Individual Contractor Full-Time Project Manager, Digital Language Learning Project in São Tomé and Príncipe - for 12 months

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, a champion

UNICEF Sao Tome and Principe is looking to recruit a Project Manager, Digital Language Learning Project

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

To provide technical and coordination support to UNICEF on the partnership with Akelius Foundation, that focuses on language learning, both in formal and non-formal delivery models. The Project Manager will ensure the effective implementation of the pilot project on digital education, facilitating the integration into the formal education system and hence improve learning outcomes in Portuguese for all students across the country.

Background & Rationale

In recent years, notable progress has been achieved in São Tomé and Principe (STP) in the education sector, where the schooling rate has increased significantly. In 2017, 93% of children in school age were enrolled in school, compared to 56% in 2008 (RESEN, 2018). However strong inequalities and poor quality of education remain a challenge affecting children in the country. In terms of inequality, children living with families belonging to the poorest quintile of the population are less likely to complete each of the 3 levels of education. In fact, 8,4% of children from the poorest quintile are out of school, compared to 3,7% from the richest quintile. The main drivers of these trends are not only related to economic poverty, but also poor investment in child policies (only 12% of the GDP is allocated to education, Ministry of Education-2021) and barriers based on gender, geography, disability, and access to adequate qualitative pedagogical content. These drivers result in the lack of adequate infrastructure of schools coupled with low capacities among teachers and educators. In addition, at the institutional level, the school’s principals are not held accountable for school management and performance, resulting in inadequate teaching and learning practices.

COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of the education sector which relies only on in-school approaches. The closure of schools has resulted in a significant number of vulnerable children losing their access to learning. Whilst measures have been introduced to facilitate remote learning to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, such as the adoption of distance learning programmes through radio, TV and social media, many students belonging to the poorest households and/or leaving in remote areas, have not been able to benefit from these programmes. The country overall infrastructure, the lack of internet access and adequate equipment, as well as the lack of engaging content and necessary digital skills have been identified as the main barriers for students to fully take advantage of these opportunities and one of the main cause of children falling behind in their learning curve.

In response to these challenges, UNICEF in Sao Tome and Principe, have been supporting the Government’s to establish a comprehensive reform of the education system, prioritizing two areas: (a) the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning at pre-primary and primary levels; and (b) the strengthening of capacities of parents and educators to provide care and early stimulation. The aim is to bridge the iniquity gaps in term of access to quality education for girls and boys of the lowest wealth quintiles and most deprived geographical areas. During COVID-19, UNICEF has supported the Ministry of Education on the development and implementation of the education contingency plan. To guarantee the continuity of learning during the school closing period, the Government, with support from UNICEF implemented 3 modalities of distance learning on an experimental basis, reaching approximately 60% of pre-school, basic and secondary education students.

Among the key strategies of the Education response, UNICEF’s programme focuses on language learning, both in formal and non-formal delivery models, with an aim to facilitate integration into the formal education system and hence improve learning outcomes in Portuguese for all students across the country. As part of this support, UNICEF is partnering with Akelius Foundation to support a comprehensive educational approach seeking to strengthen teacher capacity and improve the Portuguese language skills of children.

Scope of the work

Under the supervision of the Partnerships Specialist, the Project Manager is required to provide support to UNICEF on the partnership with Akelius Foundation, by conducting below activities:

• Support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Akelius language application as a complementary resource of UNICEF’s education response, focusing on language learning and teacher capacity, coordination with existing partners, ensuring adequate in-school supervision is implemented.
• Support the management, oversight, and coordination of partnerships (with government and civil society) and related contracts (IT enterprise, Telecommunications, private sector)
• Supervise the delivery of non-formal and formal education, and provision of teacher capacity development activities.
• Set up and update a project management tool that includes timeline, activities, responsibilities, milestones, budget, expenses, risks and mitigation actions, to ensure that the project is completed on time, on budget, and with the expected quality.
• Update monthly, in written form, the UNICEF-Akelius Working Group partnership with key project implementation and progress information.
• Document the planning, testing, and delivery of the Akelius application including challenges, good practices, and lessons learned, in coordination with UNICEF Innocenti
• Ensure the intervention with Akelius is aligned to the overall national strategy of digital learning, ensuring synergies with other parallel initiatives taking place in the country.

