Consultant - Gender Equality and Education

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Remote

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 23-JULY-2025

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

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

CONTEXT

With more than 50 years of experience developing the capacity of member states, IIEP-UNESCO (IIEP) is the only specialized organization with the mandate to support education policy, planning and management in the UN system. 

Over the past decade, IIEP has strengthened its commitment to reducing gender inequalities by integrating this issue in its activities. Since 2014, it has also been one of the Institute’s strategic priorities in line with UNESCO Strategy for gender equality in and through education (2019-2025) which focuses on a system-wide transformation to benefit all learners equally.

At the backbone of its strategy and commitment to reducing inequalities in education, IIEP co-leads the Gender at the Centre Initiative – GCI together with UNGEI. Launched in 2019 at the G7 Summit, the GCI aims to strengthen the gender mainstreaming capacities of education system stakeholders and support the development of resources to achieve gender equality in and through education. The initiative is currently being developed in dozen countries in sub-Saharan Africa and seeks to expand to other countries in the continent and beyond, in partnership with the GCI Alliance gathering partners (UNESCO, UNICEF, GPE, Plan International, the Forum for African Women Educationalists, the African Network Campaign on Education for All, the African Union - International Centre for Girls' and Women's Education in Africa, the G7 donors (France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, European Union) and the participating countries).

The African Union's International Centre for Girls' and Women's Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) is a vital member of the GCI alliance, playing a pivotal role in fulfilling regional and continental commitments to education and gender equality. 

Under the strategic objectives of GCI's Phase 2, IIEP and AU CIEFFA wish to strengthen their partnership. This enhanced collaboration will reinforce the links between GCI and the 55 member states of the African Union, supporting the development of gender-transformative education policies and practices in line with AU policy frameworks on gender equality in education. 

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES

To support the implementation of GCI on the African continent and contribute to the development of the AU CIEFFA’s strategic and work plans, IIEP is looking for a Gender Equality and Education Consultant to facilitate the relationships between GCI/IIEP, the African Union, and AU Member States and support the implementation of AU CIEFFA/IIEP roadmap to ensure the successful advancement of gender equality in education across Africa.

Long Description

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Gender at the Centre Initiative and in consultation with AU CIEFFA’s coordinator, the consultant will specifically:

Build Partnerships and Mobilize Resources:

• Forge strong alliances with key stakeholders, including donors, governments, civil society organizations, and development partners.
• Mobilize financial resources to support the implementation of the roadmap and ensure the successful advancement of gender equality in education across Africa
• Facilitate collaborative efforts to promote gender equality in education across the continent
• Facilitate the relationships between GCI/IIEP, the African Union, and AU Member States

Build Capacity of AU Member States in gender transformative policies:

• Provide technical assistance and training to national and regional education authorities on gender mainstreaming in education policies and programs.
• Enhance the capabilities of AU Member States to design and implement gender-responsive education initiatives.

Provide Awareness and Advocacy efforts on gender and girls’ education:

• Promote awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts to highlight the importance of girls' education and gender equality in Africa, and in particular the Africaeducatesher Campaign

Strengthen continental monitoring mechanisms for girls' education and gender equality:

• Strengthen continental accountability mechanisms for girls' education and gender equality.
• Develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the effectiveness of gender-responsive education policies, initiatives, and programs.
• Ensure continuous improvement based on data-driven insights and feedback.

Long Description

Document best practices on gender-responsive education policies:

• Document best practices, initiatives, and interventions on gender-responsive policies
• Follow up on the implementation of key recommendations related to policy planning and reforms.
• Support the development of a comprehensive mapping of existing gender-responsive education policies across AU Member States.
• Support the development of situation analyses to understand the current landscape and identify gaps and opportunities.
• Promote evidence-based insights to inform policy development and advocacy efforts

Foster a Community of Practice on gender transformative education:

• Support the establishment of a Community of Practice in collaboration with IIEP and AU CIEFFA focal points from Ministries of Education and Ministries on Gender capitalizing on IIEP existing community of practice
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and peer-learning on gender-responsive education policies in Africa

DELIVERABLES AND DEADLINES:

The consultant will submit each month an activity report stating all the activities and outcomes he or she conducted for the project during the last month as per the work plan and deliverables decided.

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.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in political science, development studies, public policy, social sciences, gender studies or other related disciplines. 

Experience

• Minimum of 6 years’ experience on girls’ education and gender equality
• Demonstrated experience in implementing/supporting education related policies and frameworks in Africa
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks for education policies and programs
• Demonstrated experience in engaging with ministries of education/ministries of gender, NGOS, development partners, donors and other relevant stakeholders in Africa
• Experience in managing and overseeing projects with a focus on gender-responsive policies.

Long Description

Competencies

Technical:

• Demonstrated ability to provide technical guidance and support to governments and other stakeholders in relation to education policies
• Familiarity with international and AU regional policy processes and policy analysis in girls’ education and gender equality
• Gender mainstreaming expertise in education policies and ability to integrate gender perspectives into policies, programs, and projects.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Resource Mobilization: Establish and maintain effective partnerships with Ministries of Education, NGOs, development partners, donors and other relevant stakeholders, capacity to mobilize financial resources
• Strategic thinking and Analytical skills: Ability to assess existing policies and identify opportunities for gender-responsive improvements and to contribute to the development of gender-responsive education policies.
• Capacity Building: design and deliver training programs on gender-responsive policies for education stakeholders.
• Communication skills: Effective written and verbal communication skills to convey complex gender concepts to diverse audiences.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of gender-responsive initiatives.

Language requirements

• Excellent command (written and oral) of English or French and written and oral proficiency in the other language.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Experience in research and analysis 
Competencies: Good understanding of education sector planning 
Language requirement: Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese

DURATION OF CONTRACT

The consultancy is scheduled to start on 5 August and end on 31 December 2025. A full-time engagement is expected during that period.

ADDITIONNAL INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

• The position is home-based with frequent travels to partner countries.
• Travel expenses will be covered by IIEP according to UN travel rules (airplane tickets + Daily Substance Allowance).
• All travel will have to be organised by the consultant him/herself, including the visa required.
• Secondary cost associate (visa processing, etc.) must be included in the monthly fee proposed as a separate item.
• In order to carry out this work, the IIEP-UNESCO will provide the consultant with all the administrative and analytical documentation available in relation to the work.
• IIEP will, if necessary, facilitate contacts with institutions and individuals who the consultant wishes to meet in the context of this consultancy, as well as providing logistical support.
• The GCI team will provide guidance and technical support throughout the period of the assignment. The consultant will be responsible for any necessary visa/residence permit procedures in destination countries during the consultancy period.
• IIEP will facilitate contact with the relevant national authorities for these procedures.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Candidates who meet the required qualifications are invited to apply by 23 July 2025 by submitting to: gender.analyst2023@iiep.unesco.org

All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis (the consultant may be selected before the date indicated above).

Only applications that include the following documents will be considered and only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews:

• An updated curriculum vitae (3 pages maximum), highlighting relevant experiences, the dates when they were carried out (month and year of beginning and end) and their duration (in months).
• A technical and financial offer (3 pages maximum): outlining the understanding of the assignments, appreciation of the project, its scope and the challenges for its implementation, highlighting the relevant experience linked to the ToRs, presenting a proposed remuneration for the work (monthly rate/total fees for the 11-month contract only – no other costs will be eligible).

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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