Consultant (Guyana Project: Creation of Leadership Academy & Sector Management Improvements)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 31-OCT-2024

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

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

In February 2023, the Ministry of Education (MoE) of Guyana and its partners signed the endorsement of the Partnership Compact, a document defining the roadmap to achieve Guyana’s education system transformation. The identified priority of the Compact is to “Strengthen Instructional Leadership at District and School Levels”. The objective is to “Promote equitable learning by strengthening culturally responsive and effective instructional leadership and improved accountability at the district and school levels.”

To achieve this, the MoE applied for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)‘s System Transformation Grant (STG), with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) having been selected as the Grant Agent to implement the grant in collaboration with the MoE and with the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) as lead implementation partner.

The STG will be implemented through a comprehensive four-year programme, relying on two main components: 1) Strengthening school and district leadership with the creation of a Leadership Academy; 2) Improving sector management.

Component 1: Leadership Academy.

The aim of this component is to equip district and school leaders for leading transformation in schools and districts by (a) establishing a Leadership Academy (LA) for their continuous training and professional development in culturally responsive instructional leadership; and (b) strengthening culturally responsive instructional leadership, planning and data-based decision-making at district and school levels. The component has the following two sub-components.

Sub-component 1.1. Training and Support of District and School Leaders.

The Leadership Academy will be a new structure within the education system, with the mandate and capacity to deliver and maintain high quality, relevant, and responsible certification, and continuous professional development programmes (CPD) for practicing and aspiring school and district leaders. The initial leadership training programme will be of a six-month duration with a common core for both types of leaders, followed by separate school and district leader tracks of three months each. The training will emphasize a hands-on approach in a hybrid modality (in-person and on-line) and both individual and group learning.

Activities under this sub-component include:

1. The design of the institutional development strategy for the Leadership Academy.
2. The development of leadership programmes for school and district leaders.
3. The development of a virtual platform for training.
4. The training of 200 to 300 school leaders and MoE district and central planners and managers.
5. The provision of a mentoring programme for the participants of the Leadership Academy.
6. The development of Communities of Practice for district and school leaders.

Sub-component 1.2. Development and Review of Guidelines.

The objective is to:

1. Revise/ develop guidelines for School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and District Strategic Plans (DSPs) to promote culturally responsive and evidence-based planning.
2. Review and update guidelines for Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and School Boards as well as capacity building for the School Boards to increase parent and community engagement in schools and promote culturally responsive leadership practices.

The main output of this sub-component includes revised guidelines for SIPs and DSPs as well as guidelines for PTAs and School Boards.

Component 2. System Improvements.

The aim of the component is to revisit and strengthen resource allocation, accountability, and coordination systems by:

1. Developing a more equitable system for the allocation of human, material, and financial resources to schools.
2. Upgrading desk manuals for district and school leadership to align with the redefined roles and responsibilities under a culturally responsible instructional leadership paradigm.
3. Improving collaboration channels across the system to ensure that district and school leaders are supported in their efforts on instructional leadership.

The component has the following two sub-components.

Sub-component 2.1. Resource Allocation: Efficient Allocation and Assignment Mechanism.

The aim of this sub-component is to support the MoE in the development and implementation of: (i) a resource allocation mechanism consistent with budgetary provisions to regions and schools and; (ii) a revised teacher allocation policy and assignment mechanism.

Sub-component 2.2. Improving Accountability.

This sub-component will include:

1. a capacity analysis of district and school leaders in Guyana,
2. the upgrading of desk manuals, including job descriptions and organigrams, for district and school leaders,
3. and the improvement of communication and coordination among schools, regional departments, and central units of the MoE.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

This assignment is aimed at contributing to the achievement of the project’s objectives for its first year of implementation. The individual specialist will support the IIEP project lead by participating in components 1 (Leadership Academy) and 2 (System Improvements) above, as well as in project management, carrying out the duties and tasks as well as expected output as required in section 3 below.

Component 1. Leadership Academy:

Provide support to the IIEP Leadership Academy coordinator in the overall coordination of Component 1-Leadership Academy and its sub-components (Leadership Academy design, Communities of Practice, mentoring, common core, district and school track, and district, school planning and PTA/School Board guidelines). This will involve the following activities: planning human resources; liaising with IIEP staff and consultants involved, including the IIEP country liaison officer; attending coordination meetings with partners.

Sub-component 1.1: Training and Support of District and School Leaders

Provide support to the IIEP project team in the following activities:

• Leadership academy design: provide constructive feedback on the strategy and training plans. Provide support in the organization of the co-design face-to-face workshop with national authorities. Provide support in the organization of the online restitution workshop and attend the event.
• Communities of practice: liaise with the IIEP Buenos Aires team regarding the setting up of the online platform.
• Leadership academy common core: i) contribute to the organization and implementation of the face-to-face learning co-design workshop with the IIEP-MoE-IDB team; ii) provide constructive feedback on the course blueprint (intended learning outcomes (ILOs), sub ILOS and content, including course structure with modules/units, activities, workload, and assessments).

Subcomponent 1.2: Development and Review of District, School Planning, and PTA/School Board Guidelines:

Provide support to the IIEP project team in the following activities:

• Follow-up and contribute to quality control of the diagnosis and suggested improvements to reports produced by external consultants on the revision of district, school planning, and PTA/School Board guidelines.
• Contribute to the preparation and co-facilitation of the online methodological workshop for the revision of existing guidelines.
• Liaise with external consultants and the Ministry of Education of Guyana for the organization of consultations with national and sub-national stakeholders.

