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, Education.

UNICEF is a key partner in education to governments in the Pacific and works with governments of the 14 countries to support strategic programmes and system reforms in line with each country’s education sector priorities and plan. As part of UNICEF’s system strengthening approach, UNICEF supports Ministries of Education and regional initiatives with education system transformation. This work involves the design and review of sector priorities for education transformation, including as related to teachers, culture, inclusion, skills and others. It also includes strengthening education system capacity to achieve transformation, including through improved education data, comprehensive and equity-focused sector analysis, evidence-based and risk-informed planning and policy development, stakeholder consultation, partner coordination, assessment of enabling factors for education performance, and planning for transforming and building resilience of education systems.

How can you make a difference?

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support and advice to the UNICEF Pacific Education Team on education system transformation from a Pacific context lens, including to country-specific and regional education initiatives, including linkages to broader strategies such as the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, the Pacific Culture Strategy, and the SDGs. The consultancy will also support the Education Team in positioning support and expanding engagement with global and regional partnerships and the 14 countries in the Pacific, with the purpose of maximizing the support to Pacific countries in strengthening and transforming education systems. This will require strong country collaboration, effective partnerships with other education agencies and active engagement with the regional education architecture.

UNICEF’s work on education in Pacific Island countries is dependent on technical excellence, relevance of programme design and approaches, results achieved and quality of relationships. This extends to the regional-level, where UNICEF Pacific is very active in the Pacific Regional Education Architecture, partnering actively with USP, SPC, UNESCO and others in bilateral and multi-lateral partnerships, including under the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF). UNICEF Pacific contributes actively to the PacREF IA Fono, Pacific Inclusive Education Taskforce, Pacific Early Childhood Education Taskforce, CROP HRD Working Group, Pacific Board for Education Quality, Pacific Heads of Education System and Conference of Pacific Education Ministers.

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Chief of Education, the Pacific Education Transformation Adviser is expected to provide authoritative technical advice and guidance on education system transformation based on proven experience with partnerships in education across the Pacific.

The consultant will provide strategic technical advice and guidance in the form of support to the development, design and revision of strategies, programmes, policies, plans, concept notes, terms of reference, proposals, briefs, analyses, monitoring frameworks and other relevant documents, on the following:

1. Education system transformation. This will include technical advice to education system transformation programme design, implementation, monitoring, and review of the same, including the development of a robust and relevant methodology for mid-term reviews of Partnership compacts. The consultant is expected to be able to guide on a variety of education priority themes, particularly including those linked to regional priorities of traditional knowledge, culture, language, climate resilience and sustainability, gender, inclusion and others.
2. Education system capacity linked to transformation.  This will include technical leadership and support to increasing the use of data and evidence to inform planning at school- and local-levels, in line with national plans; emergency/risk-informed planning, and quality assurance systems.  particularly as relate to sector analysis, risk-informed education sector planning and targeted policy development, ensuring full national ownership, dedicated attention to each sub-sector, to cross-cutting issues of resilience, climate change, gender, equity, efficiency, learning outcomes, and the most marginalized, including children with disabilities, and maximizing alignment with Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP) guidelines, while ensuring relevance to context.  Education sector planning will be driven by risk-informed and climate smart principles as well as the Education Transformation agenda, in line with each country’s priorities.
3. Technical support to smaller countries. UNICEF Pacific is active in a number of smaller countries without or with minimal UNICEF presence and yet that have unique vulnerabilities and opportunities for educational improvement that cannot be ignored. This requires longer in-country missions and dedicated support to the Ministries in planning and overseeing education services, who rely on authoritative but also responsive technical support in these areas.
4. Regional partnerships, fora and workshops, and Pacific-Pacific collaboration. This will include technical leadership and support to the UNICEF Pacific team to effectively lead the Pacific Inclusive Education Taskforce, engage in coordination on climate resilient schools, contribute to Wansolwara cross-country learning, and maximize coordination, engagement and synergies with regional partners and partnerships in support of Pacific Island countries, including PacREF, the Pacific Education Cluster, IA Fono, CROP HRD/PHES and any other regional partnerships. This also includes promoting multi-country and Pacific-Pacific collaborations.

Please refer to the ToR ( TOR Pacific Education Transformation Consultant.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

 Please submit a CV and cover letter describing the proposed approach, with a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be an all-inclusive lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel)
• Living allowance where travel is required
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in education, economics, psychology, sociology, public policy or another relevant technical field.

Experience & Skills:

• A minimum of ten years of professional experience in strategic programme and sector analysis planning, management, and/or research within the field of education.
• Experience working in education in the Pacific required.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of the local language is an asset.

Desirables:

• Familiarity with UN and government systems.
• Good education sector planning knowledge/ability, including the range of modalities for delivering education, linkages between different sub-sectors (e.g. ECD, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Inclusive Education), as well as cross-cutting areas (e.g. Gender, Climate, Disability Inclusion, etc.), cost-effectiveness and efficiency issues, key institutional structures, components and processes, as well as governance issues.
• Good ability to support policy dialogue: translation of analytical findings and evidence into development programme and policy discussions around equity and learning with partners, including government, development partners, CSOs and academia in relevant areas.
• Good ability to support engagement with partners e.g. Global Partnership for Education, Regional institutions and partnerships (PacREF, SPC, USP, PHES, etc.), Inter-sectoral partnerships such as in ECD, as well as networking with other key partners.
• Good understanding of gender and inequity issues in relation to education and development and the application of gender / equity analysis to policy and planning in education.
• Solid communication skills, including strong written and spoken English language appropriate for diverse audiences and purposes.
• Excellent facilitation skills, including engagement of high-level stakeholders as well as consultations with diverse audiences.

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 here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements