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For every child, a champion

The global learning crisis is deepening in Chad due to several circumstances such as: (1) COVID-19 pandemic, (2) Growing insecurities in the country, and (3) Difficulties in improving the quality of education in the country.  While the country has made significant efforts to expand primary school enrollment, about 1 in 2 children of primary school age remain out of school (UNICEF, 2021). Moreover, learning outcomes in Chad are among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa: 98 per cent of children are in Learning Poverty, unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10 (World Bank, 2019). Girls are more likely to be out of school and have lower learning levels, creating gender disparities that can have effects for generations (UNICEF, 2021; World Bank, 2019; PASEC – CONFEMEN, 2020). While there are many barriers to improving the quality of education in Chad, limited school resources, low quality teaching and ineffective school management have been identified as contributing factors for low learning outcomes (PASEC – CONFEMEN, 2020).

To do so, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight (UNICEF Innocenti) is working together with the Chad MENPC, UNICEF Chad Country Office, and all relevant local stakeholders to co-created and co-implement three policy-relevant research which tackles important education questions concerning primary education: (1) Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance Research; (2)  Data Must Speak to Strengthen Capacity and Advance Local Evidence Use (DMS SCALE); and Women in Learning Leadership (WiLL).

To learn more about UNICEF in Chad, please visit our website UNICEF Chad | UNICEF Chad

How can you make a difference?

Following requests from the Chad Ministry of Education (MENPC), UNICEF is co-creating and co-implementing three evidence generation activities to improve quality education delivery.

Data Must Speak (DMS):

The consultant will (i) support the UNICEF Chad Country Office (CO) and the Chad MENPC to finalize the co-implementation of the DMS Positive Deviance research to increase government’s ownership of the research findings and maximize their uptake (incl. related to community engagement), (ii) coordinate all stages of the new DMS SCALE research in Chad through co-creation activities, direct field support, and capacity building activities with in-country partners, and (iii) monitor the implementation of DMS Positive Deviance and SCALE research activities in Chad to facilitate cross-pollination, South-to-South cooperation, and alignment with UNICEF’s global and regional strategic priorities.

Women in Learning Leadership (WiLL):

The consultant will support the UNICEF Chad Country Office (CO) and the Chad MENPC to finalize the co-implementation of the WiLL research in Chad to increase the uptake of research findings and inform gender responsive policies and programming.

Scope of Work:

Objectives of the Consultancy:

Activities for this consultancy align with the UNICEF Chad education team workplan as well as with the UNICEF Innocenti 2024-2025 workplan. The consultant will support the overall coordination of the three-above mentioned research workstreams in Chad, together with relevant stakeholders, including MENPC, local academics, NGOs, and development partners.

Major Areas of Work and Responsibility:

Support the UNICEF Chad Country Office (CO) and the Chad MENPC to co-implement the DMS SCALE research and finalize the DMS Positive Deviance and WiLL research to increase government’s ownership of the research findings and maximize their uptake, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

Provide guidance to the Chad CO to design, organize, and lead primary data collection in decentralized level of the Education ecosystem in Chad.

Leverage robust research methodologies to co-create a concrete action plan, together with the Chad MENPC, on how to optimally improve the use of administrative datasets by middle-tier education stakeholders.

Organize capacity building activities for Chad CO staff and MENPC in research methodologies (quantitative, qualitative and impact evaluation) as well as dissemination and application of research findings in education programming and planning.

Coordinate all stages of the DMS SCALE research through direct field support and capacity building activities with in-country partners, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

Under the guidance of the research team at UNICEF Innocenti, coordinate, hand-in-hand with country partners, all stages of the DMS SCALE research in Chad, including using robust research methodologies.

Provide capacity building to the Chad CO and Ministry of Education staff on designing and co-implementing robust research based on existing administrative datasets; Support identification of levers to scale good practices on how to empower middle-tier stakeholders in leveraging administrative datasets and thus take more evidence-based decisions.

In collaboration with the UNICEF Innocenti Education unit, provide technical support to ensure more effective dissemination and use of the research findings, particularly of the DMS Positive Deviance and WiLL research.

Serve as the in-country coordinator for DMS and WiLL in Chad and monitor the research, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

Effective and timely implementation of DMS SCALE research in Chad.

Alignment with UNICEF’s global and regional strategic priorities.

Use of lessons learned and best practices from the DMS Positive Deviance and WiLL activities in Chad for knowledge exchange within UNICEF and more globally.

Work Assignment Overview

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

Qualification/Experience/Competencies/Skills Required

Education:

A master’s degree in education, social sciences, political sciences, international development, economics, or a related field is required.

Work Experience:

A minimum of five years of work experience at national or international levels in undertaking research coordination activities, with developing country level experience being indispensable.

Demonstrated experience in coordinating mixed-method research and an understanding of various qualitative, quantitative, and robust methodologies.

Other skills and competencies required:

Knowledge of common software for quantitative analysis (e.g., Stata).

Good knowledge of administrative datasets in education (e.g., EMIS, Examination, Household surveys etc..).

Excellent written and oral communication skills, including in translating research for policy-audiences and other education actors.

Demonstrated ability to work well as part of a team and to forge and manage partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, particularly government stakeholders.

Ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment.

Experience working on education-related issues, particularly in the low- and middle-income country context.

Experience working in the UN or other international development organizations is an asset.

Follow the UNICEF Core Values: – Care; Respect; Integrity; Trust; Accountability; Sustainability.

Language Proficiency:

Fluency in French required; Working knowledge of English required. Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic) or local language an asset.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Education Chief, Chad Country Office, and will work in close collaboration with Education Specialists from the UNICEF Innocenti Global Office of Research and Foresight.

Working conditions

During the period of the contract, the consultant will be subject to the provisions in force at UNICEF relating to security, compliance with the rules, standards and procedures governing the personnel of the United Nations and UNICEF.

Field missions

During the one-year period, the consultant will potentially conduct three missions outside of the capital city, N’Djamena, and into the field in Chad. Each mission should be of about one week.

Applicants are invited to submit with their online application.

Applicants will be invited to submit:

• A cover letter explaining why they are well placed to undertake this assignment.
• A recently updated CV
• A financial proposal which must be an all-inclusive cost (consultancy fees, mission expenses, travels, etc.).

Applicants are invited to submit their financial proposals in USD using the template below:

Selection criteria will be based on qualifications, skills, expertise and experience in the required field, and quality of the technical and financial offer. Each application will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price (weighting of 70 [technical note] / 30 [financial note]; the maximum points are awarded to the lowest financial offer of the technically qualified application. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price. The best bid combining the 2 notes will be retained.

Recourse

UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines. The deliverables will remain the copyright of UNICEF.

The consultant must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

Remarks

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

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. 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.

Recourse

UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines. The deliverables will remain the copyright of UNICEF.

The consultant must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

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

The awarding of a consultancy contract to UNICEF is subject to medical and vaccination requirements, particularly against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID).