Early Childhood Development Specialist

Mission and objectivesUNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes in childhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated in major immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilization that resulted in the approval of Article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute; the movement for universal access to education; programmes to combat child labour; among other great advances in guaranteeing the rights of Brazilian girls and boys. In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, in its cooperation programme with the Brazilian Government for the period 2024-2028, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a special focus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme forms of violence. These children and adolescents in situations of greater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they are more concentrated in the Amazon, in the Northeast and in large urban centers. Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Northeast and in the Amazon regions in Brazil. In large cities, UNICEF works with a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF.

ContextThe United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works to ensure that the rights of every child are respected, upholding ethical principles and international standards of care and protection. UNICEF has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting major advances in the promotion of children’s rights — including national immunization and breastfeeding campaigns, the mobilization that led to the approval of Article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the Child and Adolescent Statute, universal access to education, and initiatives to combat child labor. Despite significant progress over the past decades, nearly 27 million Brazilian children and adolescents (49.7%) still have one or more rights denied, especially those living in poverty and inequality — including Black, Indigenous, and Quilombola children, as well as those living in rural areas and urban peripheries. During early childhood, the absence of integrated, high-quality policies and services can have long-term impacts on children’s development, affecting their health, learning, and emotional well-being. UNICEF recognizes this period as a critical window of opportunity for human development and therefore places Early Childhood Development (ECD) at the center of its cooperation with the Brazilian government. Through national initiatives such as the Early Childhood Friendly Unit Initiative (UAPI) and the Antiracist Early Childhood Program (PIA), UNICEF works to strengthen intersectoral public policies in education, health, and social protection, promoting the qualification of services provided to children aged 0–6 and their families. These initiatives are implemented in close collaboration with government counterparts, civil society, academia, and the private sector, and are aligned with the National Integrated Policy for Early Childhood (PNIPI). In 2025–2026, UNICEF Brazil consolidates its national-level engagement in early childhood by focusing on evidence generation, capacity building of public managers, and the development of monitoring and evaluation tools to improve the quality of early childhood services across multiple territories. Within this context, UNICEF Brazil seeks to recruit a UN Volunteer Early Childhood Development (ECD) Specialist, based in Brasília, to provide technical and programmatic support to advance UNICEF’s ECD agenda at the national level — particularly the Early Childhood Friendly Unit Initiative (UAPI), the Antiracist Early Childhood Programme (PIA), and the National Integrated Policy for Early Childhood (PNIPI) — ensuring cross-sectoral coordination and alignment with national priorities.

Task DescriptionUnder the supervision and guidance of the ECD Manager and working closely with the UNICEF ECD team, the UN Volunteer will provide support on strengthening the ECD programmes and initiatives at national level. As such, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks/ responsibilities: • Support the implementation and monitoring of the Early Childhood Friendly Unit Initiative (UAPI) at the national level, ensuring cross-sectoral coordination among Health, Education, and Social Assistance areas. • Participate in strategic meetings and discussions on UAPI with government counterparts and external consultants, providing technical expertise, identifying bottlenecks, documenting lessons learned, and proposing solutions for programme strengthening and sustainability. • Support the implementation of the Antiracist Early Childhood Programme (PIA) at the national level, in coordination with the PIA Interministerial Steering Committee (composed of the Ministries of Racial Equality, Health, Education, Human Rights, and Social Assistance), ensuring effective follow-up of the agreed action plan under the Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF. • Facilitate the development and delivery of PIA training modules in partnership with the federal government (both in-person and online with the Selo UNICEF platform). • Provide technical support to UNICEF Field Offices for the implementation of PIA-related activities and workshops at municipal and state levels, within the frameworks of Agenda Cidade UNICEF and Selo UNICEF. • Contribute to the implementation and monitoring of the National Integrated Policy for Early Childhood (PNIPI) through political engagement, technical articulation, and identification of synergies with UNICEF’s ongoing initiatives. • Nurture and maintain partnerships with key ECD networks and stakeholders, including government entities (Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches), academia, private sector, philanthropy, and foundations. • Support resource mobilization efforts, including the development of donor proposals in collaboration with the Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP) team. • Draft Terms of Reference (ToRs) for hiring processes of service providers such as training facilitators, videomakers and communication materials. • Participate in team meetings and external events, including potential field missions to support national and subnational ECD activities.

Competencies and valuesUNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS). The UNICEF competencies required and expected for this post are: • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness, • Works Collaboratively with others • Builds and Maintains Partnerships • Innovates and Embraces Change • Thinks and Acts Strategically • Drive to achieve impactful results • Manages ambiguity and complexity

Living conditions and remarksBrasília is a calm and safe duty station, offering a high quality of life and a stable environment for professional and personal well-being. As the capital of Brazil and seat of the Federal Government, it hosts all ministries, national agencies, and diplomatic missions, providing a strategic setting for policy dialogue, coordination, and advocacy with key partners. The city is known for its modernist architecture, green areas, and organized layout, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It offers good housing options, reliable healthcare, international schools, and easy mobility through public transport and ride-hailing services. The cost of living is relatively high compared to other Brazilian capitals, especially for housing and food, and the climate features a dry season (May–September) and a rainy season (October–April). Security conditions are generally good, and Brasília’s central location ensures easy access to all regions of the country. While inequalities persist in some peripheral areas, Brasília remains a safe, well-connected, and strategic duty station for engaging with the Federal Government and partners at the national level. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging their own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. Brazil is security level 3 (moderate). United Nations Department of Safety and Security UNDSS Brazil advises to exercise a high degree of caution in Brazil due to high levels of serious and violent crime, particularly in major cities. Violent crime as muggings, armed robbery, kidnappings, and sexual assault, is very high. Avoid shanty towns (favelas) in the big cities and if you are attacked or robbed, do not resist. Demonstrations can occur at any time and may turn violent with little or no warning. All United Nations personnel must scrupulously comply with UNDSS procedures and recommendations during their assignment. For missions in rural areas or indigenous reservations, special procedures may apply; UN personnel should consult with the local DSS office in advance. Information on entitlements at the duty station is available at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos