Consultant - Development of Sri Lanka's CPD Framework for Teachers

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Remote support, with 2 field visits to Colombo (Sri Lanka)

Job Family: Education

Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 07 December 2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

The UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia is collaborating with the South Asian Centre for Teacher Development (SACTD) in Sri Lanka to develop a National Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework for Teachers and Teacher Educators in Sri Lanka and its National Rollout (Implementation) Plan.

SACTD is a UNESCO Education Centre focused on Teacher Development located in Meepe, Sri Lanka, and this Project directly responds to Sri Lanka's National Policy on Teacher Education and Development (2024-2030), aiming to establish a coherent, competency-based, and reflective CPD system that enhances teacher quality. The Project is also aligned with UNESCO's implementation strategy to enhance governments' capacities for inclusive teaching and learning, through the delivery of teacher education, teacher policies and teaching innovations.

To support the Project, the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia in New Delhi is looking for an International Consultant to provide technical and advisory expertise to UNESCO, SACTD and national counterparts in Sri Lanka in developing the CPD Framework and Roll-Out (Implementation) Plan, in alignment with global and regional CPD standards and evidence-based practices.

SCOPE OF WORK and Key Tasks:

The International Consultant will support the SACTD team and national consultants in Sri Lanka to provide technical expertise, strategic guidance, and quality assurance in the design, development, and validation process of the National CPD Framework and National Rollout Plan for Teachers and Teacher Educators.

The International Consultant will provide advisory and quality assurance support, while the national consultants supervised by SACTD (4 members covering policy & planning, teacher competencies, M&E and implementation, and digital CPD systems) will lead the drafting and development work. The International Consultant's role is to ensure international benchmarking and linkages between national and international standards on teacher professionalization, conceptual coherence, and quality of the final Framework and Rollout Plans.

The International Consultant will work closely with UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia in New Delhi, SACTD and the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka through both remote and in-country engagements.

Phase 1: 

Inception and Framework Design (20 days, December 2025 – January 2026)

• Analyze the desk review of existing documentation (i.e. national CPD policies, global frameworks, and regional best practices), conducted by SACTD and national consultant team.
• Advise and facilitate SACTD and the national consultant team on structure, competency areas, and conceptual model of the National CPD Framework.
• Develop an annotated framework outline, integrating international standards, regional trends, and context-specific recommendations.
• Participate in the preparatory and thematic national consultation workshops (5 stakeholder meetings and 5 thematic consultative meetings), by providing technical input and facilitating sessions as needed. In-person participation in Sri Lanka will be needed for key workshops. The logistics of organizing these national consultation workshops will be handled by SACTD.
• Provide feedback on synthesis reports and consultation outcomes to ensure technical soundness.
• Prepare an Inception Report outlining methodology, technical approach, and work plan for the consultancy.

Phase 2:

Review, Validation, and Finalization (20 days, February – March 2026)

• Review and refine the draft CPD Framework and National Implementation Plan developed by SACTD and the national consultants team.
• Facilitate the technical review process with SACTD, Ministry of Education, and the National Institute of Education (NIE) of Sri Lanka. In-person presence in Sri Lanka will be needed for   key meetings with government officials.
• Review and refine SACTD's presentation materials for the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Validation Meeting (taking place in Spring 2026, in Thailand).
• Provide technical feedback during the national validation and pilot workshops.
• Assist in finalizing the CPD Framework and National Rollout Plan, ensuring consistency with UNESCO's teacher development guidelines.
• Prepare a Final Technical Report summarizing international alignment, methodology, and key recommendations for future scaling and sustainability.

Long Description

Reporting and Coordination

The International Consultant will report to the Chief of Education, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia in New Delhi, and coordinate closely with:

• Director-General, SACTD
• Deputy Director-General (Academic Affairs), SACTD and
• National Consultant Team (4 members)
• Education Team of UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia

Deliverables must be submitted electronically in English to the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia and SACTD for joint review and approval, and meet UNESCO's quality standards.

Duration of consultancy

Consultancy duration: 40 working days between December 2025 and March 2026, with 2 in-country missions (one during Phase 1 inception/consultation period, and one during Phase 2 validation period). Each mission lasting 7 working days and 1-2 travel days.

