Education Consultant – Foundational Learning Strategy (Remote, 3.6 months)

About the role

UNICEF is seeking an experienced education consultant to partner with Zambia's Ministry of Education and a broad range of stakeholders to design a Foundational Learning Strategy and Investment Plan for 2027‑2034. The assignment, based remotely, will run for approximately 3.6 months and aims to create a national framework that improves foundational learning outcomes for all Zambian children.

Key responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Ministry of Education, development partners, civil society, academic institutions and other stakeholders to define the vision and priorities of the strategy.
• Develop a costed implementation and investment plan that aligns resources with identified actions.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations, technical working groups, validation meetings and participatory strategy‑development processes.
• Produce clear, evidence‑based strategic documents, including monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
• Provide technical guidance on policy, programme decisions and results‑based monitoring frameworks.

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, with a focus on foundational learning.
• Strong knowledge of Zambia’s education system and experience working with government ministries and development partners.
• Demonstrated experience in developing, reviewing or supporting education policies, strategies, frameworks or action plans.

Required skills

• Expertise in developing costed implementation or investment plans.
• Proven facilitation skills for stakeholder consultations and participatory processes.
• Strong analytical, writing and communication abilities to synthesize complex information into strategic documents.
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation, results frameworks and education data analysis.

What we offer

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