NATIONAL CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT THE GCI AND R&D PROJECT

Deadline: 31 July 2023 | NATIONAL CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT THE GCI AND R&D PROJECT

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OVERVIEW

• Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)
• Duty Station: Maputo
• Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]
• Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]
• Job Family: Education
• Type of contract : Non Staff
• Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months
• Recruitment open to : External candidates
• Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 31 July 2023

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

The consultancy will run for a period of 6 months, with a part-time engagement (approximately 35 days), between July 2023 and December 2023, starting as soon as possible. It will  be based in Mozambique (Maputo city or province) from where the work with the project team will be carried out in two modalities: remote and on-site (missions).

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

With more than 50 years of experience contributing to strengthening the capacity of member states, IIEP-UNESCO is the only specialized organization with the mandate to support education policy, planning and management in the UN system. IIEP’ Africa office (IIEP-UNESCO Dakar) contributes to this mission by producing rigorous analysis and data-driven evidence, developing cutting-edge analytical tools, and delivering technical assistance to identify, facilitate and promote the adoption of effective solutions to Africa’s most pressing education challenges. Through its Research and Development program (R&D), IIEP-UNESCO Dakar is actively involved in the curation, generation, refinement, and expansion of bodies of knowledge for the strengthening of education decision and policy making in Africa.  At the backbone of its strategy and commitment to reducing inequalities in education, IIEP Dakar ensures the technical oversight of the Gender at the Centre Initiative – GCI. Launched in 2019 at the G7 Summit, the GCI aims to strengthen the gender mainstreaming capacities of education system stakeholders and support the development of resources to achieve gender equality in and through education. The initiative is currently being developed in eight pilot countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Chad) and seeks to expand to other countries in the region.  IIEP-UNESCO Dakar is recruiting one national consultant to support the development of the project “Addressing the challenges of girls’ school dropout in Mozambique through early prevention data systems, policies, and tools”.

Long Description

Less than two-thirds of girls complete primary education in low-income countries, and only one in three complete lower secondary school (Wodon, 2018). The costs of school dropout are severe and have permanent consequences for girls and their families: it increases the likelihood of early childbearing; decreases women’s decision-making capacity and physical and psychological well-being; lowers their prospects for future education and quality employment opportunities; and increases under-five mortality and malnutrition, among many other negative implications. While global dropout rates for boys and girls are only a few percentage points apart (8 for boys and 9 percent for girls), in sub-Saharan Africa the difference is twice as large: 19 percent for boys and 23 for girls. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 9 million girls will never attend school, compared to 6 million boys (UIS, 2016). The project “Addressing the challenges of girls’ school dropout  in Mozambique through early prevention data systems, policies, and tools”  seeks to gain a better understanding of girls’ school dropout in Mozambique during recent years and to contribute to the design and implementation of prevention mechanisms. This project has four specific objectives:

1. Developing a conceptual framework describing girls’ school dropout in Sierra Leone as a continuous process including the identification of the stages that lead to permanent abandonment and the factors that accompany this process
2. Supporting the collection, analysis of information and data, and integration of data systems for the measurement and monitoring of girls’ school dropout, understood as a process that can be detected and combated at early stages if risk detection systems are in place.
3. Analysing the existence, relevance, and coherence of data systems and public policy tools available in the country which could contribute to the prevention of girls’ school dropout.
4. Developing recommendations for strengthening the country’s data systems and response mechanisms to early identification and prevention of girls’ dropout.

Time Frame & Recruitment

Under the guidelines of IIEP-UNESCO Dakar’s GCI and R&D Programme Managers, the overall supervision of IIEP-UNESCO Dakar’s Head and Deputy Head of Office, and the direct supervision of the project manager, the consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

1. Contribute to the preparation of the project fieldwork launching mission and the exploratory qualitative data collection strategy

1. Deliverable: Activity report including the specific deliverables listed in 1.1. – 1.4.
2. Estimated number of days: 8 days (5 days of mission and 3 for preparatory activities and the elaboration of an activity report)

1.1  Become familiar with the project and the documents produced by the team (concept notes, conceptual framework, policy analysis, etc.)

1. Deliverable: N/A

1.2  Contribute to the identification of key stakeholders to be interviewed and obtain their contact information

1. Deliverable: List of stakeholders with their contact information

1.3  Coordinate the organization and logistics of the project launching mission, including the organization of the agenda, contacting stakeholders and scheduling meetings and first round of interviews with key stakeholders

1. Deliverable: Mission agenda and mission report

1.4  Contribute to the elaboration and ensure the contextualization of interview guidelines based on the policy analysis and desk review

1. Deliverable: Interview guidelines.

2.  Contribute to the documentation of relevant policies and programs (to complement the existing policy library)

1. Deliverable: Policy library and activity report
2. Estimated number of days: 2

3.  Contribute to conducting, transcribing, and analyzing interviews with key stakeholders

1. Deliverable: Interview transcripts
2. Estimated number of days: 15

4.  Contribute to the production of a report analyzing and synthetizing interviews findings, in line with the policy analysis

1. Deliverable: Report (first and final draft)
2. Estimated number of days: 5

5.  Contribute to completion, validation and dissemination of the project key findings and reports

1. Deliverable: Report finalized and validated with national stakeholders
2. Estimated number of days: 5

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

• Accountability (C)
• Communication (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)
• Professionalism (C)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• University degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in education, economics, social sciences, or related fields.

Years of Experience

• Minimum 5 years of proven work experience in Education Sector. 
• Prior knowledge and work on gender issues is an asset.
• Professional experience at the international level (in/on other countries and with international organizations) is an asset.
• Experience working with government officials or other high-level authorities.
• Previous professional experience with the Ministry of Education of Mozambique is an asset.
• Experience working with mixed methods is desirable.

Skills and Competencies

• Demonstrated analytical skills and professional experience conducting quantitative and/or qualitative analysis/research. 
• Proven skills in producing high quality written documents and report
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with colleagues to achieve organizational and team goals

​​​Language

• Excellent proficiency (written and oral) in Portuguese and English

APPLICATION PROCESS

A technical and financial offer (4 pages maximum), briefly outlining:

•  The consultant’s understanding of the assignments, highlighting his/her relevant experience.
• The consultant’s appreciation of the project, its scope, its feasibility in the context of Mozambique, and the challenges for its implementation.
• The consultant’s proposed remuneration, daily rate (professional fees only – no other costs will be eligible).

Payment is conditional on the completion of the tasks and the satisfactory submission of the deliverables within the deadlines defined above, unless otherwise agreed with the project leader. The applications that do not include this information will not be considered for the following phases of the counting process. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The consultant may be selected before the date indicated above. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews. 

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

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