Consultant(s) in Curriculum Development (Sport Section)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract :  9 months 

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 16-APR-2025

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

OVERVIEW

Under the overall authority of the Chief of Section for Sport, the direct supervision of the Sport Section’s Programme Specialist, and in close collaboration with the Associate Project Officer in charge of the coordination of the project, UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS) is seeking the services of a consultant(s) specialized in curriculum development to develop modular and adaptable masterclass materials for the Fit for Life Sport Leadership Programme.

These masterclasses will serve as the foundation for a suite of sport-based capacity-building programmes, aimed at increasing participation in inclusive, equitable, and safe sport by equipping young leaders (18-35) with the skills, training, and opportunities to enter and transform the sport sector.

As part of this package, the Consultant(s) will develop a master curriculum to be tailored for different demographic groups (e.g., young women, refugees, persons with disabilities) and Fit for Life priority areas (gender equality, anti-racism, disability inclusion, safe sport), as well as a complete resource package, including masterclass content, facilitator guides, participant workbooks, interactive activities, mentoring and community consultation guides, and associated feedback and evaluation tools and indicators for the programme’s first pilot in AlUla, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

BACKGROUND

Societies around the world are navigating intersecting crises in physical inactivity, poor mental health, and social inequalities. While participation in inclusive, equitable and safe sport has the power to enhance well-being and foster social cohesion, many people remain disengaged from sport, sport communities, and their related benefits. 

The design and delivery of inclusive, equitable, and safe sport requires a well-informed, skilled, and diverse sport sector, but many sport administrators, coaches, educators, and policy-makers lack the training and expertise needed to deliver. At the same time, many young people — especially those from marginalized groups — face significant barriers to entering and shaping the sector, including limited professional opportunities and lack of access to high-quality training.

To close these gaps and upskill the next generation of sport leaders, UNESCO has developed the Fit for Life Sport Leadership Programme. Designed as a modular, adaptable training initiative, this programme equips young people (aged 18-35) with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to engage in and lead inclusive sport projects in their careers and communities — whether as future sport policy-makers, administrators, coaches, teachers, event managers, or social entrepreneurs.

Through a structured professional development model, participants are guided through: 

• Masterclass trainings designed to build understanding of inclusive, equitable, and safe sport, strengthen leadership skills, and develop professional competencies in communication, project management, and other specialized areas (according to local needs).
• Mentorship and applied learning on applying these skills in real-world settings by developing proposals for community initiatives and leading community consultations / cascade trainings with their peers.
• Project implementation, supporting selected participants to implement and evaluate sport initiatives.
• Work placements, providing hands-on experience with sport organizations to strengthen employability and professional networks.
• A final showcase event, where participants present their learnings to local decision-makers, employers, and investors.

Based on local needs, the programme’s modular structure can be tailored to target specific areas of the sport sector (e.g. improving delivery capacities of young coaches and teachers or increasing diversity in sport decision-making bodies) as well as specific demographic groups (e.g., young women, refugees, persons with disabilities).

The pilot implementation of the programme will launch in AlUla (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) in July 2025, in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). This collaboration aims to harness sport and sport tourism as a driver of social, cultural, and economic transformation, in line with the goals of RCU’s Sport Sector and Saudi Vision 2030. 

UNESCO will support this vision by training ten young leaders in AlUla to take an active role in shaping the future of sport in the region. Participants will be led through a tailored version of the programme’s masterclasses, adapted for the region’s cultural context and local sport sector priorities. Following this, they will enter a project incubation period, working with mentors and local work placement host organizations to develop proposals for sport initiatives and refine them through community consultations with their peers. In a second round of masterclasses, participants will present their project proposals, with the top five selected for implementation and work placements to further develop their hands-on experience and professional skills.
 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary objective of the consultancy will be to develop a comprehensive, modular training curriculum for the Fit for Life Sport Leadership Programme, ensuring that all materials are adaptable, scalable, and aligned with UNESCO’s commitment to inclusive, equitable, and safe sport.

This will include:

• The development of a comprehensive master curriculum, designed as a flexible framework for modular masterclasses. This will allow for the programme to be tailored for different contexts by selecting relevant modules in alignment with local skill needs, demographic focus, and sector priorities.
   
• The customization of the curriculum for the first pilot in AlUla, ensuring its relevance to local cultural and sport sector priorities.

