Contract Duration: 6 Months

Working arrangement: Office Based

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

As part of its efforts to support the coordination of foundational learning in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Education, through the Director of Basic Education, has requested UNICEF to support the development of the FLN Policy for Nigeria. This will build on the identified gaps in the FLN Landscape analysis and other evidence on FLN implementation across the states. The consultant will also work with FME, State governments, and partners to map the number and location of nonformal learning centers.

To support these requests from FME, UNICEF seeks a national consultant to undertake the work which will contribute to UNICEF’s country programme for 2026 – 2027.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File TMC0004292 External ToR.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Masters in Education Development, Foundational Learning, Sustainable development, Education Policy, Teacher Training, International Relations, or related field

Work Experience:

• Demonstrated strong working knowledge and experience in current global issues and best practices in Education.

• Proven experience supporting government-led education reforms in any Sub-Saharan Africa region or a similar context to Nigeria.

• A minimum of 8 years of experience on improving learning quality, ideally with a focus on curriculum or learning materials development, teacher professional development, quality pedagogy and teaching and learning approaches in basic education.

• Demonstrable experience supporting the development, implementation and scale-up of effective approaches for improving learning quality, ideally focused on developing and rolling out quality, curriculum-aligned content for basic education focused on foundational literacy and numeracy.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in education sector planning and strategy development, particularly on out-of-school programming in Nigeria or similar context.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience translating evidence for and communicating with a broad range of actors (including government) on sensitive issues. 

• Proven experience of the FLN landscape ideally in SubSaharan Africa and Nigeria specifically.

• Familiarity with competency-based education standards and instructional design in low-resource or multilingual settings

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the Nigerian political landscape and recent developments in education.

• Familiarity with the Nigerian education context will be considered an asset.

• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies.

• A good understanding of UNICEF’s programmatic areas.

• Ability to work to tight timeframes and flexibility to adjust to needs of government and UNICEF

• Ability to present ideas concisely for diverse audiences and to give practical, actionable advice grounded in evidence.

• Strong writing skills

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal TMC0004292 Financial proposal.xlsx

Remarks:

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

National Consultant for the Development of FLN Policy and Implementation Plan, Education section, Abuja, Nigeria, 6 months, Office based