National Consultancy : PSNP ECD Pilot Assessment, 30 days, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organizational Context

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries, dedicated to saving children's lives, defending their rights, and helping them reach their full potential. We are committed to promoting the rights of every child, viewing it as a calling. UNICEF offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal development, fostering a sense of purpose while serving children and communities globally.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to assess the pilot implementation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) services integrated within the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) in Ethiopia. The assessment will document implementation experiences, identify best practices, and capture lessons learned across four regions. The findings will generate crucial evidence to inform the PSNP6 Program Implementation Manual (PIM), ECD operational guidance, and future resource requirements. The goal is to enhance the quality of ECD services, support potential scale-up, and ensure sustainability, ultimately contributing to better outcomes for vulnerable children and their families by integrating social protection with child-focused services.

Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for mapping the pilot design and implementation arrangements, including governance, financing, staffing, infrastructure, service package, operation, and coordination with PSNP and other sectors. They will assess the relevance, effectiveness, and inclusiveness of the pilot model for vulnerable households and children, including girls, children with disabilities, and hard-to-reach communities. The consultant will document best practices and enabling factors for successful implementation, identify implementation bottlenecks, sustainability risks, and unintended effects, and capture lessons learned from stakeholders at various levels. Finally, the consultant will provide actionable recommendations and options for improving quality, supporting potential scale-up, and ensuring sustainability, including minimum standards, operational modalities, costing considerations, and scalability requirements.

Work Experience

A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in programme assessment, monitoring and evaluation, or related fields, with a focus on early childhood development, social protection, or rural development programmes. Experience working in Ethiopia or similar contexts is an asset.

Skills

Programme Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation, Early Childhood Development (ECD), Social Protection Programmes, Rural Development, Data Collection and Analysis, Report Writing, Stakeholder Engagement, Research Methodology, Project Management, UNICEF Procedures, Communication Skills

Explore related opportunities