National/International consultancy to support the improvement of coordination and instruments of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Group of Partners and to prepare the review of the Partnership Compact for Education, Sao Tome and Principe, NOC/P3

The objective of this work is to support the revitalization of the LEG, led by the MECCES, under the technical coordination of UNICEF as the Lead Partner for Education, making it more robust and effective in terms of operationalizing its functioning mechanisms and ensuring more efficient and effective coordination.

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, Hope 

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, through the Ministry of Education (MoE), has set as its main goal to ensure quality education for all students. This vision aligns with national education policy documents, which recognize education as a strategic lever for transforming mindsets. Through the development of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes, the aim is to prepare citizens to face, competently and competitively, the national and international challenges posed by globalization. In addition, the Ministry of Education aims to ensure equitable access to education and learning for all, with special attention to the most vulnerable groups. The education policy also emphasizes the need to redouble efforts to improve the quality of teaching at all levels. The success of implementing these policies relies on effective coordination strategies, particularly with the Local Education Group (LEG). This group is composed of representatives from the government, organized civil society, NGOs, diplomatic missions, and the teachers' union as Development Partners. Its role is essential to ensure alignment and coherence of interventions in the education sector. Given the importance of the LEG in effectively coordinating efforts to improve literacy, life skills, and lifelong learning, key elements for enhancing the living conditions of children, youth, and adult, it is imperative to closely monitor its progress, performance, and outcomes. This monitoring provides a valuable foundation for policy development and strategic planning.

The effective implementation of education policies therefore requires a multisectoral approach, in which different stakeholders play complementary roles by providing resources and technical support, promoting coordination among themselves, and optimizing both human and financial resources. Despite some progress in terms of transparency in coordinating interventions, the results still fall short of expectations. To date, beyond meetings focused on mobilizing resources for the education sector, the LEG has mainly been involved in the context of joint reviews of education policy documents. This highlights the need to strengthen its role and broaden its participation in the monitoring and implementation of policies. In this context, UNICEF, as a key partner and under the leadership of the Deputy Representative, recognizes the importance of strengthening the coordination of the LEG and improving its effectiveness in the education sector. To this end, a consultant will be appointed to promote transparency, information sharing, and effective monitoring of the interventions of various partners, ensuring tangible results, and enhancing the HUMAN RESOURCES United Nations Children’s Fund LEG’s capacity for more strategic action in support of the Ministry of Education, including advocacy for sustained investment and commitment to education. 

The objective of this work is to support the revitalization of the LEG, led by the MECCES, under the technical coordination of UNICEF as the Lead Partner for Education, making it more robust and effective in terms of operationalizing its functioning mechanisms and ensuring more efficient and effective coordination. More specifically, the assignment will aim to:

• Strengthen the Ministry of Education’s capacity to monitor, coordinate, and communicate the various strategic actions and activities outlined in the annual/triennial budgeted action plans, which are financed by the Government and various development partners through education sector investment programs and projects.
• Support the Ministry of Education in identifying, preparing, and conducting additional sectoral analyses and studies to address existing information and knowledge gaps.
• Support the Ministry of Education in carrying out joint sectoral analyses. 

How can you make a difference? 

The recruited individual will provide consultancy services to the Ministry of Education and to UNICEF, in its role as Lead Partner for Education.

More specifically, the consultant will be expected to carry out the following tasks:

• Map the partners and their interventions across different areas of education and geographic regions to ensure effective coordination of projects, programs, and funding in an integrated manner, in order to avoid duplication and maximize resources.
• Conduct a review of the Terms of Reference (ToR) and Internal Regulations of the LEG Committee(s), including actions related to resource mobilization, monitoring and oversight of the Education Sector Plan, and coordination of interventions (activities and funding) among partners.
• Support the creation and functioning of coordination mechanisms and the development of tools for coordination work—e.g., proposed meeting agendas, tools for updating the partner mapping, PowerPoint templates for partners to present their work, etc.—that contribute to improved coordination and sectoral review of policy documents with partners, in line with their mission and responsibilities.
• Support the organization of tools to facilitate Joint Sector Reviews (JSRs) by promoting an inclusive and participatory approach that ensures the reviews are properly prepared and followed up to achieve the expected results. Develop strategies to support coordination among LEG members in managing and processing reports and other documents produced—such as the aide-memoire developed during the process and ensure their dissemination to the technical groups and subgroups to be defined in the ToR.
• Work with the technical team of the Planning and Educational Innovation Office of the Ministry of Education, and other sectors, relevant departments and the UNICEF Education Section to prepare the sectoral review of the Partnership Compact and the evaluation report.

Under the supervision of the Chief of the UNICEF Education Section:

• Establish and maintain strong and professional working relationships with government counterparts and LEG members, ensuring regular communication on updates, developments, and challenges related to the functioning of the LEG. This includes rigorous monitoring and evaluation of HUMAN RESOURCES United Nations Children’s Fund the budgeted annual and triennial action plans to ensure effective coordination, greater transparency, and data-driven decision-making.
• Ensure that meetings are thoroughly organized and methodically prepared, adopting dynamic and interactive strategies that encourage active participation from all stakeholders. It will also be necessary to ensure that all LEG tools, as well as the steering system, are tested in real operational contexts to assess their relevance and effectiveness. These tools should then be jointly validated by the LEG and the Ministry of Education, thereby ensuring their alignment with national priorities and sector needs.

If you would like to know more about this position and deliverables outlined, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TDR Education- National_International consultancy to support the improvement of coordination and instruments of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).pdf

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

• Master's degree in education, social sciences, or another technical field related to human
• development. 
• A minimum of 5 years of national and/or international professional experience in the field of planning coordination, public administration management, monitoring, and evaluation of projects/programs in the field of education.
• Proven ability to work with government agencies in planning, monitoring, and evaluating education systems, identifying problems, providing technical support, building consensus, and finding solutions, as well as coordination skills.
• Excellent technical skills and a proven ability to produce high-quality reports, concept notes, and terms of reference.
• Excellent organizational, research, and oral communication skills.
• Good knowledge of SBC strategies, communication to facilitate the working group.
• Professional experience at UNICEF or other United Nations agencies will be considered an advantage.
• Fluency in Portuguese is a requirement; French and/or English is an advantage

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.