UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, answers

The world is grappling with a learning crisis. Seven out of ten children in low and middle-income countries are in ‘learning poverty’ meaning they are unable to read a simple text by the age of ten. When children fail to attain foundational skills early in life, it hinders their capacity for further learning and greatly reduces their prospects for their future employment. Addressing learning poverty at a global level means investing in children’s potential, not only important for increasing every child’s future opportunity, but also critical for creating a more prosperous and peaceful future, reducing inequality, and driving economic growth and innovation to face the challenges of today and the future.

Girls, children with disabilities and other marginalized groups face unique challenges with learning opportunities, so how do we address learning poverty to help every child reach their full potential? There have been several innovations in the way education is delivered that have shown to improve learning and equity, but these have generally been at small scale and/or in specific contexts. Less is known about how to make these innovations and programmes sustainable, how to maintain and improve their effectiveness in different contexts and how to scale them to the systems-level, including to the communities that need them most.

UNICEF Innocenti is planning the Implementation Research Improving Education (IRIE) initiative to bridge this gap, bringing evidence-generation and programme implementation closer together to improve learning, equity and inclusion for children in sub-Saharan African countries.

UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will support engagement with UNICEF country offices and regional offices to solicit relevant documentation for the IRIE initiative, design research plans and budgets, and input into relevant resource mobilization outputs.

Major areas of work and responsibility
The consultant will perform the following activities in collaboration with relevant team members from UNICEF Innocenti, UNICEF country offices and UNICEF regional offices:
• Solicit and review relevant country programme documents, proposals and budgets to analyse the feasibility, scale and timelines for inclusion as part of the IRIE initiative.
• Engage in bilateral meetings with UNICEF country offices and regional offices to evaluate relevant country programme documents and proposal and further refine evaluation criteria to select a minimum of 10 sub-Saharan African countries.
• Design a high-level research plan, including estimated timelines, scope, and corresponding budget for the countries selected.
• Provide inputs into relevant fundraising materials (including pitch decks, 1-pagers, and/or key messages) to support resource mobilization for the IRIE initiative implementation at country-level

Supervision
The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Chief of Education.

Methodologies and Tools
• Methodologies to be used: Desk research, secondary analysis, qualitative research (key informant interviews)
• Software to be used for data analysis: Microsoft Office
• Subscriptions that will be required: Microsoft Office

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  IRIE Research Consultant ToR EXT.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in education, social sciences, political sciences, international development, or related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience at national or international levels.
• Experience in the education sector across one or more thematic areas, including foundational learning, equity and inclusion, education financing, gender, and/or digital learning.
• Skills in secondary data analysis, including desk review of policy documents, programme documents, etc.
• Experience in qualitative research methodologies, including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and/or participatory methods, and analysis of primary qualitative data.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including in translating research for diverse audiences, including donors.
• Ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Experience working in the UN, specifically UNICEF, or other international development organizations on in the education sector is an asset
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit  here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.