National Consultant - Numeracy Specialist, Freetown, Sierra Leone, 150 working days - for Sierra Leonean nationals only

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, education

Please access UNICEF Sierra Leone information here and here

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Assignment:

Since 2018, Sierra Leone has made concerted efforts to improve access to and quality of education for all children, with an emphasis on the most marginalized and early years learners. However, the country still faces challenges to fully strengthen and transform the system to improve foundational learning outcomes for all. For instance, most children in Sierra Leone cannot read a simple text with comprehension by age 10, or in other words, are experiencing learning poverty.

It is against this background that UNICEF, in collaboration with the MBSSE, seeks a national expert to support the education project that provides technical assistance to deliver foundational numeracy for P1-P4, through a structured pedagogy approach – which aligns teacher trainings, instructional core, detailed lesson plans, and TLMs.

Scope of Work:

As a supporting role in the UNICEF Education project, the national consultant will work closely with the International Consultant and National Technical to provide & support technical assistance and capacity development for the tasks outlined below. The responsibilities include:

1. Assist in Setting up the National Technical Team: a) Provide suggestions for key local participants for the National Technical Team dedicated to Foundational Learning.
2. Kickoff Event Preparation and Delivery: a) Support the MBSSC/TSC in preparing and delivering the kickoff event titled "Improving Foundational Learning for All."
3. Capacity Building for the National Technical Team: a) Assist in contextualizing the science of teaching early grade numeracy to the Sierra Leonean context, facilitating the development of teaching and learning materials for classes 1, 2, and 3 in primary schools.
4. Stocktaking Exercise: a) Support the development and conduct a stocktaking exercise to review existing numeracy instructional materials in Sierra Leone, produced with support from key partners.
5. Definition of Adapted Learning Outcomes and Scope: a) Contextualize expected learning outcomes and scope and sequence for teaching early grade numeracy in classes 1, 2, and 3, based on the existing curricula framework and syllabus for Numeracy.
6. Development of Student Books and Workbooks: Assist in creating models of lessons and testing them in real classrooms. and Collaborate on developing final draft versions for testing in a larger pilot.
7. Preparation/Revision of Complementary Materials: Preparing or revision of complementary materials, including posters for numeracy development and manipulatives.

Please access the full JD here VA TOR - National Consultant Numeracy Specialist.pdf

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

Education

• Advanced university degree in in one of the following fields is required: social sciences, natural sciences, learning assessment, curriculum, monitoring and evaluation, educational planning public or social policy, or another relevant technical field.

Experience

• Sound knowledge of the education sector in Sierra Leone and MBSSE policies and processes
• Strong technical expertise in science of numeracy for primary classes
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent programme management, planning, design and coordination skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Strong data analysis skills
• Understanding of technology platforms and their use for learning and training
• Ability to engage with a wide range of people, including government partners, academic centres, formal and in-formal networks and collectives, NGOs/CSOs and technical experts if required to collate all relevant information.

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.