JOB DETAILS
Type of contract : Consultant Contract
Level : Level 3- Senior
Hiring Unit : International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)
Duty Station : Paris
Work location : Remote
Duration of contract : 11 months
Hiring open to : External candidates
Application deadline (Midnight UTC+1 Time) : 16/02/2026
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW
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 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 most pressing educational challenges.
At the backbone of its strategy and commitment to reducing inequalities in education, IIEP-UNESCO 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 โ 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.
Long Description
Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the research focuses 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 โ 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 Cรดte d'Ivoire, have joined the initiative (with other funding).
IIEP-UNESCO Dakar is recruiting a consultant to support the WiLL research agenda.
ASSIGNMENTS
The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the GCI Lead in Paris, the guidance of the GCI Gender Sensitive Education Planner in Dakar, and the overall authority of IIEP Africaโs 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 womenโs participation. Identification and analysis of assessment tools for measuring gender norms, socio-emotional skills and childrenโs well-being at school. Analysis of education datasets and drafting policy briefs on school leadership and studentsโ outcomes.
Country-level work
WiLL is led by IIEP-UNESCO in Benin, Madagascar, and, on demand, in Ivory Coast and Senegal. The consultant will lead or contribute to:
Long Description
Analysis
Analysis of primary data collected in Benin and Madagascar to examine school leadership practices and their links with teachers and studentsโ outcomes, as well as womenโs 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 Cรดte dโIvoire.
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 Cรดte dโIvoire. 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 qualitative survey questionnaires to be administered to headteachers, teachers, students, 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.Long Description
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.
Publication and Dissemination of Research Results
The WiLL initiative for 2026 places strong emphasis on the publication, dissemination, and knowledge mobilization of research findings to ensure that quantitative and qualitative evidence effectively informs policy dialogue, programming, and global debates on gender-responsive school leadership.
In this context, the consultant will be responsible for contributing to the publication and dissemination of research outputs generated, in close collaboration with IIEP-UNESCO, UNICEF Innocenti, and national partners.
The consultant will be expected to:
All publications produced under the assignment will remain the intellectual property of IIEP-UNESCO and its partners, in accordance with UNESCO policies, and will be subject to internal review and validation prior to external dissemination.
Quality Assurance
The Senior consultant will be responsible for ensuring the quality, rigor, and reliability of the institutional analysis conducted in Senegal and Cรดte 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 IIEP 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:
Specific work assignments will depend on project constraints and workload allocation.
CONTRACT DURATION
The consultancy will run for 11 months and requires a full-time commitment. The consultant is expected to start during the first quarter of 2026.
DELIVERABLES
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.
COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)
Communication (C) Accountability (C) Innovation (C) Knowlegde sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C)
For detailed information, please consult the