Consultant
Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)
Duty Station: Hamburg
Job Family: Education
Type of contract : Non Staff
Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months
Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 27.06.2025
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
1. Background and Context
The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) is located in Hamburg, Germany, and is one of UNESCO’s eight education Institutes. UIL supports Member States in the field of lifelong learning with a focus on learning ecosystems, skills for life and work, and inclusive learning. It pays special attention to UNESCO’s Global Priorities Africa and Gender Equality. Within UNESCO’s broad educational mandate, the mission of the Institute is to promote the recognition of and create the conditions for the exercise of the right to education and learning. The Institute undertakes research, capacity-building, networking and publication on lifelong learning. UIL responds to the concerns of all UNESCO Member States, giving priority to least developed countries.
SOU Capacity Building Workshop
This year, UIL and Shanghai Open University (SOU) are organizing the seventh in a series of workshops on strengthening education systems from a lifelong learning perspective. It will take place from September to October online, and will involve participants from at least 8 countries (5 for Francophone Africa). During each workshop, national teams worked collaboratively on the development of a draft proposal for a country-based policy or strategy to support the process of establishing lifelong learning-oriented education systems.
ESD Capacity Building Workshop
At the local level, UIL is working with UNESCO Learning Cities to support the development, enhancement and implementation of local lifelong learning policies and strategies. This year, its capacity-building activities for cities are principally focusing on fostering Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and lifelong learning for climate action, in the framework of supporting the implementation of the Jubail Commitment to Climate Action in Learning Cities, adopted at the Sixth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 6).
The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC)
The GNLC, coordinated by UIL, is an international, policy-oriented network that provides inspiration, know-how, and examples of best practice. Its mission is to support and accelerate the practice of lifelong learning in cities worldwide by promoting policy dialogue and peer learning among member cities, forging links and fostering partnerships, building capacities for lifelong learning, and developing tools to encourage and recognize progress in building learning cities. The GNLC opened for membership in 2015. Since then, the network has grown to more than 350 member cities across all five UNESCO regions.
...
Purpose of the Consultancy
This consultancy will support UIL in advancing its work on lifelong learning policies and practices at both national and local levels. Through targeted capacity-building and follow-up activities, a junior consultant will contribute to the updating, implementation and evaluation of training programmes—including the hybrid UIL – SOU workshop series and the French edition of the “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Learning Cities” online course—and will assist in coordinating the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). Overall, this consultancy will contribute to UIL’s strategic objective of fostering inclusive and sustainable lifelong learning systems worldwide.
Main duties and responsibilities
Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL, and under the direct supervision of the team leader of the Skills Throughout Life Programme and GNLC Coordinator, the individual consultant will undertake the following main responsibilities:
01: Support the design and implementation of the UIL-SOU capacity-building workshop (CBW)
1.1: Support the translation of the CBW materials into French to ensure maximum accessibility and understanding for French-speaking participants.
1.2: Contribute to the contextualization of the workshop materials (experts, videos, modules, etc.) to ensure they are relevant and tailored to the realities of the participating countries.
1.3: Provide contributions during the preparation of the workshop programme, overseeing content revision and leading the preparation of the workshop participation manual.
1.4: Participate in organizing the logistics and facilitating the workshop, ensuring the smooth execution of activities and the effective management of participants.
1.5: Ensure the follow-up and evaluation of the workshop, including gathering feedback from participants, assessing the impact of the activities, and identifying areas for improvement to inform future capacity-building efforts.
...
02: ESD Capacity building workshop for francophone cities as part of the GNLC Academy.
2.1: Develop a detailed program for the capacity-building workshop, tailored to the region’s identified needs. This includes adapting the content, selecting relevant experts, and defining the workshop’s format, duration and required resources—drawing on the existing materials available on the Learning Hub.
2.2: Organize and implement the capacity-building workshop, ensuring smooth logistical arrangements (registration, scheduling, technical support), and coordinating the contributions of experts and facilitators.
2.3: Review final assignments and assess participants for certification. Provide post-workshop follow-up to assess the impact of the workshop, gather feedback from participants.
