Planning and Reporting Consultant, Education Global Practice/Global Programme Division, NYHQ, remote. Req#589003

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines fordeveloping countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Consultancy: Planning and Reporting Consultant

Duty Station: Education Global Practice/Global Programme Division  

Duration: 15 January 2026 – 30 September 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

Around the world, UNICEF is delivering on its Every Child Learns Education Strategy 2019–2030, which aims to ensure equitable access to quality education, improved learning outcomes, inclusion, lifelong learning, and continuity of learning in both humanitarian and development settings. Leveraging innovation, data, and cross-sectoral collaboration, UNICEF works with government and partners to help education systems become more resilient, relevant, inclusive and empowering — with a focus on reaching the most marginalized children and adolescents.

The Global Education Practice requires dedicated capacity to ensure effective planning and reporting in support of delivering on UNICEF’s new strategic plan 2026-2029 and the Education Strategy. This is especially important as UNICEF transitions into the new Centers of Excellence (COEs) business model.

Among other things, the consultancy will contribute to ensuring that global education priorities are translated into clear results frameworks, robust monitoring systems, and high-quality reporting that demonstrates progress and impact.

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Advisor Education (Global Management and Programme Partnerships) and in close coordination with numerous colleagues across the COEs and other parts of the organization

Scope of Work 

The consultant will support the Global Education Practice in implementing the Education priorities in the Strategic Plan as well as the Education Strategy and workplan through the following main areas of work: reporting, programme planning and review, and management support and coordination

Specific tasks include:

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

Task 1: Reporting 

1.  Support internal reporting of the 2025 results of the Global Education Practice

a. Finalize a report of headquarters teams’ 2025 achievements for education and adolescent development programmes.

30 Jan 2026

2.  Develop the draft Goal Area 2 (Every Child Learns) narrative for the 2025 Executive Director Annual Report (EDAR) on UNICEF’s Strategic Plan (SP) 2022-2025, related annexes and additional reporting

a. Review UNICEF staff inputs, other materials and databases to draft initial GA2 EDAR narrative 

13 Feb 2026

b. Prepare additional inputs as requested to accompany the EDAR or other UNICEF reporting commitments (e.g. implementation of the UN Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) resolution, Gender Action Plan, Reports of the UN Secretary-General).

13Feb 2026

c. Revise and finalise reporting based on comments.

6 Mar 2026

3.  Develop the 2025 GA2 Global Annual Results Report (GARR) and related sub-reports

a. Prepare templates and guidance for UNICEF staff inputs to the GARR and sub-reports

1 Mar 2026

b.  Review UNICEF staff inputs, other materials and databases to draft initial report

15 Apr 2026

c. Revise and finalise narrative report based on two rounds of comments from editors.

8 May 2026

d.  Instruct designers of needed revisions based on four rounds of comments

31 May 2026

4.  Support the production of supplementary products to 2025 education results reporting for communication and advocacy needs

a.  Prepare slides for a deck to brief partners and other stakeholders on the 2025 results 

6 Jun 2026

b.  Review and provide substantive inputs to communication messages (two emails, two social media posts) to UNICEF education network as well as partners, notably for the publication and launch of the GARR

15 Jun 2026

Task 2: Programme Planning and Review

5.  Coordinate 2026 annual work planning for the Global Education Practice (GEP)

a.  Prepare guidance for results-based planning and budgeting

10 Feb 2026

b.  Plan and deliver two work planning meetings with GEP teams

28 Feb 2026

c.  Coordinate with GEP teams the drafting the GEP work plan (including education technical assistance plan) and provide two rounds of comments to teams

15 Mar 2026

6.  Coordinate GEP 2026 work review

a.  Plan and deliver one work review meeting with GEP teams

30 Jun 2026

b.  Prepare mid-year work review report based on outcome of meeting and inputs from teams

15 Jul 2026

7.  Support the finalization of the GEP results framework for 2026-2029

a.  Prepare guidance for setting baseline, milestones and targets for the period 2026-2029

15 Feb 2026

b.  Coordinate with GEP teams the drafting of milestones and targets, and the establishment of baseline data

28 Feb 2026

8.  Support the delivery of programmes technical notes to accompany UNICEF SP 2026-2029

a.  Based on GEP experts’ contributions, prepare a technical note and related support materials (one SharePoint page, one slide deck) to facilitate country offices application of UNICEF SP concepts

15 Apr 2026

Task 3: Long-Term Agreements for services

9.  Establish new Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) for education programme services

a.  Participate in one pre-bid meeting with UNICEF Supply Division

15 Feb 2026

b.  Coordinate the technical evaluation of bids received with education experts according to terms of reference and service categories

30 mar 2026

c.  Draft the final technical report based on the inputs from the panelists

10 Apr 2026

d.  Participate in one call with awarded vendors

30 Jun 2026

e. Update SharePoint Global Education LTAs page and library with newly established LTAs and any relevant documents.

15 Jul 2026

f.  Prepare communication materials to socialize new LTAs with UNICEF education network (one email, and one announcement for Viva Engage).

15 Jul 2026

Task 4: Management support and coordination

1.  Develop the Global Education Practice Annual Management Plan (AMP)

a.  Compile and review programme documentation for the development of a rolling AMP

28 Feb 2026

2.  Coordinate strategic and technical input to the Offices of the Director of the Global Education Practice, of the Global Programme Division (GPD) and of the Executive Director (OED)

a. Track, coordinate and/or prepare the answer to 3 correspondence items per month (e.g. invitations to events)

b. Quality assure and deliver of 5 briefing material/packages per month to UNICEF Senior Leaders.

30 Sept 2026 

c.  Coordinate, draft and quality-assure technical inputs into at least 4 corporate reports, strategy documents or proposals.

30 Sept 2026

3.  GEP strategic engagement during and contributions to the 2026 UN General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week (21-25 September)

a.  Develop one internal and one external tracker for events and meetings to be attended by UNICEF Senior Leaders  and/or organized by GEP around UNGA 2026 high-level week in New York UNHQ

30 Sept 2026

b.  Plan and schedule approximately 35 strategic engagements for GEP Director’s around UNGA 2026 high-level week, including communicate with partners

30 Sept 2026

c.  Prepare guidance for the development and clearance of briefing packages for UNICEF Senior Leaders’ attendance to events and meetings around UNGA 2026 high-level week

30 Sept 2026

d.  Develop a tool to track the status of briefing packages to be delivered to UNICEF Senior Leaders (for approximately 40 engagements)

30 Sept 2026

e.  Participate in one coordination meeting per week starting mid-July

30 Sept 2026

Qualifications

Education:   

International development, humanitarian affairs, economics, education, political science or other relevant degree.

A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

Competencies