Senior Consultant (Learning and Engagement), Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), Hosted Fund, 12 Months, REMOTE, Req:572800

We are seeking a dynamic Senior Consultant (Learning and Engagement) to lead the growth of a vibrant ecosystem for Results-based Financing (RBF) in early childhood education (ECE).

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 with our founding CEO (Her Excellency Dr.) Amel Karboul 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 is backed by a range of world leaders who support us to shape our approach and achieve our ambitious aims, as well as leaders in education and impact investing:

EOF supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on girls and underserved populations, including those in the hardest to reach rural areas. 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.

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, focusing attention and realigning systems on the most challenging but most important measure of a program's performance: whether it is improving lives.

Together with our supporters, we believe this is the early stages of a much larger movement, with huge potential to increase learning outcomes for children and youth around the world, though improved aid effectiveness and government spending.

Since our inception in 2018, EOF has:

• Partnered with governments in Ghana and Sierra Leone to establish the two largest outcomes funds to date in developing countries, mobilising ~$50M for these programs.
• Established itself as a leading global player in RBF, and the only dedicated center of expertise for RBF in education and skills.
• Become the first outcomes fund hosted by the United Nations within UNICEF, as a scalable platform to partner with governments around the world.
• Established a major partnership with the LEGO Foundation, to develop a scale portfolio of RBF programs in early childhood across a diverse range of countries, as well as to amplify the movement and ecosystem of partners around this approach.
• Had our innovative approach featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, FT, Economist, Brookings, and more.
• Built our institutional capacity to contract and implement large-scale outcomes funds more efficiently and effectively than historic impact bonds.
• Established a strong culture of performance and an active focus on ongoing professional development for all our team.

How can you make a difference?

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Senior Consultant (Learning and Engagement) will play a critical role in spearheading the growth of a vibrant ecosystem for RBF in ECE. The assignment will focus on:

• building a global movement behind the use of RBF in ECE;
• creating public goods for RBF in ECE and supporting their uptake;
• strengthening RBF/ECE capacity in partner organizations.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

Deliverable	Description	Estimated number of working days	Deadline/ timeline
Deliverable 1: Organize at least 15 bilateral meetings of at least 60 minutes with high-profile global ECCE and RBF organisation and network representatives and produce contact reports of at least 1 page per meeting to share with EOF’s team.	Identify and meet with high-profile ECCE and RBF organisations and networks worldwide. Through these meetings, support EOF to develop collaborative relations with ECCE and RBF practitioners, policymakers, and decision-makers to influence perceptions and behaviour about the use of RBF in ECCE.	15 days (1 day/meeting)	1-2 reports per month
Deliverable 2: Concept paper, advocacy briefs, technical papers, and public presentations delivered on OBF’s potential for more and better financing in ECCE.	Lead the preparation, publication, dissemination of knowledge products: a. 2 concept papers on the use of OBF in ECCE (minimum 5 pages) b. 2 advocacy briefs (minimum 2 pages each) c. 2 blogs (minimum 500 words each) d. 1 technical paper (minimum 10 pages) Initiate and lead sharing in 3 key public events and/or global publications to grow the conversation on OBF’s potential in ECCE	76 days (10 days/ publ.; 2 days/event)	Bi-monthly
Deliverable 3: Engagement and Communications Strategy for key stakeholders formulated and being used	Provide strategic oversight to an ecosystem mapping exercise, stakeholder perception analysis, engagement and communications strategy development, and strategy monitoring planning and implementation.	13 days	1-6 months development; 6-12 months implementation
Deliverable 4: 9 internal learning sessions focused on ECCE	Conceptualize and oversee the planning of 9 60-90-minute-long technical sessions (6 led by external experts, 3 led by self)	18 (2 days/session)	Bimonthly
Deliverable 5: Provide ongoing technical advice to ECCE program teams by holding technical meetings on demand and by providing comments on program documents (CDS report; ToRs; RfPs; Proposals)	Have at least 40 one-hour long technical meetings and follow-up support to program teams Provide written technical comments to at least 15 program documents	45 days (15 days for technical meetings; 30 days for written comments)	As requested
TOTAL ESTIMATED WORKING DAYS	167

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

• An advanced degree in in Education, Early Childhood Development, Development Studies, Economics, Demographics, Social Policy or other field relevant to ECE is required.
• A PhD in a relevant subject is preferred
• At least 15 years’ relevant professional experience, including experience working within the global ECE sector: having a strong personal network in the ECE space - knowing who are the key decision-makers; which are the influential organizations and their inter-relationships; and which are the networks to join
• Experience developing, convening, and leading networks and/or communities of practice of leaders, solving the toughest challenges
• Experience developing effective working relationships with senior stakeholders (e.g., Ministerial, Foundation CEO, CSO Directors, etc.) across both the public and private sectors
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS

• Experience working in or with low- and/or middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, the Middle East or South America, is preferred.
• Experience with innovative finance mechanisms, particularly Results Based Financing, is preferred.

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. 

Interested candidates are required to fully complete their application profile, upload a cover letter and their financial proposal (daily fee rate in USD).

Applications with incomplete profile and without a financial proposal will not be considered.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.