Consultant for Data Analytics in Education

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, is a United Nations agency that works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. With a mission to promote the rights of every child, UNICEF is committed to providing diverse opportunities for professional and personal development for its staff. The organization is known for its passionate culture and attractive compensation and benefits package, making it a desirable workplace for those dedicated to humanitarian efforts.

Job Overview:
The consultant will play a crucial role in supporting the Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine by creating data analytics products aimed at improving educational planning and monitoring. The position focuses on addressing the challenges posed by the ongoing war, which has severely disrupted educational activities. The consultant will be responsible for developing models that quantify the disruption of educational activities due to alarms, support decentralized planning for resource optimization, and model energy resilience and winter preparedness for schools. This role requires a strong understanding of data-driven decision-making in education, particularly in the context of emergencies, to ensure that interventions are effective and targeted towards the most vulnerable communities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop a model to quantify the disruption of educational activities due to alarms, including the creation of a dashboard for visualization and utilization by the Ministry of Education and Science and local authorities.
• Create an optimization model for resource allocation at the hromada level, focusing on Early Childhood Education, to assist local administrations in their planning exercises.
• Design a model for energy resilience and winter preparedness, prioritizing schools for investments based on various datasets.
• Conduct field testing of the developed models and prepare them for public presentation.
• Collaborate closely with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Institute of Education Analytics to ensure the sustainability and usability of the data products.
• Prepare and submit deliverables, including reports and presentations, in accordance with the established deadlines.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Master’s degree in public policy, project management, mathematics, statistics, computer science, or related fields. They should have at least 3 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation (M&E), data analytics, or public sector performance monitoring, with a minimum of 2 years working with official education data in Ukraine. Familiarity with the education data landscape in Ukraine is essential, along with experience in developing and managing M&E frameworks and indicator systems for social services, preferably in education. Experience with international organizations, particularly UNICEF or donor-funded education projects, is highly desirable.

Educational Background:
A Master’s degree in relevant fields such as public policy, project management, mathematics, statistics, or computer science is required for this position. This educational background is crucial for understanding the complexities of data analytics and its application in the education sector, especially in a crisis context.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience, particularly in monitoring and evaluation, data analytics, or public sector performance monitoring. Candidates should have at least 2 years of experience specifically working with education data systems in Ukraine, demonstrating a strong understanding of the local education landscape and the challenges it faces due to the ongoing war.

Languages:
Proficiency in Ukrainian at a native level (C2) is mandatory, as well as proficiency in English at a native level (C2). These language skills are essential for effective communication and collaboration with local authorities and international partners.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy will involve a total of 121 working days, with specific deliverables due by set deadlines, including an inception report, models for quantification and optimization, and a final consultancy report. The consultant will need to complete safety training before any field missions and may be required to travel to various locations in Ukraine. Payment will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables, and UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment if standards are not met. The selected consultant will not be considered a staff member and will not receive benefits typically provided to employees. They must also ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, including vaccination status against COVID-19.