International Consultant at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: International Consultant to Support a Review on Public Spending Efficiency in the Education Sector

Job No: 555006
Location: Abuja
Contract Type: Consultant
Categories: Education
Duration: 2.5 months

For Every Child, an Advocate 

• In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  
• UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

How Can you Make a Difference? 
Scope of Work:

• We are seeking expertise on strengthening the country's basic education system, specifically on making education spending more efficient, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable children, with due emphasis on gender and disability.

The Country Office is requesting support concerning the following areas:

• Conduct a structural review of the education finance system in Nigeria.
• Develop a generic methodology to analyze education finance in Nigeria.
• Conduct a five years (2018-2022) trend analysis on education financing in Nigeria. Assess adequacy, efficiency, equity, transparency, and accountability of education finance in Nigeria using global, national level, state level and education institutional level data.
• Formulate results of estimates of adequate level of funding per pupil and identify factors contributing to better education finance for basic education with equity lens from policy perspectives.
• Building on the comprehensive review and analysis, produce a report, policy brief(s) and PowerPoint presentation(s) with key findings and concrete recommendations to improve education financing in Nigeria.

Qualifications

• Master's or Higher Degree Education in Public Policy, Economics, Education / ECE Policy or a related discipline
• A minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience in public sector analysis and its financing is required.
• At least 5 years experience conducting analysis and assessments, research, and writing technical papers and policy briefs or other publications on social sector and/or ECE/education and fiscal policy required.
• Experience in conducting efficiency analysis in the education sector with education data, and quantitative research, including conducting econometric modeling and microsimulations, programmatic and statistical support required.
• Knowledge of child- and gender-sensitive inclusive education, theories, and practices.
• Demonstrated experience working in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and knowledge of their education systems
• Experience in using school/district level data including assessment of learning outcomes is an asset

Other Skills and Attributes:

• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies.
• Strong knowledge of the Nigerian political landscape and recent developments in education.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience translating evidence for and communicating with a broad range of actors (including government) on sensitive issues.
• Ability to present ideas concisely for diverse audiences and to give practical, actionable advice grounded in evidence

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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

Application Closing Date
22nd September, 2022 (W. Central Africa Standard Time).

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• 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 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. 
• 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.