Education Strategy Consultant – Foundational Learning Plan (Remote)

About the role

UNICEF is seeking an experienced education consultant to partner with Zambia's Ministry of Education and key stakeholders in developing a national Foundational Learning Strategy and Investment Plan for 2027‑2034. The consultancy will be remote‑based and last approximately 3.6 months.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design of a comprehensive strategy that defines vision, policy guidance, priority actions and resource alignment for foundational learning.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations, technical working groups, and validation meetings with government ministries, development partners, civil society and academia.
• Develop a costed investment plan and monitoring framework to track progress and ensure accountability.
• Synthesize research, data analysis and best‑practice evidence into clear, actionable policy documents.

Required profile

• Advanced university degree in Education, Curriculum Studies, Educational Planning, Public Policy, Development Studies, Social Sciences or a related field.
• Minimum eight years of progressively responsible experience in the education sector, including work on foundational learning.
• Strong knowledge of Zambia’s education system and experience working with government ministries and development partners.

Required skills

• Strategic planning and policy development.
• Costed implementation planning.
• Stakeholder engagement and facilitation.
• Monitoring and evaluation, results‑based frameworks, and education data analysis.

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape national education policy in Zambia.
• Collaboration with UNICEF and a broad network of education stakeholders.
• Competitive consultancy fee and professional development exposure.