🇸🇱 Job Vacancies @ UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) – 3 Positions

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) is recruiting to fill the following positions:

1.) Consultant
2.) Risk and Compliance Specialist
3.) Quality Learning Specialist

2.) Risk and Compliance Specialist

Risk and Compliance Specialist, NO-3, Freetown, Sierra Leone, #133887 - open only to Sierra Leonean nationals

Job no: 589338

Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

Location: Sierra Leone

Division/Equivalent: Dakar (WCAR), Senegal

School/Unit: Sierra Leone

Department/Office: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Categories: Operations

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, a future worth fighting for.

Please access UNICEF Sierra Leone information here and here

How can you make a difference?

Job organizational context): The Risks and Compliance Specialist is to be positioned in Offices with significant and complex programmatic and operational risks and challenges which require a dedicated position to support the Senior Managers in making sure that resources are continuously, effectively and efficiently geared towards achieving results for children.

Purpose for the job

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative Operations/Representative or the Risk and Compliance Manager, the Risk and Compliance Specialist will be responsible for strengthening risk assurance and compliance efforts in the context of a large/medium/small scale country office.

He/She will be responsible for providing complementary support, and monitoring related to the management of risk, including but not limited to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of risk management practices at a process, systems, and entity level.

He/she will ensure the achievement of risk management objectives follows organizational rules and regulations, and acceptable ethical behavior; internal controls; information and technology security; sustainability; and quality assurance. Moreover, he/she will provide analysis and report on the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management and internal controls.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Risk management support
• Compliance support
• Fraud risk Management support
• Oversight and advisory to the Management
• Create awareness/capacity building
• Any support needed from the regional office

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: GJD - Risk and Compliance Specialist Level 3.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master's or higher*) in Business Administration and Financial Management. Operations Management, Strategic Management, Risk Management, Audit, Investigation, Internal Control, Statistics and Data Analysis or Accounting certifications are considered as assets.

*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

Work Experience:

At least 5 (five) years of continuous professional work experience in Risk and Compliance or another directly relevant area, several of which in internal audit. Experience in financial management, particularly developing and implementing financial control systems, ERM, audits, internal control preferably with international organizations, NGOs and UN.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required

Desirables:

• Field experience /familiarity with Emergency.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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 | 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. For this position, eligible and suitable internal 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.

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.

Advertised: Jan 14 2026 Greenwich Standard Time

Application close: Mar 25 2026 Greenwich Standard Time

Click here to apply

3.) Quality Learning Specialist

General

Description of assignment title: Quality Learning Specialist

Assignment country: Sierra Leone

Duty stations: Freetown

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 04/01/2026

Duration: 12 months(with possibility of extension)Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 4. Quality education

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: International

Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work arrangement: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives:

• The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children's rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society's most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations

Context:

• The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) aims to improve access to and quality of education for all children, with an emphasis on providing quality foundational learning for the most marginalized early grade learners. The Government and partners have focused on transferring basic literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills to children - the fundamental building blocks for all other learning, knowledge, and higher-order skills in order to transform the country's education sector. The GoSL has prioritised investments in:
• a). foundational years to ensure that young children are prepared for future success in school and work, and
• b). strengthening systems to transform education by improving foundational learning out-comes across Sierra Leone.
• To achieve this ambitious goal of transforming education across the country, the GoSL, with technical assistance from UNICEF, are implementing the "Delivering the Foundations of Learning for All" program. This 4-year program is financed by three grants from the Global Partnership for Education, the System Capacity Grant (US$ 2.6 million), the System Transformation Grant (US$ 22.5 million) and the Multiplier Grant (US$ 15 million). With technical assistance from UNICEF as the grant agent, the programme is implemented by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), including the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), across all 16 districts in Sierra Leone from 2023 to 2027.
• Component 1 of the GPE program aims to improve the quality of and children's access to pre-primary education, while Component 2 proposes key investments to strengthen the instructional core, teacher' cadre, and system-wide capacity to improve foundational learning across Sierra Leone.
• The UNV will support implementation of priority activities under these two components, including supporting the literacy teaching and learning materials (TLMs) development process, teacher capacity building, digital learning to support teachers and socio-emotional learning training modules development.

Task description:

• Under the guidance of the Chief Education and the general supervision of the Education Specialist (GPE Coordinator), the UN Volunteer will actively support the planning, implementation, monitoring and coordination of education projects, with a strong focus on strengthening the quality of learning.
• The UN Volunteer will be responsible for the following tasks:
• 1. Literacy TLM development support:
• Coordinate writing workshops with the international literacy consultant and national writers, in-clouding logistics, materials, and budget preparation.
• Liaise with the international consultant to provide on-site support for the writing process.
• Monitor progress of the writing process to ensure timely completion.
• Review draft materials for clarity, educator accessibility, and proofreading prior to external validation.
• Develop TORs and manage engagement with a graphic design firm for TLM production.
• 2. Teacher capacity building (training and COP) implementation and monitoring:
• Support planning, coordination, and delivery of national in-service teacher training for P0 and P3 and P4 literacy and numeracy.
• Coordinate with the Ministry, district stakeholders, and FLN SQAOs to implement and monitor the Community of Practice (COP), including managing activity reports, following up with District Edu-cation Offices, and organizing district review meetings.
• 3. Digital learning to support teachers:
• Collaborate with the Government, teacher training institutions (TTIs), partners, and consultant to conduct a needs assessment for teacher support through digital learning tools, including AI and digital content.
• Develop and oversee implementation of a work plan to create digital resources that support teachers' adoption of structured pedagogy.
• 4. Socio-emotional learning (SEL):
• Facilitate technical consultations with MBSSE, MTHE, and partners on socio-emotional learning to support development of SEL modules for national teacher training.
• Coordinate with partners to develop a work plan, recruit technical expertise as needed, and monitor progress on deliverables.
• Prepare for implementation of SEL modules within the national teacher training program.
• 5. Documentation, reporting and knowledge management
• Support preparation of technical briefs, presentations, success stories and lessons learned related to teacher capacity development, digital learning and SEL to inform UNICEF planning, partner coordination and donor engagement.
• Support communication/advocacy on implementation progress, including maintaining activity trackers and drafting summary updates for UNICEF and partners.
• Conduct programme monitoring and manage record of progress of the activities.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 3 years

Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience:

• 5 years

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Desirable

Required education level:

• Master's degree in Education, Education Psychology, Teacher Education, Public Administration, international development or another relevant social science field.

Competencies and values:

• ☒ Accountability.
• ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility.
• ☒ Commitment and Motivation
• ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning
• ☒ Communication
• ☒Ethics and Values
• ☒ Integrity
• ☒ Judgement and Decision-making
• ☒ Knowledge Sharing
• Planning and Organizing
• ☒ Professionalism
• ☒ Respect for Diversity
• ☒ Self-Management
• ☒ Technological Awareness
• ☒ Working in Teams

Skills and experience:

• - Five years of professional experience in implementation of education programmes, and management in education, with a focus on quality learning and teacher capacity building, preferably in developing country context. Experience in sub-Saharan Africa is an asset.
• - Strong technical knowledge of teacher capacity development strategies, structured pedagogy, development of early grade foundational teaching and learning materials.
• - Some experience and/or knowledge of digital learning, technology/innovative tools for teachers and trends in teacher professional development.
• - Some experience and/or knowledge of socio-emotional learning in early grades.
• - Practical experience supporting or coordinating development of teaching and learning materials (TLMs), in-service teacher training or teacher professional development programs.
• - Ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders, monitor implementation progress to drive programmatic achievements and positive results for children.

Area(s) of expertise:

• Development programmes, Education

Click here to apply