Consultant for Research Coordination, Remedial Learning Implementation Research, and Government Data Analysis, Office-based, #594026

Contract Duration: 12 months

Working arrangement: Office-based

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The overall purpose is two-fold:

1. to generate timely, policy-relevant evidence that strengthens implementation of the national remedial learning programme, and
2. to institutionalize repeatable analytical routines so that MINEDUC, REB, and NESA can independently sustain this work beyond the 12-month consultancy period (01 July 2026–30 June 2027). Sustainability will be achieved through structured co-analysis, mentoring, development of standard operating procedures, reusable scripts and templates, and a final technical handover package.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: ToR TMC0002925.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in: Education (with a strong quantitative research component), Statistics/Applied Statistics, Economics/Econometrics, Data Science, or closely related Social Sciences.

Work Experience:

• At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in education research, implementation research, programme evaluation, or learning assessment analysis, preferably in Rwanda or similar contexts.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English (spoken and written). Knowledge of French is an added advantage.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Advanced data analytics: ability to clean, integrate, and analyze large datasets and translate them into policy-aligned, decision-ready insights.
• Reproducible statistical analysis: strong proficiency in Stata and/or R to produce transparent, well-documented, and reusable outputs.
• Implementation and mixed-methods research: experience linking quantitative and qualitative evidence, including lesson observation and learning process data.
• Embedded technical assistance and capacity strengthening: proven co-working, mentoring, and joint analysis with government teams.
• Costing and value-for-money analysis: ability to compile cost drivers, estimate unit costs, and develop scenario-based projections for scale-up decisions.
• Communication, coordination, and ethics: strong analytical writing, facilitation, data protection, and quality assurance.

Desirables:

• Experience working with government education data systems and evidence-to-policy processes; experience supporting institutionalization of analytical routines and reporting cycles.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal template TMC0002925.docx
• A detailed technical proposal: Methodology and workplan aligned to the ToR deliverables (including capacity strengthening and handover approach).

Remarks:

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.