Vacancy title:
Education Specialist
Employment type: Full time, Industry: Nonprofit, and NGO, Category: Education, Social Services & Nonprofit, Management
Jobs at:
United Nations Children’s Fund
Deadline of this Job:
Thursday, November 12 2026
Duty Station:
Kigali | Kigali
Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, November 5 2026, Base Salary: Not Disclosed
JOB DETAILS:
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.
For every child, the right to Education
UNICEF Rwanda operates in a development-oriented and highly coordinated institutional context, characterized by strong government leadership and notable socio-economic progress, alongside persistent disparities affecting children’s well-being. While Rwanda has made significant gains in health, education, and governance, key challenges remain, including child malnutrition, inequities in access to safe water and sanitation, and vulnerabilities linked to climate shocks and population pressures.
Within this context, UNICEF’s Rwanda Country Office works closely with government institutions and partners to strengthen national systems and deliver sustainable, large-scale results. The current country programme focuses on realizing the rights of every child, with strategic priorities spanning child health and nutrition, education, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and social policy, all delivered through integrated, equity-focused approaches.
How can you make a difference?
Under the guidance and general supervision of the Chief, Education (P-4), you will support the development and preparation of the Education programmes and is responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting the progress of education programmes within the country programme, including major, complex and multi-partner programmes, that focus on supporting skills for young people’s transition from learning to earning. You will also contribute to strengthening education systems and pathways that enable children, adolescents and young people to learn, develop relevant skills, transition successfully across levels and forms of education, and from learning to earning.
You will provide technical guidance and management support and team leadership support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on education programmes to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education, especially for children who are marginalized, disadvantaged, and excluded in society.
You will also support the Chief of Education in the overall management and coordination of the Education Section, supervises assigned staff and, when delegated, serves as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Education Section during the absence of the Chief, ensuring continuity of programme leadership, management, coordination and representation.
You will contribute to achievement of results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as Rwanda’s Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), national education sector priorities, UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029, UNICEF’s Education Strategy 2019–2030 and the 2026 Education Strategy, Shaping the Future of Learning, and Country Programme, standards of performance, and accountability framework.
Key functions and responsibilities:
- Support to programme development and planning
- Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
- Technical and operational support to programme implementation
- Networking and partnership building
- Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Education, Technology, Economics, Development studies and any other related fields is required.
- A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with two (2) additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
- Work Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required. Proven expertise and/or experience in secondary education, accelerated learning curriculum and flexible alternative learning pathways and programmes for out of school youth, is required. Experience working and coordination of programme delivery with multiple partners (government and non-governmental partners, academic and communities) is required.
- Skills: Proven technical skills in management, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of large programme are a requirement. Ability to supervise staff and coordinate teams for effective programme delivery. Education and policy sector analysis capacity and ability to support policy dialogue and strategies to address issues related to resilience is required.
- Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is a requirement.
Desirables:
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
- Experience working in the private sector is considered an asset.
- Relevant experience in a UN system agency or major development organization is considered desirable.
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it.
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
- Builds and maintains partnerships
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
- Drive to achieve results for impact
- Innovates and embraces change
- Manages ambiguity and complexity
- Thinks and acts strategically
- Works collaboratively with others
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 60
Level of Education: postgraduate degree
Job application procedure
Deadline: 12 Nov 2026 South Africa Standard Time
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