OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

With more than 50 years of experience developing the capacity of member states, IIEP-UNESCO is the only specialized organization with the mandate to support education policy, planning and management in the UN system. IIEP-UNESCO Regional Office for Africa contributes to this mission by producing rigorous analysis and data-driven evidence, developing cutting-edge analytical tools, and delivering technical assistance to identify, facilitate and promote the adoption of effective solutions to Africa’s most pressing educational challenges. Through its Research and Development program (R&D), IIEP-UNESCO Dakar is actively involved in the curation, generation, refinement, and expansion of bodies of knowledge for the strengthening of education decisions and policy making in Africa. At the backbone of its strategy and commitment to reducing inequalities in education, IIEP Dakar ensures the technical lead of the Gender at the Centre Initiative – CGI. 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.

Women in Learning Leadership (WiLL) is a joint initiative of IIEP-UNESCO, the Gender at the Center Initiative, and UNICEF – Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. Through an approach that combines the co-creation of evidence with national capacity development, hand in hand with Ministries of Education and partners, WiLL seeks to promote the adoption of best school leadership practices while promoting equitable gender representation in school management positions in low- and middle-income countries. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the research will focus on examining the opportunities and challenges concerning female school leaders, the promising interventions to advance women’s participation in school leadership, and school leadership and management practices that prove effective to improve learning and well-being at school and reduce gender gaps. At the global and country levels, WiLL adopts an approach that combines research and policy dialogue to reduce gender disparities in school leadership and improve education opportunities and foundational learning for all girls and boys in sub-Saharan Africa. Madagascar, Benin, Ethiopia and Guinea are among the pilot countries of the WiLL-AGREE project (Women in Learning Leadership — Advancing Gender-Responsive Education using Evidence), a component of the WiLL initiative that has been funded by GPE-KIX since April 2024. Other countries, including Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, have joined the initiative (with other funding).

IIEP-UNESCO Dakar is recruiting a consultant to support the WiLL research agenda.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES

The consultant will work under the direct supervision and guidance of the GCI Lead and the overall authority of IIEP Dakar’s Head of Office. WiLL includes both global level research as well as country-specific activities. The consultant will be in charge of providing technical guidance to reach the project objectives.

Global research

Global research will be conducted mainly in partnership with the WiLL team at UNICEF Innocenti. The consultant will have to lead or contribute to:

• Identification, creation and analysis of assessment tools for measuring gender-responsive education, successful management and leadership practices, gender responsive leadership practices and women’s participation.
• Identification and analysis of assessment tools for measuring gender norms, socio-emotional skills and children’s well-being at school.
• Analysis of education datasets and drafting policy briefs on school leadership and students’ outcomes.

Country-level work

WiLL will be led by IIEP-UNESCO in Benin, Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Senegal. The consultant will lead or contribute to:

Analysis

• Analysis of EMIS data, exam data and secondary data to define the best research strategy for WiLL-AGREE in Madagascar considering budget constraints.
• Analysis of primary data collected in Benin and Madagascar to examine school leadership practices and their links with teachers and students’ outcomes, as well as women’s participation in school leadership.
• Reports, policy briefs, blog posts, conceptual notes and research protocol writing of Benin and Madagascar.
• Develop materials to share exploratory analysis of Benin and Madagascar and results with partners.
• Provide technical guidance to new WiLL data collection and analysis conducted in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.

Data collection

At the country level, an important part of the work will be conducted in close collaboration with staff from the Ministries of Education in Benin, Madagascar, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection are planned. Data collection activities will require the consultant to lead or participate in:

• Managing ethical and legal protocols to conduct in-country research.
• Establishing the sampling strategy to collect quantitative and qualitative data at the school level (sampling method, sample size, weights).
• Drafting, revising and piloting quantitative survey questionnaires to be administered to headteachers, teachers and students. Developing implementation guidelines.
• Drafting, revising and piloting qualitative survey questionnaires to be administered to headteachers, teachers, community members and decentralized ministry officials. Developing implementation guidelines.
• Recruiting survey firms and training enumerators.
• Supervising data collection, data storage, data entry, anonymization and data cleaning.

Project management

The consultant will contribute to the project management for IIEP-UNESCO. As such, he/she will be in charge of supporting the coordination with national counterparts, international organizations, bilateral agencies and other governmental and non-governmental organizations about the project. The consultant is expected to:

• Work in close collaboration with the team at IIEP UNESCO and UNICEF-Innocenti. He/she will regularly report to his/her supervisor at IIEP-UNESCO Dakar, pointing and anticipating specific difficulties.
• Contribute to policy dialogue and research design workshops with officials from MoEs, civil society, local research networks and technical and financial partners.
• Liaise with and facilitate technical teams from MoE and country consultative groups in partner countries with the objective of fostering ownership of research by local stakeholders and to tailor the research to local priorities.
• Collaborate with WiLL national focal points, consultants and interns.
• Participate in GPE-KIX grantees activities as required.
• Participate in fund-raising efforts by identifying opportunities, co-writing fund-raising proposals, budgets and other material required for the process. He/she will identify potential funders, support presenting the project and adapt content as needed.
• Contribute to reporting activities, as well as specific monitoring and evaluation processes as asked by donors. Participate in capacity strengthening and knowledge mobilization events as required by the overall project and/or institution.

Quality Assurance

The Senior consultant will be responsible for ensuring the quality, rigor, and reliability of the institutional analysis conducted in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. This component aims to guarantee that all research activities adhere to the highest methodological and ethical standards while providing actionable insights for policymakers.

Internal and external quality controls will also be conducted, including by IIPE staff. An internal committee will be established for this purpose, and the consultant will be expected to work closely with this committee and take their feedback into account.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Methodological review and validation (ensure the institutional analysis framework is aligned with the methodologies developed within WiLL, review and refine research tools, including interview guides, data collection instruments, and analytical frameworks).
• Data quality control (ensure analysis meets the expected quality standards).
• Capacity strengthening on quality standards (provide mentorship to consultants and GCI on data collection and analysis best practices).

Specific work assignments will depend on project constraints and workload allocation.

DELIVERABLES AND DEADLINE

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.

Deliverables / Monthly

1. March 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

2. April 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

3. June 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

4. July 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

5. August 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

6. September 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

7. October 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

8. November 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

9. December 2025: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

10. January 2026: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

11. February 2026: Work Plan and Activity report on WiLL Project (work plan developed and validated at the beginning of each month; monthly activity report covering all responsibilities performed during the period; supporting documents as justifications for key activities)

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master or PhD) in education, economics, social sciences, gender or related fields.

Professional Experience

• At least ten years of professional experience in quantitative research and report writing in education and gender, including at least two at the international level.

Competencies

• Strong analytical and writing skills. Track record of publications.
• Strong experience working with high-level counterparts.
• Demonstrated experience in managing research projects and leveraging funds.
• Good knowledge of educational issues in Africa.
• Good knowledge of gender issues in Africa.
• Good knowledge of statistical software.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to travel internationally, including in fragile and challenging context countries.

Language

• Excellent written and oral proficiency in French and English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Professional Experience

• 2 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection is a strong advantage.

DURATION OF CONTRACT

• The consultancy will run for 11 months and requires a full-time commitment. The consultant is expected to start during the first quarter of 2025.