevant to SRGBV response, including consultation, refinement, training and rollout of the GBVIMS+ dashboard for education stakeholders.
5. Support school-focused safe learning interventions to strengthen teachers’ knowledge and practices on:

• Teachers’ Code of Conduct;
• positive discipline; and
• SRGBV prevention and response, including safe reporting and referrals.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  ToR Safe Learning Consultant.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s) in Education, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Child Protection, Public Health, Social Work, Development Studies, or a closely related field.
• A Bachelor’s degree combined with an additional minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Work Experience: 

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in education, child protection, school safety, SRGBV, or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience supporting school-based prevention and safeguarding interventions, including SRGBV-related initiatives.
• Proven experience working with government institutions at national and sub-national levels and engaging in multi-sectoral and inter-agency coordination, including with UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society.
• Experience supporting the operationalization of policies, guidelines, referral mechanisms, and coordination tools, as well as contributing to monitoring, reporting, and use of programme data.

Skills: 

• Strong facilitation, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Solid analytical and problem-solving capacity, with ability to translate policy into practice.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and uphold UNICEF values, including child safeguarding and gender equality.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English 

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.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 jobs-near-me.org 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.

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.