Int. Consultant Operational plan for a UN joint Education programme, Bissau, Guinea Bissau

Guinea‑Bissau remains one of the world's most fragile and impoverished countries, ranking 174 out of 189 on the Human Development Index. The education sector faces severe challenges in access, quality, equity, and learning outcomes, particularly for children in rural areas and from the poorest households. Pre‑school enrolment stands at only 14 per cent, while over half of five‑year‑olds are out of school. Primary school completion is just 27 per cent—the lowest globally—and lower secondary attendance and completion rates are critically low. Many schools lack complete education cycles, leading to late entry and high dropout rates.

Girls face additional barriers, including early marriage, pregnancy, harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, lack of sanitation facilities, and widespread violence, all of which negatively affect school participation and performance. Poverty and malnutrition further undermine learning, with nearly 70 per cent of the population living below the poverty line and high rates of child stunting and hunger. Youth are also increasingly exposed to drug use, contributing to school dropout and social instability.

Education quality is poor, with very low student learning outcomes and significant gaps in teacher competency. Limited public financing, political instability, and weak institutions compound these challenges. In response, UN agencies are pursuing a coordinated, convergent approach under the UNSDCF 2022-2026 to strengthen systems, integrate complementary services, and deliver scalable, sustainable solutions focused on the most deprived areas and children.

The overall objective of the consultancy is to support the UN OG3 Education team to have a clear and quality joint operational workplan with defined geographic areas, package of services and selected schools and surrounding community for implementation. The scope of work will consist of:

• Review documents related toward informing achievement of the purpose of the consultancy.
• Interviews with agencies, Resident Coordination Office (RCO), government at central and regional levels, World Bank, and other partners intervening in Education sector in Guinea Bissau, CSOs...
• Development of proposal for integrated programming with minimum packages, with costed implementation plan, monitoring and reporting plan, and proposed geographic areas and selected schools for the implementation of the integrated package...
• Prepare and facilitate a validation meeting of the deliverables with UN OG3 team, and with all concerned partners...

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:An advanced university degree [Master] in Education, Economics, Social Sciences, or other relevant field.
• Work Experience:
  • A minimum of 10 years' experience in Education sector programmes development and/or implementation
  • A minimum of eight (8) years' experience working in a development context.
• Skills:
  • Ability to engage and work with a variety of stakeholders (Government, development partners, civil society, indirect and direct program/project beneficiaries).
  • Analytical, with good computer and data analysis skills.
• Language Requirements:
  • Fluency in English;
  • Portuguese and French working knowledge both writing and speaking is plus

How to Apply:

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.