Learning Passport Monitoring & Evaluation Consultant/PG/Education Section NYHQ home-based/Req#581097
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Job no: 581097
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: New York
Level: Consultancy
Location: United States
Categories: Education
About UNICEF
If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.
BACKGROUND
Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:
The Education Strategy (2019-30) ‘Every Child Learns’ identifies innovation as one of six programmatic approaches that has the potential to disrupt the conventional pace of expansion of education inputs and enable the improvement of learning. The Learning Passport (LP) is the flagship Digital Learning Programme of UNICEF, developed as a partnership between UNICEF and Microsoft. The Learning Passport delivers digital learning experiences to children around the world, in both connected and unconnected environments with 6m+ learners across 35+ countries, each with specific content needs and support.
The scale of the LP has created a surge in demand for technical assistance on programme monitoring and data analysis. This demand comes from Learning Passport implementing Country Offices (COs), Regional Offices (ROs), and HQ business units. The increased organizational focus on digital learning, specifically through the varying implementations of the Learning Passport, requires sustained technical capacity within the global team to meet the consistent and growing demands from implementing parties and the global Learning Passport user base. The global LP team wants to systemize evidence generation systems for the LP to understand what works, and under which conditions, as a priority activity that would accelerate the journey from the what to the how to improve learning outcomes.
Scope of Work:
Scope of Work:
Under the guidance of the Education Specialist (LP Global Program Manager), the consultant will support monitoring and evaluation of the programme, provide technical assistance for LP research, evidence generation, evaluation(s), and policy, and support LP Country and Regional Offices with strategic planning and implementation reflecting UNICEF's education priorities.
The consultant will also focus on providing technical support in programme design and development of fit-for-purpose monitoring (including real-time monitoring), and evidence generation methods. This requires design and implementation of Learning Passport’s M&E framework with countries, managing Learning Passport’s data system, analysis and reporting, and using quasi-experimental and experimental methods to generate evidence for the programme.
Key functions/Accountabilities:
- Provide technical support to LP country offices and implementing partners on programme design, monitoring, measurement, evaluation, and reporting aspects.
- Design and implement M&E systems for Learning Passport programmes at the global, regional, and country level to inform programme decisions and improve reporting.
- Develop, maintain, and improve LP and associated brand entities’ information management system, databases, data quality assurance protocols and mechanisms with UNICEF central ICTD team.
- Manage key evidence generation components at the global, regional, and country level including:
- developing theories of change and programme indictors for the global programme and for country offices
- documenting programme processes including costing estimates for the programme
- developing potential mixed methods evidence generation plans with country offices
- drafting data collection tools and code/template for data analysis
- coordinate with internal UNICEF teams for internal programme reviews and impact evaluations
- coordinate with UNICEF data protection and legal teams for safe data policies and use.
5. Manage global and country level measurement of results for the Learning Passport program including country-specific dashboards, visualizations and reporting for LP annual and donor specific reports. Share findings from program data with countries for program monitoring and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
6.Produce LP data and evidence products to expand learning from the programme, and disseminate recommendations and lessons learned to country and regional offices, partners and donors.
7. Develop, maintain, and improve LP and associated brand entities’ information management systems, databases, data quality assurance protocols and mechanisms with UNICEF central ICTD team.
8. Maintain data safety and privacy documentation for the LP in collaboration with internal and external legal and data protection teams, including establishing procedures and guardrails for safe and secure usage.
Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:
Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline
1. Programme monitoring and reporting
- Conduct data analysis of global LP data for LP 6 month and annual report 2025 including an aggregate global dashboard on Power BI
- Maintain up-to-date dashboards on Power BI for key LP countries to ensure program monitoring and tracking of results
- Provide technical support and approximately 3 to 4 capacity building activities for country offices and implementing data use and reporting
30 June 2025
31 July 2025
29 August 2025
30 September 2025
30 October 2025
2. Evidence generation
- Draft two case studies (approximately 5 to 10 pages in length) on LP implementation and results, developed in collaboration with country offices
- Create detailed guidance and a workplan with the Office of Evaluation and Office of Innovation for internal program review and evaluation
- Develop evidence generation plans with at least two country offices implementing the LP with detailed workplans, research methods, and analysis plan
30 June 2025
31 July 2025
29 August 2025
30 September 2025
30 October 2025
3. Data sharing and use
- Draft safe data sharing and use template agreements for implementing partners drafted in partnership with the office of data protection (DAPM) and Legal
- Develop and maintain LP databases with UNICEF ICTD team, support troubleshooting, and develop improved database functionalities
30 June 2025
31 July 2025
29 August 2025
30 September 2025
30 October 2025
Qualifications
Education:
- Advanced university degree in one of the following fields: economics, education, social sciences, statistics, public policy or another related field.
- Significant coursework in economics and statistics highly preferred.
- A first university degree in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. A combined minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in relation to the key functions of the assignment
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:
- Five years of relevant professional experience in relation to the key functions of the assignment[AA1] [VG2] including applied research, evidence and data-driven decision making.
- Experience in Educational Technology enterprise deployments.
- Experience in research and M&E design and implementation in development or protracted conflict contexts desirable.
- Experience in interfacing with UNICEF Country Offices, governments, and technical counterparts to achieve programmatic results.
- Proven analytical skills and knowledge of common statistics software packages (e.g., STATA, R)
- Proven use of data visualization software such as Power BI, Tableau
- Knowledge of children’s data protection and safety guidelines, especially for digital education products and services
- Experience in managing large rounds of data collection including experience developing digital data collection tools using common online / offline data collection packages (e.g., ODK, Kobo, Survey CTO) highly desirable.
- Experience in working with large digital education datasets and running queries in SQL.
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills to work effectively with a team that is geographically dispersed.
- Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
- Experience with the Learning Passport is considered an asset.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset
Requirements:
Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and
- Upload copy of academic credentials
- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
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- the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
- travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
- Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
- Indicate your availability
- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
U.S. Visa information:
With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here
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:
Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.
Advertised: Eastern Daylight Time
Deadline: Eastern Daylight Time