Consultant (Management), Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), Hosted Fund, 6 Months, REMOTE, Req:568864

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 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 supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on underserved populations, including the hardest to reach, rural populations, girls, children with disabilities, and refugees. 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 by paying for employment and retention outcomes.

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. It is more than just a fund – it is a powerful new set of partnerships and way of working.

Together with our supporters, we believe this is the early stages of a much larger movement. Our approach is at the cutting edge of development finance, shifting risk to the private sector, crowding in private capital, and harnessing the capacity and capability of non-state actors, with huge potential to achieve better outcomes for children and youth around the world.

How can you make a difference?

RATIONALE FOR THE CONSULTANCY

We are seeking to recruit a Management Consultant to advise EOF on a range of organizational and strategic areas. The successful candidate will work in close partnership with EOF’s leadership team and the wider CEO Office, providing technical guidance and advice across the breadth of their activities.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Through providing technical guidance and assistance, the Management Consultant will play a coordinating role across the breadth of EOF’s work. The Management Consultant will report directly to the Senior Operations Associate and collaborate with all members of EOF’s team.

DELIVERABLES

SLEIC Programme

Deliverable	Description	Estimated number of working days	Deadline/ timeline
Deliverable 1: A briefing document and travel itinerary prepared before each international trip undertaken by EOF’s leadership team	Prepare a briefing document (estimated 3-5 pages) ahead of each international trip by EOF’s leadership team, including details of flights, accommodation, schedule, visa, and vaccinations. It should also include an overview of the stakeholders they will meet and the key messages and briefing for the meetings.	48 (Estimated 2 trips per month, 4 days per trip)	Monthly to end of contract
Deliverable 2: Guidance produced for EOF’s leadership team ahead of their attendance at the United Nations General Assembly	In collaboration with the wider CEO Office and EOF’s Communications Consultant, prepare a guidance document (estimated 5-10 pages) for EOF leadership team ahead of their attendance at the UN General Assembly in 2024. This should include logistical information (flights, accommodation, visa, vaccinations) and strategic information (overview of key stakeholders, schedule, key messages).	10	By end of contract
Deliverable 3: Update EOF’s customer database system with contact reports (such as stakeholder contact details, and notes from their meetings with EOF)	Update EOF’s customer database system with contact reports following external meetings between stakeholders and EOF’s leadership team (estimated 20 contact reports over the 6-month contract)	5 (0.25 per contact report)	Monthly to end of contract
Deliverable 4: Scheduled meetings in the diaries of EOF’s leadership team	Coordinate 6 complex meetings per month (multiple external stakeholders across various time zones, online and in-person) for EOF’s leadership team and share any pre-reading at least 2 working days in advance.	18 (0.5 days per meeting)	Monthly to end of contract
Deliverable 5: Pre-reading prepared ahead of key external meetings	Lead the preparation of pre-reading (estimated 10 pages / slides) ahead of key external meetings for EOF’s leadership team.	20 (2 days per meeting)	1-2 meetings per month
Total estimated working days – 101

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

• A first-level university degree (i.e., Bachelor) in a relevant subject such as Business, Administration, Public Policy, Education, Economics, International Development, or Communications.
• A minimum of two years of relevant professional work experience in external relations, public affairs or international development cooperation, preferably within the UN, or in a government institution, non-governmental organizations, etc.
• Prior experience of working in coordination, planning, or in an executive office in close collaboration with senior business leaders is an asset.
• Experienced in using Microsoft Office suites and other technology (e.g., Zoom, CRM systems, SharePoint) and with the ability to learn new tools quickly.
• Experience in the logistics and administration of international travel (including complex multi-destination itineraries, international events, demanding and evolving schedules).
• Experience in managing complex and changeable diaries (including acting as a gatekeeper, managing expectations, navigating different time-zones).
• Experience in meeting preparation (including preparing and setting agendas, ensuring correct attendees, managing meeting logistics).
• Previous experience or an interest in international development, the global education sector, and international aid is desirable
• Excellent drafting, editing, and communication skills.
• Excellent time management skills to deal with conflicting and urgent priorities.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

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.