Component 2. System improvements

Provide support to the IIEP System Improvement coordinator in the overall coordination of Component 2-System improvements. This will involve the following activities: planning human resources; liaising with IIEP staff and consultants involved, including the IIEP country liaison officer; attending coordination meetings with partners.

Sub-component 2.2: Improving Accountability

Provide support to the IIEP project team in the following activities:

• Capacity Analysis Tool for District and School Leaders:
  • Provide constructive feedback on the diagnosis report based on relevant documentation, the IIEP generic capacity analysis tool adapted for district and school leaders in Guyana, and the preliminary findings report after data collection mission.
  • Assist in the preparation and co-facilitation of the online restitution workshop with the IIEP team.
• Leadership Development Framework (LDF) and Leadership System Overview (LSO):
  • Liaise with the external team of consultants and national partners, and support the work of the external consultant team.
  • Provide constructive feedback on the diagnosis report and the draft reports submitted by the external team.
• Collaboration within the System:
  • Assist in the preparation and co-facilitation of the online co-design workshop with the IIEP team.

Support in project management:

Provide support to the IIEP project management team in the following activities:

• Contribute to project planning and management: develop first drafts of comprehensive implementation plans, including scope, objectives, timelines, and resource requirements.
• Support resource and budget management (financial and human resources), participate in the development of financial reports. Provide support in the recruitment of consultants.
• Support project monitoring: Contribute to monitoring and overseeing project activities; liaise with partners for data collection and reporting; draft monitoring and evaluation narrative reports; prepare and participate in reporting meetings with the IIEP management team and external partners.
• Participate in quality assurance; Contribute to project documentation and information in IIEP’s box and Planview.

Contribute to effective communication among the project team and stakeholders. Assist in providing visibility to the project’s results through blog and web articles. Liaise with IIEP Knowledge, Mobilization and Management team for the preparation of regular blogs and for the update of the IIEP dedicated webpage.

TIMETABLE AND DELIVERABLES

The consultant is expected to fulfil these activities during the first year of the project, in consultation with the IIEP project manager.

The consultant will submit each month an activity report stating all the activities and outcomes they conducted for the project during the last month as per the work plan and deliverable decided:

The consultant will submit a monthly activity report detailing all activities and outcomes conducted for the project during the previous month, according to the work plan and deliverables decided. The schedule for these reports is as follows:

• Activity Report 1: Submitted in February 2025
• Activity Report 2: Submitted in March 2025
• Activity Report 3: Submitted in April 2025
• Activity Report 4: Submitted in May 2025
• Activity Report 5: Submitted in June 2025
• Activity Report 6: Submitted in July 2025
• Activity Report 7: Submitted in August 2025
• Activity Report 8: Submitted in September 2025
• Activity Report 9: Submitted in October 2025
• Activity Report 10: Submitted in November 2025
• Activity Report 11: Submitted in December 2025

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Mandatory qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in the field of education, educational planning and management, international development, social sciences, economics, or another related field.

Professional experience:

• At least 3 years working in the education sector.
• Minimum 3 years of experience working with Ministries of Education and development partners in Guyana and/or the Latin American and the Caribbean region.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in project management.

Competencies:

• Excellent ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders in a multicultural environment.
• Demonstrable ability to interact with Ministries and external partners on technical cooperation programmes and loans.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly on mission to diverse areas.
• Strong analytical, synthetic, writing and editing skills and good capacity to undertake analytical and synthetic writing.
• Proven record of strong data analysis skills.
• Demonstrable organizational and time management skills.
• Strong ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals.
• Strong IT skills, including knowledge of MS Office suite such as Word and Excel.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English (oral and written).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 3 years working as an independent consultant
• At least 2 years of project management experience in a multilateral organization
• Experience working on GPE Partnership Compacts
• Working knowledge of Spanish, (oral and written)

SUPERVISORY ARRANGEMENTS

The consultant will complete the tasks specified in this contract under the overall authority of the IIEP Director and the Technical Cooperation Team lead. They will report directly to the IIEP project lead for the Guyana Project, in close collaboration with the IIEP-MoE-IDB team.

The consultant will participate in weekly meetings with the IIEP project management team to assess progress on the tasks. The consultant will submit to the project lead draft workplans and outlines in relation to each expected deliverable.

DURATION OF CONTRACT

This consultancy is for 11 months.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

Travel

This Consultancy is home-based with frequent travels to Guyana (at least once (1) during the consultancy).

IIEP will cover travel costs according to UN travel rules (air tickets, DSA, visa to travel to Guyana) when travel to Guyana is identified.

All travel will have to be organised by the consultant themself, including any required visas.

Documentation

To carry out this work, IIEP will provide the consultant with all the administrative and analytical documentation available in relation to the work.

Payment

Payment is conditional on the completion of the tasks and the satisfactory submission of the deliverables within the deadlines defined above, unless otherwise agreed with the project leader.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates who meet the required qualifications are invited to apply before 31 October 2024 by submitting:

• An updated CV (maximum five pages) via UNESCO CAREERS
• A technical and a financial proposal (maximum 5 pages) to: consultancytc@iiep.unesco.org

NOTE: The CV together with the technical and financial proposal must be sent to the email address consultancytc@iiep.unesco.org for the file to be eligible. The technical and financial offer should briefly outline:

• The consultant’s appreciation of the mission, its scope, and the challenges for its implementation.
• The consultant’s understanding of the assignments, highlighting their relevant experience.
• The consultant’s proposed remuneration based on the deliverables requested.

Applications that do not include this information will not be considered for the following phases of the counting process.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The consultant may be selected before the date indicated above. Only retained candidates will be contacted.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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