Consultant on strengthening equitable financing of early childhood education and care services (ECEC), Astana, Kazakhstan

UNICEF Kazakhstan Country Office is looking for Consultant on strengthening equitable financing of early childhood education and care services (ECEC)

Duration: the envisioned duration of the consultancy is for 6 months from January to July 2025. The actual duration of the assignment and schedule of activities will be agreed upon with the selected consultant based on the proposed implementation plan. The total working days is 50 days within 6 months period.
Workplace: In-country visit and home-based with scheduled communication with the supervisor and the education programme team
Modality: part-time

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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, a fair chance

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 Background (ECEC Consultant).docx

Purpose of the assignment
UNICEF Kazakhstan is looking for a consultant to support the Ministry of Education in Kazakhstan for strengthening equitable financing of early childhood education and care services (ECEC). This consultancy aims to support evidence generation, development of recommendations, tools, national capacity building in close dialogue with the Ministry of Education for the improvement of current financing modalities of pre-school services for children, informed by the income of the households and data on regional disparities, the design and implementation of the pre-school services.

 Scope of Work (ECEC Consultant).docx

Work Assignment Overview

1. Task/Milestone: Evidence generation
a. Conduct a desk review of current international and national approaches, regulatory framework, national design and implementation, case studies (Germany, Singapore) and tools to equitable financing of ECEC using voucher system or mixed methods, identify the main bottlenecks;
b. Conduct at least 10-12 face-to-face interviews with decision makers and practitioners from central, regional levels, public and private kindergartens, mini-centers to solicit their view on the financing, regulatory framework, design and implementation, and case studies;
c. Share findings and provide recommendations for further improvement, with focus on equity, quality, inclusion, and gender;
d. Develop a final report and a policy brief;
e. Conduct policy dialogue with counterparts.
Deliverable/Output:
a. Completed chapter of the report with the desk review of current international and national approaches, regulatory framework, design and implementation, case studies (Germany, Singapore) and tools to equitable financing of ECEC, available country models in social protection and health using voucher system or mixed methods, identify the main bottlenecks (January 2025);
b. Conducted at least 10-12 face-to-face interviews with decision makers and practitioners from central, regional levels, public and private kindergartens (February 2025);
c. Prepared consolidated report with the results of the desk review, interviews, findings and recommendations (February 2025);
d. Conducted policy dialogue with counterparts, validated findings and recommendations for further improvement, with focus on equity, quality, inclusion, and gender responsiveness (February 2025).
e. Completed final report and a policy brief (March 2025)
Timeline: January -March 2025, estimated 35 days

2. Tasks/Milestones: Tools for testing and capacity development
a. Adapt tools selected in consultation with national experts that would reinforce an equitable financing, design and implementation of ECEC;
b. Conduct a one-day training workshop for experts on equitable financing and use of tools;
c. Summarise the flow of discussion and way forward with the tools testing.
Deliverable/Output:
a. Adapted in consultation with national experts tools that would reinforce an equitable financing, design and implementation of ECEC (March 2025);
b. Conducted one-day training workshop for experts on equitable financing, design and implementation and use of tools (April 2025);
Summarised notes on the results of discussion and way forward with the tools testing and other policy recommendations after the workshop (July 2025).
Timeline: March – July 2025, estimated 15 days

2 international travels, DSA for 10 days

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
• Education: an advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in financing, public policy, education, social sciences, or related field.
• Experience:
Technical competencies:
- At least 5-8 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in public financing and budgeting, especially in the education sector.
- Specific expertise on equitable financing for children particularly in education is an asset.
- Familiarity with ECEC planning and budgeting is an asset
- Good knowledge of Europe and Central Asia context is an asset
- Experience engaging with senior government officials and various development partners at the national and international levels;
- High analytical and conceptual ability and report writing skills;
- Ability to work within the international and multicultural environment, excellent interpersonal skills.
Skills and competencies:
- Very good communication and presentation skills to handle competing messages and priorities with multiple audiences;
- Strong familiarity with the cultural and political context of the region, including early childhood education and care sector reforms, policy and budgeting;
- Proven capacity to work with collaborative teams across different locations and with different technical skills;
- Fluency in English, knowledge of Russian or Kazakh is an asset;
- Previous experience with UNICEF or the UN is an advantage.

Evaluation criteria:
A) Technical Evaluation (70 Points)
- Consultant’s profile (qualifications, relevance of experience and skills)
- Expertise in early childhood education and care systems planning and budgeting: The candidate should have experience in conducting budget reviews with the focus on equity in early childhood education, policy development, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the system and national and international trends in early childhood education and care financing.
- Experience in facilitating dialogue with national counterparts on PFM
- Experience in conducting training on PFM tools training:
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills to consult with relevant stakeholders and organise various consultative events.

B) Financial Proposal (30 Points)
- Candidates must submit a financial proposal for the whole assignment based on these Terms of Reference. The financial proposal should clearly state the cost of the services for each Deliverables/Outputs.

Application requirements:
The consultancy is also open to individual national applicants (nationals of Kazakhstan).
Applicants are required to provide:
- Detailed CV
- Cover letter, highlighting relevant experience (maximum 500 words)
- Financial proposal either as i) daily fee as well as the total fee for the whole assignment OR budget by deliverables. The financial proposal should also explicitly indicate travel costs. Travel costs will be pre-approved by UNICEF as per the UNICEF rules and regulations for travel for consultants i.e., irrespective of the distance and duration of the flight, most direct and economy flight ticket shall apply.

For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (https://www.unicef.org/about/unicef-culture)

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. 

Completion of the UN/UNICEF mandatory trainings is obligatory upon commencement of the contract.

All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and that UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future. This ToR is an integral part of the contract (SSA) to be signed with the consultant.

Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.