Chief Education, P-5, FT, #00089061, Beirut, Lebanon - MENA

UNICEF•Lebanon, PA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

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. Lebanon is facing a complex and protracted crisis, with the education sector affected by economic collapse, weakened public institutions, the continued presence of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and the escalation of hostilities since October 2023. In 2025–2026, renewed hostilities, cross-border dynamics and large-scale displacement further disrupted learning, damaged infrastructure, increased pressure on public schools and heightened risks of dropout, child labour, early marriage, psychosocial distress and other protection concerns. The Education Section supports national efforts to ensure safe, inclusive and quality learning for all children, especially the most vulnerable Lebanese, displaced and refugee children, girls and boys facing gender-related barriers, children with disabilities, adolescents and out-of-school children. In partnership with MEHE, donors, UN agencies, civil society and education partners, UNICEF contributes to education recovery, resilience and reform, including Education Vision 2040, the General Education Plan, curriculum renewal, teacher development, learning recovery, digital and alternative learning pathways, data systems, inclusive education, school rehabilitation, emergency preparedness, public financing and accountability. Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Representative, the Chief, you provide strategic leadership, technical direction, management and accountability for UNICEF Lebanon’s education programme. You lead planning, implementation, monitoring, partnerships, resource mobilization, policy dialogue and evidence-based advocacy, ensuring that UNICEF’s education work is rights-based, equity-focused, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive and results-oriented, and that humanitarian response, recovery and system strengthening are coherently linked. The position requires leadership across the humanitarian-development nexus and close collaboration with programme sections, field offices and operations to advance integrated programming across education, child protection, health, nutrition, WASH, social protection, gender equality, disability inclusion and adolescent development. It also requires engagement on cross-border and regional dimensions of the crisis where population movements, return dynamics, refugee inclusion and border-area vulnerabilities affect education access, continuity and protection.

Requirements

Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field.
At least 10 years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education at the international level is required.
Managerial Leadership, Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Management, Equity Analysis.
Fluency in English is required.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
Familiarity/ background with emergency and development is considered as an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.