Education à United States

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Classification of duty station : [[filter12]]

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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) : 16-FEB-2025

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

As the only specialized semi-autonomous organization with the mandate to support educational policy, planning and management, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) plays a unique role within the United Nations system. IIEP was established in 1963 as an integral part of UNESCO. It supports ministries of education around the world and other key actors to plan and manage education systems through its programmes of training, technical assistance, policy research and knowledge sharing.

1. About the consultancy

The IIEP Education Finance cluster, which sits under the Technical cooperation team, helps UNESCO Member States manage their education funding more effectively. We provide i) technical support and training to education and finance ministries to improve how they gather, distribute, and utilize financial resources, ii) research and analysis on education financing best practices, and iii) tools and methods to better understand and evaluate education costs. Our goal is to strengthen national education systems by promoting efficient, equitable financial management.

As part of its 2025 workplan, the Education finance cluster is looking for a senior consultant to support its diverse portfolio of country-facing projects and knowledge production for a duration of 5 months between end February and July 2025. The consultant will be mainly tasked with supporting the following two activities.

i) Support the IIEP-AFD-GPE global report on aid effectiveness in the education sector

In direct partnership with Agence Française de Développement and Global Partnership for Education, is undertaking a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Paris Declaration principles in the education sector over the past twenty years (2005-2025). This review comes at a critical juncture when education financing faces severe constraints, yet the principles of aid effectiveness remain highly relevant to today's development challenges, particularly in the education sector. The study aims to examine how the Paris Declaration's principles of aid effectiveness have been implemented in the education sector, identify good practices, analyze obstacles encountered, and explore their relevance for emerging financing instruments.

As part of this assignment, the consultant will be specifically responsible for the following tasks :

• Support the finalization and deployment of the research protocol developed specifically for the report, including the conduct of semi-structured interviews.
• Collaborate with the consultants in charge of producing the case studies by providing oral and written feedback to preliminary drafts of the case studies.
• Support the drafting of the report, by providing original written inputs based on qualitative and quantitative data analyses and synthesis of the literature on the topic of aid effectiveness in the education sector.
• Support strategic monitoring about the report in connection with the major events planned for 2025 to anticipate opportunities for dissemination and promotion of the report.
• Participate in regular meetings with technical and financial partners who support the preparation of this report.

ii) Support the upcoming education public expenditure review in Guinée-Conakry

IIEP has been selected by the Government of Guinea and its development partners to provide technical support on 3 activities : a review of public expenditure (PER) in the education and training sector, a mid-term evaluation of the sector plan (ProDEG), and an update of the latter, including a simulation model and a results framework. The consultant will be primarily responsible for supporting the PER which is expected to be conducted between March and August 2025. More specifically the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks :

• Support data collection and analysis for at least two chapters of the PER including on macro-fiscal framework and PFM contexts, and the analysis of equity and efficiency of education spending in Guinea.
• Support the write-up of two chapters aforementioned.

The consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs :

• At least 20 semi-structured interviews conducted in direct collaboration with IIEP.
• Written feedback provided for at least two preliminary drafts of the case studies.
• Attend at 3 technical meetings with the technical and financial partners who support the preparation of this report.
• Finalization of at least two chapters of the report including one on systematic review of the literature on aid effectiveness and another on qualitative data analysis.
• Finalization of two chapters including on macro-fiscal framework and PFM contexts and public financing of education, and the analysis of equity and efficiency of education spending in Guinea.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

Accountability (C)

Communication (C)

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)

Planning and organizing (C)

Results focus (C)

Teamwork (C)

Professionalism (C)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced degree (Master’s minimum) in economics / political science / international development / public financial management, or related fields.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in international development, public financial management or education economics with specific expertise in education sector financing.
• Demonstrated understanding of education sector planning and budgeting processes.
• Strong knowledge of international cooperation and development financing instruments and mechanisms.
• Excellent policy research and analytical skills, including quantitative analytical skills, as shown by prior substantive contributions to policy reports and / or academic publications.
• Strong interview and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Excellent drafting skills, including the ability to translate data insights into simple narrative / papers.

Language

• Strong command of both French and English (written and spoken).

3. Timeframe and supervisory arrangements

This is a full-time contract starting on 24 February 2025 and ending on 25 July 2025 . This consultancy will be remote / home-based, with possibility to work in IIEP office in Paris. He / she will report to the Education Finance Lead.

4. Application Process

Candidates who meet the required qualifications are invited to send : i) a technical proposal outlining approach and methodology, ii) a financial proposal, and iii) a CV highlighting relevant experience to [emailprotected] by 16 February 2025. The subject line of the email should be "IIEP Consultancy : Education Finance, 5 months" .

All materials produced under this consultancy will become the property of the commissioning organization. The consultant will ensure proper attribution of all sources and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

Only retained candidates will be contacted.

Payment is conditional on the completion of the monthly tasks as assigned by the lead of the IIEP Education Finance Cluster and the satisfactory submission of the deliverables within the deadlines defined above, unless otherwise agreed with the project leader.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an online 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.