...
03: Support the 2025 GNLC Membership Application Process
3.1: Support the review process of applications submitted and endorsed by National Commissions and organize a thorough internal review of applications, using detailed scoring to ensure a fair and transparent evaluation.
3.2: Assist in the communications pertaining to the application review process with the Jury.
3.3: Support the evaluation and selection process.
3.4: Actively participate in organizing the announcement of the results for the selected cities, facilitating the preparation of communications and related events.
...
04: Leveraging the 2024 progress reports for insights
4.1: Actively participate in promoting the Snapshot from the 2024 GNLC progress reports, facilitating the dissemination of key results and encouraging collective reflection within the network.
4.2: Prepare presentations and interventions to present the Snapshot from the 2024 GNLC progress reports at relevant meetings and events, making these reports a useful tool for discussion and dialogue among GNLC cities.
4.3: Provide further analysis of the progress reports, focusing on specific regions or countries, to address the needs and priorities identified by GNLC members.
...
05: Assistance for supporting GNLC activities
5.1: Communication and correspondence with cities (focal points), National Commissions, other agencies.
5.2: Preparation of presentations, interventions and recordings related to the GNLC.
5.3: Assistance in producing Trimestral Newsletters and bi-monthly webinar.
Long Description
Deliverables and timeline
The consultant must submit editable versions of all deliverables in English within the contract period. The specified dates for the deliverables indicated below are subject to revision.
List of deliverables
Deliverable 1 should be submitted on 31 July 2025 : 1.1, 1.2, 3.2
Deliverable 2 should be submitted on 30 August 2025 : 1.3, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Deliverable 3 should be submitted on 30 September 2025 : 1.4, 3.3
Deliverable 4 should be submitted on 31 October 2025 : 1.5, 3.4, 5.1
Deliverable 5 should be submitted on 30 November 2025 : 2.1, 2.2, 5.2
Deliverable 6 should be submitted on 15 December 2025 : 2.3, 5.3
...
UIL will provide feedback to each deliverable submitted and hold regular meetings to ensure the progress and quality of the consultant’s work.
The contractor should ensure that all visibility materials are produced in line with UNESCO’s branding guidelines. Please refer to the UNESCO Style Manual for citation style, terminology and spelling, abbreviations, references, etc.
In line with UNESCO’s overall gender mainstreaming strategy, the contractor is expected to integrate a gender perspective in all activities and apply gender analysis and mainstreaming concepts whenever feasible.
The documents produced will be the property of UIL.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Master’s degree in development studies, international relations, education, social sciences, or political sciences any other related fields.
Work experience
- At least 2 years of relevant work experience in project coordination or management, ideally within the field of education, lifelong learning, or international cooperation.
- Previous experience in planning and implementing multi-stakeholder activities, including event organisation, data coordination, and communications.
- Experience supporting or managing international projects, particularly in collaboration with local governments, city networks, or public institutions.
- Proven experience in collaborating on international projects in the field of education.
- Familiarity with lifelong learning, urban development, or education systems across different regions, especially in UNESCO Member States.
Skills
- Excellent drafting and communication skills.
- Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to collect, structure, and summarize data to inform decision-making.
- Competent computer skills for MS Office package processing, presentation, online collaboration and data visualization.
- Excellent independent working skills.
Language
- Fluency in English and French (both written and spoken).
COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)
-
...
Application process
Content of the application
Interested candidates will need to submit one consolidated PDF document which includes the following information:
A short description, one page only, explaining the approach proposed for completing this project.
A financial proposal, one page only, for delivering the activities described in the call;
A short CV, focusing on previous relevant working experience, consultancy assignments and deliverables and relevant expertise to this project.
The proposal should not exceed 5 pages. Proposals missing any of the above will not be considered.
Selection process
A shortlist of the three most suitable applicants will be drawn up, and the selected candidates will be contacted by the team leader of the Skills Throughout Life Programme. The successful candidate will be selected and offered a contract based on the application review.
Footer
UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity. UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. Individuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.
UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
Please note that UNESCO is a non-smoking Organization.