Work Assignment Overview and Deliveries Payments:

A. Support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Akelius language application as a complementary resource of UNICEF’s education response, focusing on language learning and teacher capacity, coordination with existing partners, ensuring adequate in-school supervision is implemented - Monthly status report documenting progress, bottlenecks, challenges and actions taken in relation to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Akelius language platform

B. Support the management, oversight, and coordination of PCAs and related contracts with organizations responsible for development language learning resources- Documents related to challenges and lessons learned on partnership or vendor relationships are prepared for institutional approval, Coordination mechanisms are set in place, Donor reports are developed within time

C. Supervise delivery of non-formal and formal education, and provision of teacher capacity, as it pertains to the delivery of the Akelius language platform- Monthly status report documenting progress, bottlenecks, challenges and actions taken in delivery of formal and non-formal education in relation to integration to Akelius Language platform

D. Set up and update a project management tool that includes timeline, activities, responsibilities, milestones, budget, expenses, risks and mitigation actions, to ensure that the project is completed on time, on budget, and with the expected quality- Updated project management tool attached to monthly status reports

E. Update monthly, in written form, the Working Group of the UNICEF-Akelius Foundation partnership with key project implementation information.- Monthly updates via email (preferred) / Virtual conference call (if needed)

F. Document the planning, testing, and delivery of the Akelius application including challenges, good practices, and lessons learned, in coordination with UNICEF Innocenti- Quarterly document

G. Ensure the intervention with Akelius is aligned to the overall national strategy of digital learning, ensuring synergies with other parallel initiatives taking place in the country- Matrix of stakeholders and initiatives reviewed on quarterly basis

Payments

The financial proposal should include a monthly fee. As a long-term consultancy with on-going responsibilities throughout the consultancy timeframe, the Project Manager will be paid on a monthly basis on submission of the monthly deliverables.

Work conditions

A UNICEF Office workspace will be made available to facilitate exchanges internet connection and work equipment.

Note: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their technical and financial evaluation offers (proposals must be submitted separately, to www.unicef.org/about/employ .

UNICEF does not provide or organize health insurance coverage for the consultant.

Estimated duration of the contract; Remuneration; Other Terms and Conditions

The consultancy will be full-time, for a period of 12 month from the date of signing the contract, which is expected to be in July 2022, and he/she will be based in São Tomé and Príncipe.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or part of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work / products:

• is incomplete,
• fails to meet UNICEF and government quality standards,
• is not delivered or has not met the deadlines

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

Advanced degree in social science, education, applied second language acquisition, monitoring & evaluation, business, technology, economics, statistics, communication or other relevant field. Or a degree in one of the following fields: social science, education or other related fields combined with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience in Project Manager, Digital Language Learning Project

At least 5 years of professional work experience at national or international level in project management, international development, education, technology, language instruction, or a related field.

Strong, demonstrated ability and experience in project management, coordination, working with multiple stakeholders, and under pressure is required.

Knowledge of technology trends, educational technology, and enterprise software development would be an advantage.

Familiarity with new approaches to real-time monitoring using mobile technologies would be an advantage.

Excellent communication and writing skills, both written and oral. The consultant should be comfortable in presentations and meetings with (UN) and (private sector) executives.

Language Proficiency

• Fluency in written and oral Portuguese and English is a minimum requirement.

  Application Submission

Interested applicants are requested to apply online and attach a technical proposal and a financial proposal:

Technical and Financial Proposal

The consultant must submit his/her technical and financial proposal at the time of application.

Technical proposal

Copy of your own CV and all qualifications

Completed P11 form (United Nations CV format)

Understanding the purpose of the assessment

A proper conceptual framework and assessment methodology

Names and contact details of reference persons

Any other additional information to support the application (optional).

Financial proposal:

The financial offer must be based on lump sum monthly fee.

Note: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their technical and financial offers (proposals must be submitted separately).

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.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

Core Competencies

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.