Consultancy: EdTech & Digital Learning Expert, Global Learning Innovation Hub, Office of Innovation, Finland, Helsinki, 17 months with possibility of extension

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…innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships,

and technologies that support the realization of children’s rights are key to improving children’s lives.

Worldwide, we innovate to tackle the most pressing problems faced by the most vulnerable children. We take a systematic approach to innovation, applying skills and energy across new tools and technologies, products, innovative financing, and new ways of working to boost our impact.

The Office of Innovation (OOI) is a creative, unique, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, the tools, the know-how and the partners that turn ideas and energy into scalable solutions for children.

The Global Learning Innovation Hub under the UNICEF Office of Innovation has been established in Helsinki with the mission to radically transform education around the world by making it a wonderful adventure for every child. Working with corporates and non-profit partners, the Learning Innovation Hub supports governments in accelerating access to digital learning; invests from pilot to scale on game- changing edtech innovations and explores how new innovative pedagogies and technologies can create environments where children can learn, unleash their unique talent, and become true entrepreneurs of their life. It is part of Reimagine Education initiative and has the bold ambition to become a global “home for the architects of the future of learning”.

One of the key priorities of the Hub is the Learning Pioneers Programme, a two-year hybrid experience for UNICEF Country Offices (COs) and their respective Governments who want to partner with the Learning Innovation Hub in bringing innovative approaches that harness the power of digital learning.

Another cohort of Learning Explorer countries is part of the Hub’s Tinkering with Tech project, modelling. To scale the use of coding and robotics to developed 21^st century skills among teachers and students.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF’s Global Learning Innovation Hub is looking for an experienced EdTech & Digital Learning Expert who will bring strong theoretical and practical knowledge on the integration of technology into teaching- learning together with best practices for building, adapting, and evaluating global digital learning solutions that can deliver impactful learning outcomes, particularly for the most vulnerable children.

The role will provide technical guidance and coordination support to the implementation of the Hub’s Learning Pioneers Programme providing expert advice to UNICEF Country Offices and their respective government partners on the identification and piloting for scale of EdTech tools that best fit the country needs. The consultant will also provide serve as reviewer in the curation of cutting-edge EdTech tools and matching these to the needs of the Hub’s Learning Pioneer Countries that will be testing, accelerating, and scaling digital learning innovations. The consultant will also provide technical support to the Learning Explorers initiative of the Hub working with countries piloting specific digital learning projects, as well as support evidence generation for both the Learning Pioneers and Learning Explorers initiatives.

This role will work under the direct supervision of the Hub’s Education Specialist-EdTech, in close collaboration with the Education Manager and the overall guidance of the Senior Advisor, Learning Innovation Hub. The consultant will also work in close collaboration with relevant Learning Innovation Hub colleagues and with an extensive network of UNICEF divisions, offices, and business units.

For mor details please see attached Terms of Reference (TOR) ToR_EdTech-Digital Learning_Expert_Consultant_Learning Hub_updated 1.pdf

Your main responsibilities will be:

UNICEF’s Global Learning Innovation Hub is looking for an experienced EdTech & Digital Learning Expert who will bring strong theoretical and practical knowledge on the integration of technology into teaching- learning together with best practices for building, adapting, and evaluating global digital learning solutions that can deliver impactful learning outcomes, particularly for the most vulnerable children.

The role will provide technical guidance and coordination support to the implementation of the Hub’s Learning Pioneers Programme providing expert advice to UNICEF Country Offices and their respective government partners on the identification and piloting for scale of EdTech tools that best fit the country needs. The consultant will also provide serve as reviewer in the curation of cutting-edge EdTech tools and matching these to the needs of the Hub’s Learning Pioneer Countries that will be testing, accelerating, and scaling digital learning innovations. The consultant will also provide technical support to the Learning Explorers initiative of the Hub working with countries piloting specific digital learning projects; as well as support evidence generation for both the Learning Pioneers and Learning Explorers initiatives.

This role will work under the direct supervision of the Hub’s Education Specialist-EdTech, in close collaboration with the Education Manager and the overall guidance of the Senior Advisor, Learning Innovation Hub. The consultant will also work in close collaboration with relevant Learning Innovation Hub colleagues and with an extensive network of UNICEF divisions, offices, and business units.

Please find attached the full ToR (Terms of Reference) with related information.  ToR_EdTech-Digital Learning_Expert_Consultant_Learning Hub updated 1.pdf

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

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in education, education and technology, another relevant technical field. A first degree plus 4 years of relevant professional experience can be considered in lieu of a master’s degree.
• A minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience in the education technology and digital learning particularly for children, combining practical and theoretical experience at national and international levels, is required.
• Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and supporting education programming, of which at least 3 years of professional experience working on designing and implementing a digital learning programme is required.
• Demonstrated experience in evaluation of digital learning tools, digital pedagogy, learning analytics and cutting-edge research on the integration of technology in education is required.
• Demonstrated ability to provide guidance on the integration of technology to education to inform strategy.
• Experience coordinating projects and programmes across multiple stakeholders and contexts with attention to detail, budgets and timelines is required.
• Experience of working in UNICEF or similar organizations and building collaboration and partnership with Government counterparts and other development partners/stakeholders an advantage.
• Experience in the edtech start-up ecosystem across different geographies an advantage.
• Proven capacity to work with collaborative teams across different locations and with different technical skills.
• Experience in working (and ideally innovating) with and for children in resource-poor environments is desirable.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Travel:

• The consultant is expected to travel during the assignment, this will be planned and agreed with the supervisor.
• The consultant is responsible for arranging his/her own travel, including visa and travel insurance. UNICEF will assist the visa application by providing relevant documents requested by the visa issuing authority.
• Any possible travel costs will be covered by UNICEF as per standard UN travel procedure.

Payment details and further considerations:

• Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed quality deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
• Consultant is responsible for their own health and travel insurance.

How to apply

• Interested applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template . Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.

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 for ensuring that the visa (if applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. UNICEF will assist the visa application by providing relevant documents requested by the visa issuing authority.

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.