Consultant (Learning and Engagement), Education Outcome Funds (EOF), Hosted Fund, London, UK (remote and hybrid options available), 12 months, Req

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.

There are few greater challenges faced by the global community than the twin crises of learning poverty and youth unemployment. In response, the Education Commission (chaired by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education) and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen) came together to create EOF. We aim to improve the education and employment outcomes of 10 million children and youth by supporting governments to utilize a range of innovative finance instruments at scale, including outcomes funds and other results-based financing (RBF) instruments.

EOF supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on underserved populations, including the hardest to reach, rural populations, girls, children with disabilities, and refugees. It measures (and pays for) what matters – both core skills like literacy and numeracy, but also critical 21st Century skills such as socio-emotional skills, ICT skills, and other broader fundamentals of a quality education. It helps close the persistent gap between the skills needed by employers and those attained by today’s youth by paying for employment and retention outcomes.

For all the above, EOF pays primarily on the basis of the results achieved, ensuring that taxpayer-funded domestic resources, aid, and philanthropic funds are only used to pay for what works. This is a game-changing way to finance results in education. It is more than just a fund – it is a powerful new set of partnerships and way of working.

Together with our supporters, we believe this is the early stages of a much larger movement. Our approach is at the cutting edge of development finance, shifting risk to the private sector, crowding in private capital, and harnessing the capacity and capability of non-state actors, with huge potential to achieve better outcomes for children and youth around the world.

How can you make a difference?

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Consultant (Learning and Engagement) will provide technical advice to EOF's team on the growth of a vibrant ecosystem for RBF in ECCE. The assignment will focus on:

• The strategy for building a global movement behind the use of OBF (outcomes-based financing) in ECCE as an opportunity for more and better financing;
• Creating public goods for OBF in ECE and supporting their uptake;
• Strengthening OBF/ECCE capacity in partner organizations through surfacing, collating, producing and sharing learnings.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (DELIVERABLES):

Deliverable

Description

Estimate number of working days

Deadline/ timeline

Deliverable 1: Medium-term strategy and action plan on strengthening the global ecosystem for OBF in ECCE, and an annual action plan to operationalize medium-term strategy (presented in a report of c.20 pages)

This entails co-leading the drafting, internal and external consultation, and finalization of strategy.

Leading medium-term strategy - finalised and approved by EOF’s Leadership Team.

Finalised action plan for October 2023 - May 2025 to accompany medium-term strategy. This will be accompanied by a budget and reporting plan.

25

2 months into consultancy

Deliverable 2: Concept paper, advocacy briefs and public presentations delivered on OBF’s potential for more and better financing in ECE.

1. Contributing to Concept paper getting published and disseminated (c 10-page report)
2. Conducting research to support 3 advocacy briefs, 3 blogs, 1 technical paper and 1 Education Finance Network working group brief (each brief c.1-2 pages)
3. Supporting sharing in 3 key public events to grow the conversation on OBF’s potential in ECE

30

a) 4 months into consultancy

b&c) Months 3-12 into consultancy

Deliverable 3: At least two key knowledge partnerships are initiated and active.

Supporting development of learning partnerships with at least two organisations active with completed contracting. These partnerships may be informed by the bilateral exploratory meetings, supporting the identification of areas of collaboration with some key players/open calls for proposals.

Supporting EOF’s substantive contribution to existing networks towards better and more financing for ECCE. Networks may include Education Finance Network, ECDAN, Outcomes Based Finance working group and regular engagements with key global actors.

30

1 - 12 months into consultancy

Deliverable 4: Early Childhood Learning sessions: sessions run internally for EOF’s program team (six sessions, each 60 minutes in duration)

Support the offering of six technical sessions for ECCE colleagues with external experts

10

1 session per 2 months

Deliverable 5: Planning for Capacity Building course to be offered externally.

Leading landscape analysis for capacity-building efforts; scoping of capacity-building course; identification of potential partners and platforms.

This will build off compiling database of existing capacity-building efforts and Communities of Practice (CoP) populated with an understanding of where gaps exist that EOF might meet.

60

Months 1- 12 into consultancy

Deliverable 6: Deliver an Engagement and Communications Strategy for key actors (estimated c.10 page plan)

This will be informed by co-ordinating mapping exercise to map ecosystem actors and stakeholder perception analysis, and be accompanied by monitoring system for strategy.

15

6 months into consultancy

Total estimated working days – 170 working days

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

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATION

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Education, Early Childhood Development, Development Studies, Economics, Demographics, Social Policy or other field relevant to ECE is required.
  • A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in a relevant field, such as consulting, international development, education, innovation, or a related field.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience contributing to reports for external publications.
• Experience working in or with low- and/or middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, the Middle East or South America, is preferred.
• Experience in international development, the global education sector, and international aid is preferred.
• Experience in innovative finance mechanisms, particularly Results-Based Financing, is preferred.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Build and maintain partnerships: you are able to build a network of external stakeholders and alliances with government counterparts, civil society, the media and the private sector, in order to promote and advance the work of the organization. You possess excellent communication skills and are able to engage existing and potential partners including Government, donors, investors and providers and build trust-based relationships in support of EOF’s vision. (L2)
• Demonstrate self-awareness and ethical awareness: you are self-aware of your own strengths, limitations, working style and deeply held convictions and biases. You display ethical awareness through behaviours that are consistent and compliant with the standards of conduct for international civil servants, UNICEF’s values and relevant UNICEF policies and procedures. (L1)
• Drive to achieve results for impact: you commit to action and assume responsibility and ownership for your own performance and the associated outcomes. (L1)
• Innovate and embrace change: you are open to and propose new approaches and ideas. You adapt and respond positively to change. You have an entrepreneurial mindset, you are a self-starter able to take initiative and ownership while seeking input when appropriate. You thrive in a nimble start-up environment, where everyone can and should take initiative beyond a narrow scope of work and respond to shifting priorities with agility. (L1)
• Manage ambiguity and complexity. You demonstrate resilience and composure, get things done despite challenges and maintain performance levels in pressured, adverse and uncertain environments. (L1)
• Think and act strategically: you understand the big picture and are able to identify potential opportunities for action and challenges that exist. You form sound evidence-based judgements in the delivery of results, you are able anticipate risks and identify strategic opportunities. (L1)
• Work collaboratively with others: you establish and maintain mutually supportive working relationships, demonstrating sensitivity to people of diverse backgrounds, respecting differences and ensuring that all can contribute and succeed. You enjoy teamwork and remain mindful of the need to collaborate with people outside your immediate area of responsibility. (L1)

REQUIREMENTS

Please indicate your ability, availability and financial proposal to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

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.