UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save childrenโs 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 โ 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 innovate
UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovation for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support realizing childrenโs rights are critical to improving their lives.
The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets start-up thinking, technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.
UNICEF's Office of Innovation creates opportunities for the world's children by focusing on where new markets can meet their vital needs. We do this by:
Connecting youth communities (or more broadly -- anyone disconnected or under-served) to decision-makers, and to each other, to deliver informed, relevant and sustained programmes that build better, stronger futures for children. Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach -- in a traditionally risk averse field -- to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children. Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the public, private, and academic sectors in order to deliver fast, lasting results for children.The Global Learning Innovation Hub under the UNICEF Office of Innovation has been established in Helsinki with the mission to radically transform education around the world by making it a wonderful adventure for every child. Working with corporates and non-profit partners, the Learning Innovation Hub supports governments in accelerating access to digital learning; invests from pilot to scale on game- changing edtech innovations and explores how new innovative pedagogies and technologies can create environments where children can learn, unleash their unique talent, and become true entrepreneurs of their life. It is part of the Reimagine Education initiative and has the bold ambition to become a global โhome for the architects of the future of learningโ.
Our team
We're an interdisciplinary team around the world tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling new technologies and practices. With our partners, we focus on convening and collaborating on new and different solutions, low- and high-tech, by:
The Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) Initiative
Millions of children still lack access to learning materials in formats they can use, with 240 million children with disabilities among the most excluded. Since 2016, UNICEFโs Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) for All Initiative has worked with governments to embed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into education systems, policies, and curricula. This approach ensures that content is inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs of learners, regardless of ability, language, or connectivity. Producing Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) has traditionally taken 6โ9 months and costs up to USD 50,000 each. In 2024, UNICEF and a tech company began co-developing an AI-powered tool to automate and streamline production, making it faster, more affordable, and scalable. Human quality assurance remains central to ensure accuracy and meet the diverse needs of learners facing accessibility and language barriers.
This tool is one part of a larger effort: the success of the initiative depends on strong global and national partnerships to align processes, share expertise, and ensure contextual relevance. It is country-led by design, with governments driving the vision, priorities, and integration into existing systems, supported by a growing network of technical, policy, and implementation partners. In doing so, the initiative aims not only to produce accessible digital content, but to catalyze long-term, systemic change toward more inclusive and equitable learning for all. In pursuit of UNICEFโs vision of inclusive education for every child, the ADT initiative is fostering inclusion, tackling systemic challenges through an iterative co-creation process with teachers and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, leveraging cutting-edge technology, and addressing data gaps as its top priorities.
Since its inception, the ADT Initiative has steadily advanced, with the past year marking significant achievements that have generated momentum and new opportunities to reach more children, with disabilities and without disabilities:
Implemented in 12 countries, including six Latin American & Caribbean countries (Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay), three South Asian countries (Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka), and 5 in Eastern and Southern African countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia). Since 2021, 1,975,329 students have used ADTs, and 84,818 teachers have been trained. More than 100 textbooks were converted to ADTs in total. Mobilized a total of three million US dollars this year. The new innovative AI-generated solution to produce AI, developed with OpenAI, greatly cuts the time, human resources, and cost involved compared to traditional production methods significantly. As a result, in 2025, Uruguay has produced the very first AI-led accessible digital textbook (ADT) prototype at the global level. Strong partnerships established with Ministries of Education, technical experts, and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). In the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Paraguay, governments have integrated the ADTs into their national inclusive education efforts, ensuring long-term sustainability. Independent regional technical teams were established to strengthen capacity and ensure sustained implementation and scale-up. Evidence base strengthened through a total of 12 research developed with Innocenti, including three country reports (Nicaragua 2023; Paraguay 2023; Dominican Republic 2024), which document user experience and cost-effectiveness, with further cost-effectiveness analysis forthcoming. Recognized as a global leading initiative in inclusive digital learning, winning the Zero Project Award and being featured in the World Economic Forumโs 2024 Shaping the Future of Learning: The Rold of AI in Education 4.0 โ Insight Report, as well as highlighted as good practice in UNICEF AI Strategy 2025-2030.ย How can you make a difference?
Under the supervision of the Innovation Manager (ADT), the consultant is expected to coordinate country implementation of the ADT initiative, support ongoing and potential partnerships to ensure effective collaboration, sustained engagement, and timely delivery of activities. The consultant will also coordinate the development of the ADT teacher training component.ย
Your main responsibilities will be:
Specifically, we are seeking someone to:
To know more about this consultancy, please access the full ToR here:ย ย TOR Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) Coordinator LIH.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will haveโฆ
Education An advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in social sciences, international relations, public policy, international development, education, or related field. Knowledge/Expertise/Skills Required: A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional work experience at the national and/or international level in education, international development, EdTech, disability and inclusion, or a related area. Knowledge of assistive technology, EdTech strategies in developing countries, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles applied to accessibility is a strong asset. Knowledge of software engineering, coding, and artificial intelligence is an asset. Working experience with children with disabilities is a strong asset. Previous experience with UNICEF is an asset. Strong skills in partnership building, donor engagement, and coordination across multiple stakeholders. Excellent drafting and communication skills, including the ability to prepare proposals, reports, and presentations. Language Fluency in English. Knowledge of another UN language is an asset. Others Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and critical analysis. Commitment and drive with autonomy, with a clear focus on results. Positive, proactive, โcan-doโ approach. Ability to juggle competing priorities, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines. Availability to travel to UNICEF country offices.Travel:
Travel will be considered for participation in key stakeholder meetings where the consultant will support the Hub with technical expertise and participate in internal and external-facing relevant events during the duration of the consultancy contract. Travel arrangements for 2026 will be determined at a later stage. The consultant is responsible for arranging his/her own travel, including visa and travel insurance.Payment details and further considerations
Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.ยHow to apply:
Interest applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee.ย Please see the financial proposal template.ย ย ย Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class) and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.General Terms and Conditions:
Please review UNICEF's General Terms and Conditions for Consultants here for important information regarding contract obligations, including medical insurance, SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) vaccination, and income tax requirements.
For every Child, you demonstrateโฆ
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
To view our competency framework, please visitย here.
UNICEF is here to serve the worldโs most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:ย
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered โstaff membersโ under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEFโs 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 for ensuring 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.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.