More specifically, the Consultant(s) will be expected to perform the following duties:

Long Description

Scoping & Framework Development

• Review existing materials: Analyze existing capacity-building resources from UNESCO and Fit for Life Global Alliance Members, as well as SHS recommendations on quality physical education, gender equality, violence prevention, and disability inclusion, identifying gaps and opportunities for alignment. 
   
• Conduct stakeholder interviews and needs assessments: Engage with key stakeholders (e.g. donors, local business owners, educators and other relevant actors) to gather insights on AlUla’s local capacities, needs, cultural context, and the participant profiles.
   
• Develop an alignment and adaptation plan: Outline a strategic plan for aligning, adapting, and integrating materials into a comprehensive master curriculum, including supplementary materials to address any gaps, as well as measures taken to ensure consistency with UNESCO values (with specific attention paid to inclusivity, safety, diversity, as well as region-specific and thematic needs).

Master Curriculum Development 

• Develop master curriculum: Design a set of comprehensive, structured, and adaptable masterclass modules that provide sufficient depth for standalone delivery, including:
   
  • SMART learning objectives and skill frameworks for each module, specifying the competencies that participants will acquire and ensuring a balance of knowledge content, technical skills (e.g., project planning, evaluation, communications, events management) and soft skills (e.g., leadership, advocacy, public speaking).
     
  • Interactive activities and icebreakers, catering to different learning styles, that engage participants and facilitate the practical application of the skills learned in each module. 
     
  • Training materials, including facilitator guides with clear delivery instructions, participant workbooks with supplementary exercises and reflection prompts, presentation slides and other related visuals, and other necessary documents to guide masterclass delivery and facilitate active learning. Ensure materials are accessible, editable, and suitable for future translation into multiple languages.
     
  • Evaluation and feedback mechanisms for assessing participant learning and programme effectiveness, including pre- and post-tests, surveys, practical assessments, and reflection activities, as well as a set of indicators to assess training outcomes and success. 
     
  • Adaptation suggestions for different demographics (e.g., women, refugees, persons with disabilities).
     
• Develop a cascade training guide: Craft a cascade training facilitator's guide to prepare programme participants to effectively lead values-based trainings or talks within their own communities.
   
• Integrate feedback and recommendations: Following peer review with specialists and youth in UNESCO’s networks, revise and integrate feedback and recommendations.  

Long Description

Customization for the AlUla Pilot 

• Select and tailor modules for the AlUla pilot: Select the most relevant masterclass modules for AlUla’s context, and customize content to reflect local sport sector priorities, cultural dynamics, and development goals. Ensure all materials are ready for implementation in the first masterclass series in early July 2025.
   
• Outline a project incubation structure: Develop a structured mentoring system to support participants throughout project development and community consultations (between the 1st and 2nd masterclasses).
   
• Facilitate training-of-trainer sessions: Coordinate with masterclass facilitators and local stakeholders as needed to prepare them for the delivery of the programme’s first series of masterclasses in July 2025.
   
• Identify supplementary content for a second series of masterclasses: Based on feedback and needs observed in the first series of masterclasses, suggest additional content and activities for a second series of masterclasses that will be implemented in early September 2025, following project incubation. 
   

The completion of the above duties will require close collaboration with and the incorporation of feedback from the Sport Section team, the Director for Social Policies, and other relevant SHS colleagues to ensure all deliverables meet UNESCO’s quality standards.

TIMELINE AND EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

In their completion of the above, the Consultant(s) will be expected to produce the following deliverables:

• Scoping report and adaptation plan: covering existing resources, identification of gaps and needs, and a strategic plan for adapting and aligning content. (Tentative date of submission: late May/early June 2025)
   
• Master outline of masterclass curricula: defining the modular structure and identifying learning objectives and skill frameworks for each module. (Tentative date of submission: early June 2025)
   
• Content for AlUla implementation:  fully-developed training materials and plans for the delivery of the first AlUla masterclasses and project incubation, including facilitator guides, participant workbooks and activities, and evaluation tools. Materials should be sufficiently comprehensive to enable facilitators to deliver sessions without requiring additional content. (Tentative date of submission: mid-June 2025)
   