Deliverable                                                                                                                                                                        Timeline                                                       Indicative Days

1. Inception Report (work plan, annotated framework outline, analytical summary)                                                          22 Dec 2025                                                       5

2. Technical input to national consultation workshops (5 stakeholder meetings + 5 thematic meetings)                              Dec 2025 – Jan 2026                                          10                              

3. Interim Technical Note (recommendations and synthesis of global alignment)                                                              End Jan 2026                                                      5

4. Reviewed and refined Draft National CPD Framework and Implementation Plan                                                            Feb 2026                                                           10

5. Finalized CPD Framework with technical input to national validation workshop and UNESCO                                          Mar 2026                                                            5

    Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop (Spring 2026, Thailand) 

6. Final Technical Report with recommendations for CPD Framework roll-out and sustainability                                          Mar 2026                                                            5

Total Working Days                                                                                                                                                                                                                      40

Long Description

Travel and Logistics 

Two in-country missions are expected (each mission lasting 7 working days & 1-2 travel days): 

• • First mission: December 2025/January 2026 (Phase 1 – Inception and consultations)
  • Second mission: February/March 2026 (Phase 2 – Validation and finalization)

Flights and visa: Economy class round-trip air-tickets (ATK) at most economical rate (from home base to Colombo, Sri Lanka) and visa charges for Sri Lanka to be reimbursed based on actual cost. Applicable for 2 missions, with each mission lasting 7 working days & 1-2 travel days.

All administrative and logistical support for organizing meetings and workshops in Sri Lanka will be provided by SACTD

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (PhD or Master's) in Education, Teacher Education, Educational Policy, or a related field.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of international experience in teacher education policy, professional development, or education reform.
• Demonstrated experience in developing or advising on national or regional Teachers' Continuous Professional Development frameworks or teacher competency standards.
• Proven record of working with governmental institutions and international organizations, including UN agencies.

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent analytical, writing, and facilitation skills.
• Strong knowledge of international CPD frameworks and teacher professionalization standards.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders including government officials, education practitioners, and international partners.
• Familiarity with South Asian education systems will be an advantage.

Language and Communication

• All work must be conducted in English.
• The consultant must be available for regular virtual coordination meetings (bi-weekly during active phases) with UNESCO and SACTD.
• Response time to queries from UNESCO and SACTD should not exceed 48 hours during working days.
• The consultant should be comfortable using standard communication and collaboration tools (email, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom/Teams, document sharing platforms).

Competencies (Core / Managerial)

Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

All documents, data, and materials produced under this consultancy shall remain the intellectual property of UNESCO and SACTD. The International Consultant may not use or disseminate project materials without prior written consent from UNESCO and SACTD.

Conflict of Interest

The consultant must declare any potential conflicts of interest prior to signing the contract. The consultant may not have been involved in similar CPD framework development work in Sri Lanka in the past 2 years that could compromise objectivity, nor have any financial or personal interests that could affect their impartiality in this assignment.

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Interested candidates should click on "Apply Now" and download and complete the Employment History form (Word document) in 'Employment History Form / My Documents'. Before uploading the completed form, the following documents must be added as extra pages at the end of the Word file:

• An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) stating details of educational qualifications and working experience, telephone number, email address and a cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience make you suitable for the assignment.
• At least two (2) examples of previous work or reports/publications related to the Terms of Reference, particularly those related to CPD frameworks or teacher competency standards, with hyperlinks for online access if available or samples of such papers if they are only available offline.
• Written technical and financial proposals (in English) as follows:

1. Technical Proposal: Explanation of the approach and methodology to be used for carrying out the assignment (maximum 2 A4 pages) and a workplan.
2. Financial Proposal: A financial proposal for the assignment expressed as an overall lump sum in USD (US Dollars), with a breakdown of (i) consultancy fees with indication of daily rates, (ii) travel costs, and (iii) logistics. The total consultancy fees should include a detailed breakdown based on level of effort, time-on-task, and per expected deliverable/output.

Long Description

Selection Criteria:

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical qualifications and expertise, and relevant experience in CPD framework development and teacher professionalization: 25%
• Proposed methodology and work approach: 45%
• Financial proposal: 30%

UNESCO places great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation the best value for money.

Assessment:

• Only applications providing the information requested in the application procedure will be considered.
• Evaluation of qualified applicants will include the review of the curriculum vitae, technical proposal, and proposed consultancy fee.
• Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.

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Note: Due to the large number of applications, we will only inform the successful candidate(s) about the outcome or status of the selection process.

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. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. 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.UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the selection process.