Individual Contractor at UNICEF

Job Description
How can you make a difference?

• This consultancy aims to better enable UNICEF to deliver on intended results and to support the State Government of Edo to institutionalize effective approaches for education continuity and skills development.

Under the supervision of the Education Manager, the consultant will be responsible for the following to support achievement of better learning outcomes and adolescents’ skills development to transition to the world of work:

• Support the efforts to ensure harmonized coordination in addressing the learning crisis and improving foundational literacy and numeracy acquisition, in consultation with the Edo State Ministry of Education and the different development partners.
• Support the integration of the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) at state level which will enable data generation that could lead to improved and more effective education planning and administration.
• Support with the setting up and guide on the implementation of the learning assessment community within the state
• Provide capacity strengthening, technical support and guidance to Edo State on connectivity, digital literacy, job-specific skills development, and alternative skills development pathways for young people, to align with GenU 9JA initiative, with a specific focus on YOMA.
• Lead the development and management of a network on adolescent skills development among key partners in Edo State, including the public and private sector, youth-led networks and academia, for exchanging best practices and strengthening the relevance of skills development to labour market needs.
• Conduct a mapping on adolescent skills development which identifies: (i) the skills needed for effective transition from learning to earning; (ii) existing and potential partnerships that are addressing/could address these skills; (iii) potential new initiatives for and by young people (Youth-led initiatives), with a focus on life skills; and (iv) remaining gaps and needs
• Lead the development of a state- and local-level framework to guide the identification and implementation of innovative, cost-effective partnerships for digital and job-specific skills development onboard different digital platforms including GenU 9JA YOMA and linkages to work, with a focus on skills for girls and guided by UNICEF’s Learning Agenda .
• Provide technical and operational expertise to support the establishment of strategic partnerships for skills development and linkages to work for Edo State including through GenU 9JA, as well as ongoing work by other development partners, such as the World Bank.
• Scope possibilities for and coordinate activities on leveraging existing resources, such as those developed by the World Bank, to offer alternative pathways to skills development and empowerment, particularly for young girls and including through digital technology. For example, this might involve exploring opportunities to leverage Learning Passport in Edo State to strengthen teachers’ capacities for implementing the life skills, digital skills and employability content currently available through the World Bank’s Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project as well as ensure the provision of YOMA in digital hubs, in and out of schools.
• Building on the above-outlined partnerships, support the identification of additional strategic partnerships with the public, private sectors, youth-led initiatives and academic institutions for the provision of entrepreneurship training, apprenticeships, mentoring and 21st-century/job-specific skills development opportunities.
• Develop a results framework and indicators for the above activities, including methodological guidelines for the collection of data against the indicators and, using the framework, support the monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation.
• Further support the generation of evidence (e.g., documenting of practices, stakeholder interviews, data collection, case studies) on programme effectiveness and effective practices for engaging young people in skills development opportunities and linkages to work.

Qualifications
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

•  A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in education programme design and implementation, specifically in non-formal and formal education design and delivery, teacher training, and/or e-learning
• At least 2 years of proven experience in project management, programme design and implementation, and programme coordination involving multiple stakeholders
• A minimum of 2 years working experience in large-scale deployment of skills development programmes
• Proven experience coordinating the engagement of private sector, government, and adolescents in project delivery
• Strong knowledge of the Nigerian political and educational context and understanding of development issues, especially for marginalized populations.

Other Skills and Attributes:

• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies would be an asset
• A good understanding of UNICEF’s programmatic areas, namely Education (especially Education in Emergencies), social policy and child protection
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Consultant should be at ease in presentations and meetings with different high-level stakeholders and officials
• Demonstrated ability and experience in coordination and supervisions is required.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organization, more specifically with Ministry of Education and other education institutions.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent oral and written communication in English is required.