Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Liaison Officer

The initiative is being implemented under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and the Department of Education (DOE), in collaboration with provincial and local governments and key technical partners. The programme focuses on adapting and testing a Structured Pedagogy-informed ECED package and related teacher support mechanisms to improve the quality of early learning experiences and children's readiness for basic education. Through a Test-Learn-Adapt (TLA) approach, the programme will generate evidence on effectiveness, affordability, and scalability to inform government policy, planning, budgeting, and future expansion.
Given the programme's strong emphasis on government ownership and implementation through government systems, close coordination and engagement with federal, provincial, and local government stakeholders is critical. The UN Volunteer (UNV) will support UNICEF's Education Section in facilitating coordination, communication, stakeholder engagement, and follow-up with government counterparts and partners to ensure effective implementation, learning, and institutionalization of the programme. The UNV will also support the organization of consultations, technical meetings, field visits, and documentation of key actions and decisions related to the SCALE partnership. The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) is the lead institution responsible for the implementation of Nepal’s School Education Sector Plan (SESP) and serves as the counterpart to the Joint Financing Partners (JFPs), including UNICEF, under the education Sector Wide Approach (SWAp). The Development Assistance Coordination Section (DACS), located within the Planning and Monitoring Division of MoES, serves as the focal point for development partner coordination, sector dialogue, aid effectiveness, and oversight of key SWAp mechanisms.

Under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Education Specialist (ECD) and in close coordination with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Curriculum Development Center (CDC), Department of Education (DOE), Provincial Education Training Centres (PETCs), local governments, and programme partners, the UN Volunteer will support the coordination, stakeholder engagement, and implementation processes related to the SCALE Innovative Partnership and other ECED related support. Specific responsibilities include:

Government Coordination and Liaison

•Facilitate regular communication and coordination between UNICEF and government counterparts at federal, provincial, and local levels.
•Support engagement with MoES, CDC, DOE, ERO, PETCs, local governments, and other relevant stakeholders involved in programme implementation.
•Follow up on agreed actions, decisions, and commitments arising from meetings, consultations, and field visits.
•Support the organization and documentation of steering committee, technical working group, and coordination meetings.

Support Programme Planning and Implementation
•Assist in coordinating programme activities related to the development, testing, and implementation of the Structured Pedagogy-Informed ECED Package.
•Support coordination of activities related to teacher training, coaching systems, package validation, and learning activities.
•Facilitate communication between UNICEF, consultants, implementing partners, and government counterparts during implementation.
•Track implementation progress against agreed milestones and workplans.

Support Test-Learn-Adapt (TLA) Processes
•Support the organization of consultation workshops, learning reviews, pause-and-reflect sessions, and TLA discussions.
•Assist in consolidating implementation feedback, lessons learned, and stakeholder inputs to inform programme adaptation.
•Support documentation of decisions related to programme refinement, affordability, scalability, and implementation feasibility.

Support Political Economy and Stakeholder Engagement
•Assist in stakeholder mapping and maintenance of engagement plans with key government and non-government actors.
•Monitor and document emerging policy, institutional, and implementation developments relevant to programme objectives.
•Support relationship-building with key stakeholders involved in ECED, foundational learning, teacher development, and local education planning.

Support Knowledge Management and Documentation
•Prepare meeting notes, briefs, presentations, and summaries of consultations and programme activities.
•Maintain records of key programme decisions, implementation updates, and stakeholder engagements.
•Support compilation of reports, proofreading of Nepali documents, success stories, lessons learned, and evidence products generated through the programme.

Support Capacity Building and Field Activities
•Support the organization of training, orientation, and consultation events at federal, provincial, and local levels.
•Participate in field monitoring visits and provide follow-up support on implementation issues identified during visits.
•Coordinate with PETCs and local governments to strengthen ongoing coaching, mentoring, and peer-learning mechanisms.

Monitoring, Reporting and Administrative Support
•Assist in tracking programme activities, deliverables, and key performance indicators.
•Support preparation of periodic updates, briefing notes, and progress reports for UNICEF and partners.
•Facilitate coordination of logistical and administrative arrangements for meetings, workshops, missions, and field activities as required.

Cross-Cutting Responsibilities

•Promote principles of equity, inclusion, gender equality, disability inclusion, and child rights throughout programme implementation.
•Support effective coordination among government institutions, development partners, implementation partners, and technical experts.
•Undertake any other related tasks assigned by the supervisor in support of successful implementation of the SCALE programme.

Effective government coordination and ownership mechanisms established and maintained across federal, provincial, and local levels.
•SCALE programme activities coordinated and implemented in accordance with agreed workplans and timelines.
•Test-Learn-Adapt (TLA) processes effectively facilitated and implementation learning systematically documented.
•Stakeholder engagement, policy dialogue, and inter-agency coordination strengthened to support programme implementation and scale-up.
•Knowledge products, meeting records, progress updates, and programme documentation developed and maintained.
•Training, orientation, field support, and capacity-building activities effectively coordinated and supported.
•Programme monitoring, reporting, and follow-up mechanisms strengthened to support evidence-informed implementation.
•Government systems and institutional capacities strengthened to support sustainability, scale-up, and integration of programme approaches.