UNICEF Pacific Consultancy: Pacific Researcher for Regional Inclusive Education Review (2nd Round), Suva, Fiji, 50 working days over 14 months

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 knowledge. 

UNICEF Pacific works across 14 Pacific Island countries and territories, home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children—spread across 660 islands and atolls. Five of these countries are classified as Fragile States. While all have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, only a third are up to date with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

Just over a decade ago, countries across the Pacific acknowledged the need for education systems that are inclusive and meet the needs of all learners. A commitment to this was made by Ministers at the 2014 Forum Education Ministers Meeting (FEdMM) when they requested senior officials and partners to collectively address inclusive education through the development of a Pacific Inclusive Education Framework (PRIEF). The Pacific Heads of Education Systems (PHES) endorsed the PRIEF in principle at their meeting in Niue in April 2019, on the basis that it would be implemented through the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF). This initiative advances the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy by strengthening inclusive, quality education systems through, as a foundation for resilient, equitable, and people-centred development across the Pacific. The Pacific Ministers of Education renewed their commitment to inclusion at the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) meeting in March 2023, to ensure that education is available to all learners irrespective of their challenges.

In 2021, under the auspices of PacREF, UNICEF conducted a study on the Pacific Regional Inclusive Education Review in collaboration with an informal regional workgroup on Inclusive Education. The review process, using the PRIEF as a structural guide, culminated with the publication of a report in 2022, which also has individual country profiles for each of the 15 Pacific countries. These country profiles informed the current status of inclusive education in the respective countries.

The regional review and country profiles have also been used to inform inclusive education work across the region including but not limited to a regional forum and the development of a Joint Statement of Priorities for Inclusive Education, development and/or revision of national Inclusive Education policies, and development/rollout of various teacher guides and teacher capacity building activities.

At the request of Ministers at CPEM in March 2025, further consultations with countries and partners to review and document progress on inclusive education will take place in 2026, leading to the development of a second iteration of the report to be presented at the next CPEM in 2027.

How can you make a difference? 

The Pacific Regional Inclusive Education Researcher will contribute to the design, implementation, analysis, validation, and communication of the 2027 Regional Inclusive Education Review, under the guidance of the Pacific Regional Inclusive Education Taskforce (PRIET) and in close collaboration with the 15 participating countries. Specific objectives for this consultancy are as follows:

• Ensure Pacific cultural and contextual integrity of the review process by grounding the review in principles consistent with the PacREF, including Pacific values, relational engagement, cultural protocols, and ethical research practice across all stages of the review.
• Strengthen the legitimacy and relevance of findings through Pacific-led stakeholder engagement, by supporting and facilitating regional and national engagement with the PRIET, Ministries of Education, OPDs, service providers, academia (including teacher training institutes), and other key partners, to gather insights and validate findings from a Pacific perspective.
• Provide Pacific-specific quality assurance and contextual guidance within the research team, by working closely with the technical team to ensure that analytical frameworks, interpretations, and recommendations are appropriately adapted to Pacific realities and contribute to practical, system-level improvements towards more inclusive education across the region.

Please refer to the ToR ( EDU.PMCO.Pacific Researcher for IE Review.ToR.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

This consultancy is for individual consultants only. Candidates are requested to submit:

1. A brief technical proposal and CV. In your technical proposal, please outline briefly your approaches and engagement strategies for this Inclusive Education review.
2. A separate financial offer along with their application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables listed in the Terms of Reference and should show a breakdown for the following as applicable:

• Monthly / Daily fees: based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel: economy air ticket to include two missions to Fiji to carry out the assignment (approx. 10 days spent in Fiji)
• Living allowance: where travel is required
• Miscellaneous: to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), travel insurance, communications, and other costs.

 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in education, inclusive education, disability studies, social sciences, development studies, or a related field relevant to inclusive education and research in the Pacific context.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in social sector related work with increasing seniority, scope and responsibility.
• Demonstrated capability and experience in engaging with Ministries of Education in the Pacific and co-designing and co-implementing research.
• Considerable experience working in collaboration with regional and national universities and teacher training institutes across the Pacific region, is highly desirable.
• Extensive experience in stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills to effectively manage dialogue with a broad range of actors including using online tools (Teams, online surveys, etc.).
• Work and research experience in the Pacific Islands region is required.
• Experience working in UNICEF or any other UN agency is an asset.

 Skills:

• High interpersonal and relationship-building skills for both internal and external parties.
• Diplomatic skills to liaise with counterparts and different stakeholders.
• Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and effectively with persons of various cultures and disciplines especially in the Pacific context.
• Excellent research and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports in English.
• Ability to identify risks and to develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Ability to determine and review priorities and meet deadlines while maintaining flexibility.
• Solid command of using ICT for daily work.

 Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required, and knowledge of a Pacific language would be an asset.

 

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.

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.

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.

Remarks:  

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable male and female 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.

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.

This position is open to national and international individual consultants only. 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.