Individual Consultancy – Workforce Development Expert, Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), Tunis, Tunisia (15 Aug – 31 Dec 2021) REQ#542097

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.  Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, education…

There are few greater challenges faced by the global community than the twin crises of learning poverty and youth unemployment. In response, the Education Commission (chaired by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education) and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen) came together to create EOF. We aim to improve the education and employment outcomes of 10 million children and youth by supporting governments to utilise a range of innovative finance instruments at scale, including outcomes funds and other results-based financing (RBF) instruments.

EOF supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on underserved populations, including the hardest to reach; rural populations, girls, children with disabilities, and refugees. It measures (and pays for) what matters – both core skills like literacy and numeracy, but also critical 21st Century skills such as socio-emotional skills, ICT skills, and other broader fundamentals of a quality education. It helps close the persistent gap between the skills needed by employers and those attained by today’s youth by paying for employment and retention outcomes. 

For all the above, EOF pays primarily on the basis of the results achieved, ensuring that taxpayer-funded domestic resources, aid, and philanthropic funds are only used to pay for what works. This is a game-changing way to finance results in education. It is more than just a fund – it is a powerful new set of partnerships and way of working. 

Together with our supporters, we believe this is the early stages of a much larger movement. Our approach is at the cutting edge of development finance, shifting risk to the private sector, crowding in private capital, and harnessing the capacity and capability of non-state actors, with huge potential to achieve better outcomes for children and youth around the world. 

We are in the process of initiating a feasibility study funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO) to explore the opportunity to use an outcomes-based funded approach in the area of skills and employment in Switzerland’s cooperation program 2021-2024. As a result of the feasibility study, EOF will prepare a final report including recommendations on the adoption of an outcomes-based funding approach and a preliminary structure of the program.

The feasibility study will include the following elements:

• Understand SECO’s strategic priorities for the cooperation program 2021-2024 as well as the Tunisian Government’s policy objectives to address the youth unemployment crisis.
• Assess the Tunisian Government’s policy objectives, secure its support for the program and consider whether it is possible to obtain the Government’s financial commitment.
• Assess the strategic alignment with other donors in view of considering pooling outcomes funding to achieve impact at scale in Tunisia.
• Assess the regional disparities as well as the inequalities between men and women in the Tunisian labour market to inform the selection of the target geographies and populations and the potential use of differential pricing for the outcomes.
• Map the constraints to achieving outcomes in the skills and intermediation sector and identify opportunities in C-VET or higher education for an outcomes-based funding approach to address these constraints. 
• Assess the capacity of the provider market to achieve the desired results, including publicly funded TVET centres, private and non-profit providers, as well as the evidence of effectiveness of previous programs and providers’ interest in outcomes funding approaches.
• Make a recommendation for SECO to adopt or not an outcomes-based funding approach as part of its cooperation program 2021-2024.
• Propose preliminary options for the structure of the outcomes-based funding instrument. These preliminary options will focus on post-secondary and tertiary education levels and ensure complementarity with SECO’s and SDC’s investments in workforce development in Tunisia.
• Propose a preliminary theory of change including sustainability considerations (continuation beyond SECO funding), taking into account other donor funding/programs, ecosystem/ regulatory and TVET policy information; as well as capacity building work that would be needed.

Following the completion of the feasibility study, a more comprehensive design process could be initiated at the beginning of 2022, leading to the launch of the program in Tunisia.

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will provide technical expertise on workforce development in the Tunisian context, lead the data collection process with potential providers and stakeholder engagement in Tunisia, and will collaborate with the EOF team to prepare the final report and recommendations. For the purpose of this assignment, the consultant will collaborate with relevant Ministries, donors, as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society and private training and intermediation providers.

