Remote UNICEF Consultancy Opportunity in Iraq 2026 in Public Policy and Public Financing
Applicant criteria
- No specific age required
- Both
Opportunity criteria
- Full time
Opportunity description
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has opened applications for a national consultancy opportunity titled National Consultancy for Ministry of Education Public Financing for Children (PF4C), to work with UNICEF’s office in Iraq and support the Ministries of Education in both the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Region in the areas of public financing for children and education sector financing.
The consultancy will last for 12 months and will be home-based, with travel within Iraq required for certain tasks and activities.
The assignment aims to support the development of policies and practices related to Public Financial Management (PFM) in the education sector and to improve the efficiency, equity, and transparency of government resources allocated to children, with particular attention to early childhood education and pre-primary education.
The consultant will also work with the Ministry of Education, General Directorates of Education, and the Ministry of Finance to collect and analyze education expenditure and financing data, build the capacity of government staff, and contribute to the development of a Public Financing for Children (PF4C) framework that helps direct resources more efficiently and equitably to benefit children.
Benefits
The opportunity offers several professional benefits, including:
- A 12-month consultancy contract with UNICEF.
- The possibility of working primarily from home, with travel as required.
- Direct involvement in issues related to education financing, public financial management, and government policy.
- Collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, and education directorates in Iraq.
- Advanced professional experience in Public Financing for Children (PF4C).
- Participation in developing policies and frameworks that aim to improve the efficiency, equity, and transparency of spending on education and children.
- Contributing to the training and capacity-building of government staff through coaching, mentoring, and technical guidance.
- Working in an international environment alongside UNICEF experts and teams.
Duties & responsibilities
Key consultant responsibilities include:
- Supporting the development of a PFM/PF4C framework for Iraq’s education sector.
- Working with the Ministries of Education in the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the General Directorates of Education, to strengthen public financial management practices.
- Collecting data on education financing and government expenditure at both national and local levels.
- Analyzing budget and expenditure data to support evidence-based recommendations related to financing for children.
- Collaborating with the Iraqi Ministry of Finance to obtain data related to budgets and public financial processes.
- Contributing to greater equity, efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the allocation and use of public resources.
- Supporting UNICEF’s policy dialogue and advocacy efforts related to education financing.
- Developing and implementing capacity-building activities for staff of the Ministry of Education and education directorates.
- Providing training, coaching, mentoring, and technical support to government staff.
- Providing technical assistance in the areas of public financial management and education budgeting.
- Contributing to financing efforts for early childhood education and pre-primary education.
- Aligning activities with the Iraq National Education Strategy 2022–2031, particularly the pillar related to governance, education management, and financing.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be an Iraqi national, as this is a national consultancy open exclusively to Iraqi citizens.
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields or a related discipline:
- Economics.
- Public Policy.
- Business Administration.
- Public Administration.
- An advanced academic degree is considered an advantage.
- Have at least 5 years of relevant professional experience.
- Have experience working with national financial institutions, preferably including experience with the Ministry of Finance.
- Have experience in institutional capacity building, including training, coaching, and mentoring.
- Be fluent in Arabic, particularly for analyzing budgets and government documents and communicating with Iraqi institutions.
- Have professional proficiency in English for writing, presentations, and communication with UNICEF and international experts.
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