Pacific Education Transformation Consultant

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support and advice to the UNICEF Pacific Education Team on education system transformation from a Pacific context lens, including to country-specific and regional education initiatives, including linkages to broader strategies such as the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, the Pacific Culture Strategy, and the SDGs. The consultancy will also support the Education Team in positioning support and expanding engagement with global and regional partnerships and the 14 countries in the Pacific, with the purpose of maximizing the support to Pacific countries in strengthening and transforming education systems. This will require strong country collaboration, effective partnerships with other education agencies and active engagement with the regional education architecture.

UNICEF’s work on education in Pacific Island countries is dependent on technical excellence, relevance of programme design and approaches, results achieved and quality of relationships. This extends to the regional-level, where UNICEF Pacific is very active in the Pacific Regional Education Architecture, partnering actively with USP, SPC, UNESCO and others in bilateral and multi-lateral partnerships, including under the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF). UNICEF Pacific contributes actively to the PacREF IA Fono, Pacific Inclusive Education Taskforce, Pacific Early Childhood Education Taskforce, CROP HRD Working Group, Pacific Board for Education Quality, Pacific Heads of Education System and Conference of Pacific Education Ministers.

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Chief of Education, the Pacific Education Transformation Adviser is expected to provide authoritative technical advice and guidance on education system transformation based on proven experience with partnerships in education across the Pacific.

The consultant will provide strategic technical advice and guidance in the form of support to the development, design and revision of strategies, programmes, policies, plans, concept notes, terms of reference, proposals, briefs, analyses, monitoring frameworks and other relevant documents, on the following:

Education system transformation. This will include technical advice to education system transformation programme design, implementation, monitoring, and review of the same, including the development of a robust and relevant methodology for mid-term reviews of Partnership compacts. The consultant is expected to be able to guide on a variety of education priority themes, particularly including those linked to regional priorities of traditional knowledge, culture, language, climate resilience and sustainability, gender, inclusion and others.

Education system capacity linked to transformation.  This will include technical leadership and support to increasing the use of data and evidence to inform planning at school- and local-levels, in line with national plans; emergency/risk-informed planning, and quality assurance systems.  particularly as relate to sector analysis, risk-informed education sector planning and targeted policy development, ensuring full national ownership, dedicated attention to each sub-sector, to cross-cutting issues of resilience, climate change, gender, equity, efficiency, learning outcomes, and the most marginalized, including children with disabilities, and maximizing alignment with Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP) guidelines, while ensuring relevance to context.  Education sector planning will be driven by risk-informed and climate smart principles as well as the Education Transformation agenda, in line with each country’s priorities.  

Technical support to smaller countries. UNICEF Pacific is active in a number of smaller countries without or with minimal UNICEF presence and yet that have unique vulnerabilities and opportunities for educational improvement that cannot be ignored. This requires longer in-country missions and dedicated support to the Ministries in planning and overseeing education services, who rely on authoritative but also responsive technical support in these areas.

Regional partnerships, fora and workshops, and Pacific-Pacific collaboration. This will include technical leadership and support to the UNICEF Pacific team to effectively lead the Pacific Inclusive Education Taskforce, engage in coordination on climate resilient schools, contribute to Wansolwara cross-country learning, and maximize coordination, engagement and synergies with regional partners and partnerships in support of Pacific Island countries, including PacREF, the Pacific Education Cluster, IA Fono, CROP HRD/PHES and any other regional partnerships. This also includes promoting multi-country and Pacific-Pacific collaborations.  

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in education, economics, psychology, sociology, public policy or another relevant technical field.

Experience & Skills:

• A minimum of ten years of professional experience in strategic programme and sector analysis planning, management, and/or research within the field of education.
• Experience working in education in the Pacific required.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of the local language is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/578210