Stretch Assignment: UNICEF Ghana Country Office (Onsite )
Title: Education Specialist (Skills and TVET Systems Strengthening)
Level: P3 – we encourage staff from all levels with the relevant experience to apply
Reports to: Chief, Education
Duration: 16 weeks (to finish by December 15)
Section: Education Section, Accra
Location: Accra, Ghana
Dates/Duration: Stretch assignment from 25 August until 31 December 2025.
Eligibility: All Fixed-Term, Permanent or continuing appointment UNICEF staff members currently working in UNICEF worldwide.
Background
This stretch assignment with UNICEF Ghana offers a unique opportunity to advance the organization’s mission of equitable and inclusive education by supporting young people—especially young women—in gaining skills for employability and meaningful youth participation. As a key member of the Education & Skills team, the Education Specialist will lead coordination among development partners on TVET, drive ongoing programming and research on skills, and provide technical support for systems strengthening with the Ghana TVET Service, the Commission for TVET, and the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment. Based in UNICEF Ghana’s Accra office, the team operates in a collaborative and high-performing environment committed to results for children and youth across the country. This role is ideal for professionals with strong technical expertise in TVET and skills development, a passion for education equity and systems strengthening, and the leadership and teamwork abilities needed to guide partners and contribute effectively to a cohesive, mission-driven team.
Purpose of the Position (refer to the attached 
Stretch Assignment - ToR Edcuation Specialist (Skills) P3.docx.pdf)
Under the guidance and general supervision of the Chief, Education (Level 4), the Specialist supports the development and preparation of the Education (or a sector of) programmes and is responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting the progress of education programmes/projects within the country programme. The Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on education programmes/projects to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education, especially for children who are marginalized, disadvantaged, and excluded in society.
The focus of the Stretch Assignment will be to provide overall support and leadership to systems strengthening on TVET and skills to the Ministry of Education, Commission for TVET, Ghana TVET Service, with some additional systems strengthening support expected to the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Development
Duration
This stretch assignment will be for a period 16 weeks.
Task:
- Oversee the drafting of a TVET Budget Brief and supervise a national consultant in line with ToR
- Oversee the implementation of a “Skills Supply and Demand-side Assessment: a situational analysis of the Northern, North East, Upper West and Upper East region” in line with ToR by a third-party service provider.
- Ensure close stakeholder engagement throughout the process for ownership, input, and validation.
- Lead initial work on strengthening data &evidence in the TVET sub-sector with the German Office for International Cooperation in the Vocational Education and Training (GOVET)
- Co-lead and represent UNICEF in the TVET sub-sector DP group
- Lead technical discussion and development of research ToR on “TVET perceptions” with SCB and close coordination with the Commission for TVET and other stakeholders
- Initiate, design and undertake TVET joint sector-wide monitoring
- Lead the annual reporting for Output 7
- Oversee, guide and support ongoing technical assistance to the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Development
- Support the implementation of 2 PDs under a Child Labor project
- Oversee ongoing project implementation on “UNICEF Start-Up Lab”
- Support and oversee 2 staff and 2 international consultants and their deliverables
Key expected results
- TVET Budget Brief available
- Research validated
- Workshop on data & evidence on TVET undertaken
- DP group meetings planned, organized and summarized in close collaboration with EU Delegation
- ToR for research drafted and third-party provider procured
- Sector-wide monitoring undertaken
- RAM, CSI and AWP reporting completed
- Timely updates to Chief and Education team
- Project updates provided to Chief and project manager
- Project implemented efficiently and effectively
- Staff and consultant performance on track
Minimum Qualifications and Competencies
An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field.
Experience:
A minimum of five years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required.
Demonstrated professional experience in skills for employability and Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET) is a must
Experience working in a developing country is considered an asset.
Technical competencies must be demonstrated in the following areas:
•Some understanding of the overall global development context, including issues such as: poverty, conflict, and the impact of these factors on education and vice-versa; and inter-sectoral approaches to address such issues in collaboration with other sectors (including Social Policy, Child Protection, Nutrition, WASH, Health, and Communications within UNICEF).
•Some knowledge of global developments in education and skills development, in particular TVET, approaches to employability, school-to-work transition (Learning to Earning)
•Some ability to support policy dialogue and sector coordination: translation of analytical findings and evidence into development programme and policy discussions around learning, skills development with partners, including government, development partners, CSOs, and academia in relevant areas.
•Some education sector planning knowledge/ability, including the range of modalities for delivering education, linkages between different sub-sectors (e.g. ECD, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, in particular formal TVET), cost-effectiveness and efficiency issues, key institutional structures, components and processes, as well as governance issues.
•Some education and policy sector analysis capacity, including understanding of the core education data sets and indicators; tools for analysis of equity; determinants of student access and learning; budget,
costing, and financial management in education systems; political economy; and education policy and
strategic planning.
•Some programme management in education, including programme design, costing, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting.
•Some ability to support engagement with partners e.g, Global Partnership for Education, Education, as well as networking with other key partners through DP Groups.
•Some understanding of gender and inequity issues in relation to education and development, and the application of gender/equity analysis to policy and planning in education.
Funding arrangement
This is a temporary development opportunity and there will be no changes to the staff member’s status (position number, level, etc.).
The Office will cover the ticket for economy class travel and 50% of the UN DSA rate for the entire duration.
Interested UNICEF staff should discuss this opportunity with their supervisor and seek the approval of their management before applying.
Candidates considered potentially well-matched for the stretch assignment will be contacted for an informal interview. Supervisors may also be contacted for references.
Note: Candidates may be contacted for an informal conversation, and supervisors may also be contacted for
references. Once the selection process has been completed, the receiving and releasing office will discuss the proposed start date.