The consultant will report to the EOF Director and the work produced will be functionally supervised by Milena Castellnou, Senior Education Advisory Consultant and other members of EOF’s program team.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (TASKS, SMART DELIVERABLES, DEADLINES):

Participate in inception meetings and engage in initial discussions with the EOF team and relevant stakeholders => Deliverable: Inception report (Word format) =>    4 weeks after contract signature

• • The public TVET system in Tunisia and role of the different Ministries, Government agencies and local Government
  • The current Government’s strategic priorities and relevant programs and their appetite to co-fund the program
  • Key donor-funded programs in the workforce development sector
  • The role of private and non-profit training and intermediation providers active in Tunisia including existing Government-funded programs implemented by non-state actors
  • The different groups of population that could be targeted taking into account regional disparities, gender, level of education and other key factors
  • The constraints to achieving outcomes in the skills and intermediation sector in Tunisia
  • An initial analysis of the most dynamic sectors in the Tunisian labor market
  • Identify key stakeholders to engage in the feasibility study in the relevant Ministries, other Governmental entities, donors and service providers (including non-profit and private) operating in the training and intermediation sector and propose a strategy for engagement.

Engage in interviews with key stakeholders, assess capacity on training and intermediation providers to engage with results-based management financing programs, obtain data required to assess the costs and effectiveness of interventions => Deliverable:  Detailed interview notes, recordings, summary of main take-aways, brief on key recommendations for the program including key stakeholders to engage further, potential target population, potential providers to deliver the program, use of data => 8 weeks after contract signature

Identify next steps required for the program design and propose a strategy for additional stakeholder engagement and data collection => Deliverable: Report section drafts (in Word format) based on an outline agreed with the EOF team => 12 weeks after contract signature

• Participate in drafting the relevant sections of the feasibility report and integrate feedback from the EOF team and relevant stakeholders, including: the Tunisian context and roles of the key actors (Government, donors, providers), key constraints to achieving outcomes in the skilling and intermediation sector, recommendation for the target population/ sectors and data-driven justification, assessment of the capacity of potential providers (public, private and non-profit) and initial evidence of cost and effectiveness of interventions, recommendations for stakeholder engagement in for the next stage of design.

 To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced degree in Development Studies, Economics, Demographics, Social Policy or other field relevant to workforce development.
• Minimum of five years of prior experience working in the workforce development, skilling or employment sector in Tunisia;
• Experience leading or collaborating on workforce development programs in Tunisia targeting unemployed youth or marginalized populations;
• Experience engaging with senior government, NGOs and private sector stakeholders in country;
• Excellent knowledge of, and preferably relationships with, key stakeholders within the Government.
• Fluent in French and Arabic, good command of English

Technical knowledge/ competencies:

• Excellent understanding of the dynamics of the Tunisian labor market, the functioning of the public TVET system, the landscape of non-profit and private training and intermediation providers and the strategic priorities of the Tunisian Government and key donors;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Good, communication (external and internal) and stakeholder management skills;
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

• Build and maintain partnerships (II)
• Demonstrate self-awareness and ethical awareness (I)
• Drive to achieve results for impact (I)
• Innovate and embrace change (I)
• Manage ambiguity and complexity (II)
• Think and act strategically (I)
• Work collaboratively with others (II)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

REMARKS:

PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE – The payment schedule will be based on submission of the required deliverables as indicated below.

1. First payment to be made upon submission and acceptance of the inception report (Deliverable 1). (20%)
2. Second payment to be made on submission and acceptance of detailed interview notes and recordings, summary of main take-aways from interviews and recommendations for the program (Deliverable 2). (40%)
3. Final payment to be made on submission and acceptance of the drafts of report sections (Deliverable 3). (40%)

Please complete your profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system. Please provide (attach) a Personal History Form (P-11) highlighting previous engagements which meet the qualification criteria described above. Personal History Form (P11) can be downloaded from: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html

Please indicate your ability, availability and financial proposal (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.  All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individual Contractors who are working in a full-time capacity (for a minimum of 1 full month) and with the same working schedule as staff at the duty station (generally office-based, working five weekdays per week and following the office hours) receive Paid Time Off (PTO) credit at the rate of one- and one-half days (1.5 days) for each full month of service. Please refer to Paid Time off for Individual Contractors for further information.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

EOF is hosted by UNICEF. The Fund is administered under UNICEF’s financial, human resources and administrative rules and regulations, while operations are run by the Fund’s own independent governance structure that provides strategic guidance and oversight to its investments. EOF’s day-to-day activities are carried out by a Secretariat under the direction of the Education Outcomes Fund, Director.