Consultant (Technical Programme), Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), Hosted Funds, London, UK (Remote/Hybrid), 12 months, Req: 564467

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.

How can you make a difference?

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

As Consultant (Technical Program), you will provide research and analytical support for the scoping, design and launch of EOF’s programs. You will report directly to EOF Program Manager and collaborate with all members of EOF’s central team.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (DELIVERABLES:

Deliverable

Description

Estimated number of working days

Deadline/ timeline

Deliverable 1: Innovative finance learning session: materials produced, and session run internally for EOF’s program team

Design and facilitate two learning sessions of 1.5 hours each for EOF’s core team on the use of Outcomes Based Financing in Basic Education, early Childhood Education and Skills for Employment

20

(10 per session)

Q2 & Q4 2023

Deliverable 2:

Narrative reports for EOF programs, ready for sharing with partners or prospective partners, including donors

Write the programmatic sections of partner or prospective partner proposals; facilitate collaboration with partnerships team for finalizing narrative reports

12

(2 per report)

Bi-monthly reports

Deliverable 3:

Draft of concept development report

Draft concept development report for one of EOF’s programs, including but not limited to: political economy and sector analysis, theory of change, stakeholder analysis and engagement plans

80

One report by the end of the program’s concept development phase

Deliverable 4:

Draft program design

Draft program design for one of EOF’s programs, including but not limited to: RBF (Results Based Financing) mechanism design, procurement plans, materials for technical working groups and stakeholder meetings

80

By the end of the program’s design phase

Deliverable 5:

Program workplan, risk register, and decision log related to program implementation

Document EOF program implementation phase: update workplan, input to risk register, input into program decision log

80

Bi-monthly updates of workplan, weekly for decision logs, every six weeks for risk logs

Total estimated working days –

• 32 for deliverables 1 and 2
• 160 from any of deliverables 3, 4, or 5
• 192 total

Please note that EOF’s programs include concept development, design and implementation phases. Consultants will be expected to work on 2 phases at any given time.

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

• A university degree (Master’s or higher) in business, economics, political science, finance, education or a related field is required
• A minimum of TWO years of relevant professional experience related to the following fields:
  • Strategy consulting
  • Think tanks / research institutes
  • Investment or development banking
  • Charity or public sectors
  • International development
  • Education
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity in emergency, education, early childhood development, or skills/employment programs is preferred is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a MENA region 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 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.