Consultant - Nigeria, Education, UNICEF Hosted Funds, EOF, remote. Req#585744

The consultant will provide expert contextual understanding and local expertise on basic education in Lagos State Nigeria. The consultant will also leverage their network to mobilize a coalition of public and private actors to support the design and launch of an outcomes fund in the state. In addition, the consultant will play an active role in supporting EOF’s fundraising efforts with government and Nigerian philanthropy, and in strengthening EOF’s in-country engagement and visibility to ensure sustained stakeholder support for the programme.

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 fordeveloping 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.

Consultancy: Consultant – Nigeria, Education

Duty Station: UNICEF Hosted Funds, Education Outcomes Fund

Duration: 01 December 2025 – 31 March 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

The consultant will provide expert contextual understanding and local expertise on basic education in Lagos State Nigeria. The consultant will also leverage their network to mobilize a coalition of public and private actors to support the design and launch of an outcomes fund in the state. In addition, the consultant will play an active role in supporting EOF’s fundraising efforts with government and Nigerian philanthropy, and in strengthening EOF’s in-country engagement and visibility to ensure sustained stakeholder support for the programme.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will help EOF to bring their existing model of outcomes-based financing to address the needs of out-of-school (OOS) children in Lagos State Nigeria.

The consultant will play a key role in engaging with government and other stakeholders to sustain momentum for the programme, build political and institutional buy-in, and facilitate effective collaboration with governance structures. This will include engagement with the wider education ecosystem, including the Lagos State Government, Federal Government, providers, and other relevant partners.

In addition, the consultant will provide active support to EOF’s fundraising efforts in Nigeria. This will include contributing to the mapping of potential donors, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and philanthropic actors, supporting the development and implementation of EOF’s fundraising and engagement strategy, preparing inputs for proposals, notes, and briefings, and facilitating meetings to advance discussions and build momentum with government and philanthropic stakeholders. The consultant will also strengthen EOF’s in-country engagement by actively promoting EOF’s work in Nigeria, representing the programme in stakeholder meetings and events, and embedding the outcomes fund within the local education and policy context. 

Finally, the consultant’s understanding of the regulatory framework at state and federal level will also be valuable, providing insights into how existing policies can be leveraged to implement innovative financing models effectively.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

1.  Contribute technical advice to inform the finalisation of the design phase for an out-of-school outcomes fund in basic education by advising on country context, stakeholder mapping, viability, and rationale for using OBF, and recommendations for the design of the outcomes partnership

-  Deliverable 1: EOF’s request for proposal document for implementing partners, for the outcomes-fund in Lagos reviewed and edited

31 March 2026

2.  Support EOF’s fundraising and investment efforts in Nigeria by mapping potential donors, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and philanthropic actors, supporting the development of an engagement strategy, and providing practical inputs such as notes, briefings, and coordination  support for engagement with government and philanthropic stakeholders. Support EOF’s fundraising and investment efforts in Nigeria by mapping potential donors, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and philanthropic actors, supporting the development of an engagement strategy, and providing practical inputs such as notes, briefings, and coordination support for engagement with government and philanthropic stakeholders

- Deliverable 2:  Support EOF’s fundraising efforts in Nigeria:

• Develop a donor and investor map of relevant HNWIs and philanthropies in Nigeria.
• Develop an engagement strategy of estimated 5 pages for approaching relevant donors in Nigeria.
• Attend an estimated 8 meetings of approximately 60 minutes with relevant donors and contribute technically to the discussion. 2-page contact report per meeting

31 March 2026

3.  Support the organization with missions from EOF teams to Nigeria, with a particular focus on liaising with the Government on logistics for the launch of the programme, as well as providing direct support with logistical arrangements. This will also involve identifying stakeholders to meet, managing invitations and confirmations, organizing technical workshops in collaboration with EOF teams, consulting with providers and experts in preparation for the workshops, and preparing notes/reports with the main takeaways from the workshops and technical meetings.

- Deliverable 3: Support with the travel of EOF’s team to Lagos. An estimate 2 trips of 5 working days each:

• Develop and implement a meeting schedule with relevant local stakeholders.
• Prepare 10-slide PPT decks for an estimated 3 total workshops (each lasting 2 hours)

31 March 2026

4.  Engage with the wider education ecosystem in Nigeria by conducting stakeholder mapping, liaising with Lagos State and Federal Government counterparts, and supporting efforts to define key objectives for national buy-in to the outcomes fund

-  Deliverable 4: Develop a stakeholder engagement plan of the education ecosystem in Lagos State (estimated 5 pages). Support EOF with its implementation by attending an estimate 15 meetings of 90 minutes each to provide technical guidance

31 March 2026

Qualifications

Education:

• A master’s degree in political science, economics, finance, business, education, international development, international public policy, or a related field, is required.
• A bachelor’s degree will be accepted with an additional 2 years’ experience.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in education, international development, public policy, programme management.
• Extensive experience working in the education sector and development sectors in Nigeria.
• Experience working with donors and government in Lagos state.

Desired Requirements

• Experience working with Out of School Children in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Experience drafting fundraising proposals, particularly in relation to international development funding

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

• • 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.

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.