Consultancy - Senior Programme Leader - Freetown, Sierra Leone, Education Outcomes Fund (EOF, UK) - 11.5 months

Contract

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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...

EOF supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on underserved populations. It measures (and pays for) core skills like literacy and numeracy, socio-emotional and ICT skills, and other broader fundamentals of a quality education. By paying on the basis of results, EOF helps ensure that funds are only used to pay for what works.

As Senior Program Leader, you will head the in-country management unit for our program in Sierra Leone, reporting directly to EOF´s CEO. You will oversee a team of 3 members and be expected to ensure that inputs are in place for proper operation. You will also be in charge of: i) overseeing the program´s implementation; ii) the operations of the unit; iii) ensuring safeguarding and corruption complains/issues are addressed and reported properly; iv) representing the program and v) program´s compliance and performance management with providers/investors. You will receive technical support and guidance from the EOF and Government representatives.

Partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone

The outcomes fund - Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) - is established as a partnership between the Government, donors, education providers and social investors. The main objectives are to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes in a sample of primary schools and inform which interventions and financing approaches are most cost effective for future scaling.

SLEIC will serve children in at least 265 and the program will run from September 2022 until August 2025.

How can you make a difference?

We are seeking to recruit a high-caliber Senior Program Leader, to kick-start the project on the ground and follow on its implementation. We are looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about making a difference
• Comfortable with working in a fast-paced environment
• A leader of people
• Highly experienced working for or with Governments
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and confident to work independently
• A team player who can build solid working relationships with internal and external partners

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (TASKS, SMART DELIVERABLES, DEADLINES):

Tasks

End Products/ Deliverables

Duration/ Deadline

Leadership, Management and Oversight of Program Implementation

• Provide strategic, technical, operation, and financial leadership for successful implementation of activities.
• Ensure that the program progresses in accordance to its contractual obligations and complies with donor regulations and internal organizational policies.
• Create the relevant processes and training to facilitate the building of the Government´s capacity for outcomes-based commissioning
• Act as a reporting channel between EOF, the Government and service providers, beneficiaries and other actors involved in the program
• Engage with beneficiaries to assess their views of the program and learn from their perspectives
• Address queries related to complaints or mentions of unusual and potentially unethical behavior by service providers/social investors, including behaviors that could be considered as a perverse incentive.
• Provide bimonthly reports to EOF and the Government to track the program´s progress, including any challenges or lessons learned.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the in-country communication and advocacy strategy
• Work with the broader education ecosystem to support the program´s learning and capacity

Regular reports submitted to relevant stakeholders.

Strategy reviews and reflection and knowledge sharing sessions

Internal contributions in team meetings or in support of EOF’s operations as needed.

Ongoing

Safeguarding and PSEA responsibilities

• Ensuring country staff adhere to EOF Safeguarding policy and organize local training.
• Ensuring safeguarding concerns in country are escalated to EOF’s Safeguarding & PSEA Focal Point, in line with safeguarding procedures.
• Spot check implementation of PSEA/ Safeguarding policies of service providers
• Raise any concerns on fraud, corruption or safeguarding to EOF´s central team
• In coordination with the EOF Central Executive Lead for Safeguarding, plan actions to address concerns

Summary of related to safeguarding

Governance

• Hold, convene and chair the secretariat of the governance bodies, including steering committee meetings.

Meeting reports submitted to stakeholders

Operational

• Provide monthly financial reviews of the in-country management unit´s activities, outputs, outcomes, budget and finances for proper accountability
• Create and design the processes for the operation of the in-country unit, establishing monitoring and performance indicators
• Certify eligibility of expenses, including adequate service delivery for the managing unit and other local contractors.
• Plan and ensure oversight of verification, spot check and monitoring activities during the implementation.

Processes and work plan for in-country unit

Budget reports for in-country unit

Certification of eligibility of expenses

Workplan for verification, spot check and monitoring activities during implementation

Ongoing

Representation, coordination and relationship building

• Coordinate relationships with Governments, partners and donors to facilitate technical collaboration.
• Build and manage relationships with Government entities as needed
• Collaborate with the Government to ensure coordination with other key education initiatives in Sierra Leone
• Manage relationships with teacher and headteacher unions
• Build and manage relationships with local governments
• Prepare material for funders and donors as needed
• Act as the ambassador and representative for the program
• Act as the primary project contact person and liaison, ensuring the project is adequately represented in national, technical, policy, and planning scenarios
• Engage in advocacy activities such as presentations and participation in local, regional or international forums as fit and in coordination with EOF

Presentations on program´s progress.

Stakeholder mapping document

Meetings, workshops, etc. to discuss program matters

Advocacy and communication pieces to promote the program

Ongoing

Oversight of performance and activities implementation by providers and social investors

• Oversee the in-country monitoring of the program´s year 1 activities conducted by service providers in accordance to the contracts and provide reports to account for year 1 payments.
• Conduct bimonthly briefings with service providers and/or investors to discuss available data, outcomes and overall performance identifying the main challenges and successes
• Engage in yearly peer learning sessions with service providers and/or investors and identify main lessons learned after the results of the outcomes evaluation are released
• Collaborate with EOF in the collection of information for the program´s learning agenda, by ensuring that service providers/investors fulfill their obligations in this regard and facilitating the collection of required qualitative information

Reports on fulfilment of year 1 activities by service providers according to their workplans

Reports on engagement activities with providers, and social investors

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

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in economics, political science, finance, education or a related field.
• A Bachelor’s degree may be considered with 2 additional years of experience.
• At least 10 years of professional experience
• Experience in leadership positions required
• Experience working with education stakeholders in Sierra Leone or a similar context required
• Experience working in or for the public sector required
• Experience working in the education sector preferred
• Experience with gender inclusion and approaches preferred
• Experience in evaluation design and/or management preferred
• Fluency in English required

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

• Build and maintain partnerships
• Think and act strategically
• Nurture, lead and manage people
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovate and embrace change
• Work collaboratively with others
• Manage ambiguity and complexity
• Demonstrate self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Intellectual curiosity

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 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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

Remarks:

PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE - Monthly

The proposed rate should inclusive of all professional fees, daily allowances, living allowances, and other administrative costs and should assume a full-time commitment.

Applicants are invited to include a cover letter of interest, CV, and proposed fees (monthly in British Sterling), to undertake the above TOR. Applications submitted without a proposed fee will not be accepted.

Duty Station: Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Candidates are expected to be available during working hours in the Europe / Africa / Middle East time zones.

International travel to deliver project objectives provided there are no Covid-19 travel restrictions

Should “mission travel” be required, UNICEF will manage and pay for travel via Travel Authorization. However, this will be subject to the following prerequisites: Medical Clearance, Security Clearance through the Travel Request Information Process (TRIP) system, the Basic and Advanced Security in the Field Trainings, Travel Visa, and liability waiver. Trip prerequisites will be met at the expense of the consultant.

Travel cost shall be calculated based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel. Costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC at http://icsc.un.org). The consultant must travel on UNICEF approved airlines.

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.

If selected for this consultancy, the resulting appointment will be limited to EOF, a UNICEF hosted fund.