Consultancy – Education Research Consultant (Education Decentralization) – Data Must Speak (DMS) – Global Office of Research and Foresight – approx. 230 working days (Remote/Work from home)

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, answers 

Data and evidence are critical for understanding and improving the performance and equity of education systems. Despite increased investments in Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and learning assessments by countries and development partners, data and evidence remain vastly underutilized in education policy, planning, and decision-making at all levels.

Further research is needed to determine “what works” in improving data-driven policymaking and “how” to better align data and policy systems, particularly at the middle-tier level—a key bridge between national policy and school-level practices. The middle tier plays a critical role in translating national policies into actionable practices at the school level, influencing learning outcomes, equity, and inclusion. However, there is a significant research gap regarding how the middle tier uses data and evidence to inform education policymaking.

Data Must Speak to Strengthen Capacity and Advance Local Evidence Use (DMS SCALE) is designed to fill this evidence gap by fostering greater national ownership of knowledge derived from existing education data. The initiative collaborates with Ministries of Education (MoE) in Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and Nepal to: (1) Align policy priorities with existing data; (2) Address key questions on learning, gender equality, equity, and inclusion outcomes and; (3) Harness data from local levels, such as school inspections and instructional supervision.

DMS SCALE employs experimental research methodologies to investigate evidence-based decision-making processes, including robust testing of knowledge co-production, mobilization, and dissemination approaches that could support data use and harmonization at central and local levels.

How can you make a difference? 

The Data Must Speak (DMS) Education Research Consultant (Education Decentralization) will:

•Lead the technical design, co-creation, and implementation of interventions to be rigorously tested within up to four DMS SCALE participating countries.
•Provide technical assistance to the DMS SCALE research team and partner Ministries of Education on supporting improvements in the use of data and evidence at the middle tier.
•Draft policy-relevant research outputs tailored to various audiences.
•Engage in co-creation and dissemination activities in collaboration with Ministries of Education, UNICEF Country Offices, and Regional Offices. 

In partnership with Ministries of Education, UNICEF Country Offices, and Regional Offices—and in collaboration with other DMS researchers (including quantitative and qualitative consultants)—the consultant will:

• Provide overall technical support and guidance to the DMS research team (incl. other quantitative research consultants) on knowledge dissemination interventions to be robustly tested.
• Understand the roles and responsibilities as well as best practices related to education middle-tier stakeholders (region, district, circuit actors) and their use of data for decision-making.
• Lead the co-creation and design of knowledge dissemination interventions, together with selected Ministries of Education and development partners.
• Organize the country-level piloting of those contextualized interventions and ensure lessons learned and best practices are fed back into their finalization.
• Support the DMS research team in finalizing country-specific sampling strategies, including power calculations, sample sizes, and considerations for attrition and contamination, based on interventions.
• Work alongside other DMS research team members to develop and refine research methodologies, timelines and work plans at country-level.
• Train Ministries of Education and UNICEF Country Offices in research uptake, dissemination strategies, and knowledge management activities through workshops and learning-by-doing activities.
• Draft country, regional, and global reports aligned with UNICEF Innocenti’s Quality Assurance processes.
• Develop dissemination products, including blog posts, presentations, and social media content, tailored to diverse audiences.
• Support donor reporting requirements and ensure research findings are accessible to decision-makers at all levels.
• Collaborate with the DMS research team and managers to refine and improve DMS SCALE methodologies using iterative processes.
• Contribute to activities that promote the use of research findings by policymakers and education stakeholders.

If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  Education Research Consultant (Education Decentralization) Data Must Speak (DMS) EXT.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in education, economics, social sciences, political sciences, international development, or related field.
• Minimum of three years of professional experience at national or international levels in international education, economics, development research, or a related field. Experience in Global South contexts is an asset.
• Good knowledge of education decentralization or deconcentration processes as well as familiarity with middle-tier education stakeholders.
• Strong grasp of administrative data (e.g., EMIS, examinations, household surveys) and data flows between central and decentralized education systems.
• Some experience with (quasi-)experimental research design, including designing interventions for treatment groups and addressing methodological challenges (e.g., spillover, attrition).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially in translating research findings for policymaking and stakeholder engagement. Experience supporting knowledge management or research uptake activities is highly valued.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively as part of a team and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, transparency, and accountability.
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural and multi-ethnic environments.
• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Experience working within the UN system or other international development organizations on education sector research is an asset.

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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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.