• Feedback report: covering the evaluation of and lessons learned from the first masterclass series in AlUla, related participant feedback, and outlining adjustments to be made for the second series. (Tentative date of submission: late July 2025)
   
• Revisions to modules: updates to masterclass content, evaluation tools, and mentoring frameworks ahead of the second series of masterclasses, as well as any supplementary modules needed. (Tentative date of submission: early August 2025)
   
• Full build-out of remaining master curricula: completion of all other masterclass modules not included in the AlUla pilot, ensuring they are sufficiently detailed for use in future programme implementations and adaptations, including supplementary materials and resources as needed. (Tentative date of submission: October/November 2025)
   
• Integration of feedback: following peer review and validation from UNESCO specialists, youth networks, and external experts, ensuring alignment with global best practices. (Tentative date of submission: December 2025)
   
• First draft of report & recommendations: covering the completed master curriculum, lessons learned from the AlUla pilot, good practice examples, and recommendations for scaling and adapting the modules. (Tentative date of submission: December 2025)
   
• Final submission of all materials: incorporating any feedback and requested revisions (Tentative date of submission: February 2025)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• A PhD or master’s degree in curriculum development or other related field of study. 
   

Work Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in curriculum development, capacity building, or educational programme design, ideally at the international level and with a focus on youth empowerment, sport for development, or social transformation initiatives.
• Experience in the design and development of curricula and training programmes for youth and community development projects, ideally for a UN agency or other international organization. 
• Experience in the design or delivery of inclusive and safe sport and physical education programmes or frameworks, ideally with a focus on gender equality, safe sport, disability inclusion, and/or anti-racism.
• This experience should be supported by a minimum of 2 references from prior projects.
   

Skills/Competencies

• Curriculum Design: Ability to design engaging, modular training curricula tailored to diverse learning styles and aligned with best practices in sports for development, youth empowerment, and social impact.
• Assessment and Evaluation: Skilled in creating evaluation tools (e.g., pre- and post-tests, feedback forms, practical assessments) to measure learning outcomes and continuously improve training effectiveness.
• Cultural Sensitivity and Adaptability: Ability to understand and incorporate local cultural contexts and sensitivities, ensuring relevance and effectiveness for participants in AlUla.
• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in multicultural environments and across time zones with external and internal partners and contractor. Familiarity with conducting needs assessments and gathering input from a range of stakeholders
• Communication: Excellent communication and drafting skills, including ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats.
   

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English (written and spoken). 
• Familiarity with the Arabic language and/or cultural context would be considered an asset.
   

Management

• The Consultant(s) will be responsible for their own overheads and logistical requirements such as office space, administrative and secretarial support, telecommunications, and printing of documentation. 
• All deliverables will be prepared in English.
   

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

UNESCO shall retain sole ownership and intellectual property rights (including but not limited to copyrights, patents, and trademarks), to any materials, content, or resources developed in relation to this consultancy. 

This includes the exclusive right to translate, adapt, reproduce, perform, broadcast, communicate to the public, print and publish in any language and in any form the whole or any part of these materials, to deposit the whole or any part of the Work in its multilingual Open Access Repository in electronic form, and to further authorize others to exercise any or all of its rights hereunder.

The Consultant(s) shall submit all original files and editable versions of developed content to UNESCO upon completion of the contract. Any third-party content included must be appropriately sourced, licensed, and cleared for UNESCO’s unrestricted use.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates are invited to submit an application package via email to Nancy McLennan (n.mclennan@unesco.org) and Drake Thomas (ds.thomas@unesco.org) with the subject line “Curriculum Development (Sport Section)”

All documents should be provided in English, and applications must be received no later than 16 April 2025 (Midnight Paris time) to be considered.

The entire application package must be attached as a single PDF document. It should include:

1. An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) for each team member (if relevant), including references
    
2. A Technical Proposal (max. 3 pages), demonstrating the extent to which the Consultant(s) understands the scope of the work. This should include a realistic work plan and delivery timeline, identifying the specific components of these TORs and how they shall be addressed, with specific hyperlinks or attachments of relevant examples of comparable assignments undertaken.
    
3. A Financial Proposal (max. 1 page) that states the total compensation as a lump sum, together with a breakdown of the amount of time expected per component, to be quoted in USD as a monthly rate.

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. Please note that only selected candidates will be contacted. UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organization the best value for money.  

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