UNICEF Vacancy: Implementation Research Consultant – Education (Eastern & Southern Africa)

Remote (with Florence duty station)
Deadline: 23 August 2025

UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight (GORaF) is seeking an experienced Implementation Research Consultant to lead participatory, mixed-methods research embedded within education programmes in Eastern and Southern Africa.

This consultancy aims to generate evidence to inform and scale impactful education interventions across national systems. The successful candidate will work closely with UNICEF Country Offices, Regional Offices, Ministries of Education, and research partners to ensure timely and high-quality implementation research.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate and support co-creation workshops with Ministries of Education and UNICEF teams.
• Develop data collection tools tailored to diverse country contexts.
• Provide ongoing technical support for field implementation of research plans.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
• Draft research outputs that support programme scale-up.

The consultant will be expected to deliver approximately 214 working days of support during the contract, starting in 2025. Work is fully remote/home-based.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree or higher in Economics, Education, Social Policy, Statistics, or a related field.
• Experience:
  • Minimum 5 years of professional experience designing and implementing research in developing countries.
  • Proven track record managing large-scale data collection and training, including use of ODK, Kobo, or SurveyCTO.
  • Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, with proficiency in STATA, SPSS, or R.
  • Knowledge of experimental and quasi-experimental methods.
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multicultural, geographically dispersed teams.
• Language:
  • Fluency in English (spoken and written) is essential.
  • French language skills are desirable.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with remedial education, inclusive education, or digital learning.
• Experience working in Eastern and Southern Africa.
• Proficiency in PowerBI or other data dashboard tools.
• Previous work with UN agencies or in fragile and humanitarian contexts.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should review the full Terms of Reference and apply via UNICEF’s careers portal by 23 August 2025 (GMT).

Additional Notes

• UNICEF is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and a child-safe recruitment process.
• Reasonable accommodations will be made for applicants with disabilities.
• No fees are charged at any stage of recruitment.
• This position is open to both internal and external applicants.

About UNICEF Innocenti – GORaF

Based in Florence, UNICEF Innocenti uses research and foresight to identify actionable solutions to global challenges facing children and youth. This consultancy will contribute directly to UNICEF’s strategic goals of equity in learning, skills for the future, and evidence-informed education reform.

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the hiring organization. For any inquiries, please contact the hiring organization directly. Please do not send your applications to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.