Consultancy: Foundational Learning Advocacy Consultant - Req.#583516

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Foundational Learning Advocacy Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station:  Education & Adolescent Development Section

Duration: September 2025 to December 2026

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ/ REMOTE

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: 

The Education & Adolescent Development Section of Programme Group (PG) at New York Headquarters (NYHQ) requires the services of an Advocacy Specialist to deliver critical and time-bound interventions for the implementation of 2025-26 advocacy activities on the learning crisis.

This includes ensuring strategic and aligned roll-out of advocacy and communication efforts for Foundational Learning; a) developing strategic advocacy planning documents, resources and materials as key deliverables under a number of external partnerships; and b) developing and monitoring delivery under advocacy and communications workplans.

Scope of Work:

Working in close coordination with the Communications Specialist, the Education Economist, the Senior Advisor of Education (Management, Advocacy and Partnerships) and Programme Teams as well as the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy (DGCA) and other internal and external stakeholders, the Advocacy Specialist will deliver the following:

•     Drive advocacy around the Foundational Learning Action Tracker (FLAT) and its extension, including the African Foundational Learning Continental Monitoring Mechanism.

•     Deliver on advocacy workplans for UNICEF collaboration with key foundation partners on the learning crisis.

•     Create compelling advocacy resources and materials (toolkits, key messages, briefs, and coherent advocacy narratives) to achieve key milestones.

•     Support    major global advocacy milestones and high-level influencing events.

•     Project management the development of advocacy and communications products, assets, and content.

•     Perform other related tasks which may be assigned by the team. 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Deliver and implement a global advocacy strategy under UNICEF's education partnership on the Foundational Learning Action Tracker (FLAT).

Deliverable 1: Draft the annual report highlighting advocacy outcomes and results.         

28 February 2026

Deliverable 2: Develop 2 key message documents based on the findings from the FLAT.

30 September 2026

Deliverable 3: Develop 30 social media messages around the FLAT findings and foundational learning.

30 September 2026

Deliverable 4: Plan, coordinate and deliver 3-4 global influencing moments.       

1 October 2026

Deliverable 5: Plan and deliver 5 impact story-telling products on Foundational Learning.

31 October 2026

Deliverable 6: Develop advocacy and communication resources (key messages, calls to action and advocacy briefings) for at least three global or regional influencing moments.

31 October 2026

Deliverable 7: Plan, coordinate and deliver 3-4 regional influencing moments.    

30 November 2026

Deliverable 8: Implement time-bound activities outlined in multi-year advocacy plan under the partnership of the Foundational Learning Action Tracker; includes 1 revision of the Strategy as needed pending partner feedback.

31 December 2026

Facilitate knowledge exchanges to capture and share best practices on foundational learning       

Deliverable 9: Organize 2 Foundational Learning deep dives with South Asian countries.

31 July 2026

Deliverable 10: Deliver 3 advocacy briefings with country offices.         

31 July 2026

Travel International     

The consultant is expected to attend and execute in-perso