Consultant for the Development of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Policy and Implementation Plan

ABOUT UNICEF

UNICEF works with governments and partners to improve access to inclusive and quality education for children.

The Federal Ministry of Education has requested UNICEF’s support to develop a national Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Policy and implementation plan for Nigeria.

JOB DETAILS

• Job Title: Consultant for the Development of FLN Policy and Implementation Plan
• Job Number: 594660
• Location: Abuja, Nigeria
• Work Arrangement: Office-based
• Contract Type: International Consultancy
• Contract Duration: Six months
• Eligibility: International candidates only
• Functional Area: Education
• Application Deadline: 28 July 2026 at 11:55 PM

JOB SUMMARY

The consultant will support the Federal Ministry of Education and UNICEF to develop a national policy and implementation plan for foundational literacy and numeracy.

The assignment will build on gaps identified through Nigeria’s foundational-learning landscape analysis and other evidence on learning outcomes and programme implementation.

The consultant will also support the mapping of non-formal learning centres across Nigeria.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Review existing foundational-learning policies, programmes and evidence in Nigeria.
• Examine findings and recommendations from the national FLN landscape analysis.
• Review federal and state-level education strategies and implementation plans.
• Analyse available evidence on literacy and numeracy outcomes.
• Identify policy, coordination, financing and implementation gaps.
• Conduct consultations with the Federal Ministry of Education.
• Engage state ministries, education agencies and development partners.
• Consult teachers, education specialists, civil-society organisations and other stakeholders.
• Develop a comprehensive national Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Policy.
• Ensure that the policy reflects equity, inclusion, gender and disability considerations.
• Develop a costed national implementation plan.
• Define responsibilities for federal, state and local education authorities.
• Develop realistic programme targets, timelines and milestones.
• Recommend appropriate coordination and accountability arrangements.
• Develop a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.
• Recommend indicators for tracking policy implementation and learning outcomes.
• Support the mapping of non-formal learning centres.
• Develop an approach for recording the number, type and location of centres.
• Review and recommend appropriate digital or geographic mapping tools.
• Facilitate policy-development workshops and stakeholder consultations.
• Present draft policy documents to government and education partners.
• Incorporate stakeholder feedback into the final policy and implementation plan.
• Prepare policy briefs, presentations and technical reports.
• Support government ownership and adoption of the final policy.
• Complete all required deliverables during the six-month assignment.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced university degree in Education, Education Policy, Curriculum Development, Educational Planning, Literacy, International Development or another relevant field.
• Doctoral-level education or additional specialist qualifications will be an advantage.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Extensive professional experience in education policy or foundational learning.
• Demonstrated experience developing national or regional education policies.
• Experience designing costed implementation plans.
• Experience in literacy, numeracy or basic-education programming.
• Experience working with ministries of education and government agencies.
• Experience conducting education-sector assessments and policy reviews.
• Experience developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Experience coordinating stakeholder consultations.
• Knowledge of non-formal education systems is desirable.
• Experience working in Nigeria or another comparable context is an advantage.
• Previous experience with UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank or another international organisation is desirable.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong knowledge of foundational literacy and numeracy.
• Strong education-policy development skills.
• Excellent analytical and research skills.
• Strong technical and policy-writing skills.
• Ability to prepare costed implementation plans.
• Good understanding of education-sector coordination.
• Strong stakeholder-engagement and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work with senior government officials and development partners.
• Strong monitoring and results-framework development skills.
• Ability to deliver high-quality outputs within deadlines.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

• Inception report and assignment work plan.
• Review of existing foundational-learning evidence and policies.
• Stakeholder-consultation report.
• Draft national FLN Policy.
• Costed FLN implementation plan.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.
• Mapping framework for non-formal learning centres.
• Stakeholder-validation workshop materials.
• Final national FLN Policy and implementation plan.
• Policy briefs and technical presentations.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested and qualified international candidates should apply through the official UNICEF Careers Portal using the application link provided above.

Applicants may be required to submit:

• Updated CV or professional profile
• Cover letter
• Technical proposal
• Financial proposal
• Evidence of similar policy-development assignments
• Contact information for professional referees

Applicants should carefully review the full Terms of Reference before submitting their applications.

Application Deadline: 28 July 2026 at 11:55 PM.