Consultant

JOB DETAILS Type of contract : [[TypeOfPost]] Level : [[PositionGrade]] Hiring Unit : [[ParentsSector]] Duty Station : [[filter5]] Work location : [[WorkLocation]] Duration of contract : [[DurationContract]] Hiring open to : [[RecruitmentOpen]] Application deadline (Midnight [[custTimezone]] Time) : [[ClosingDate1]] UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism OVERVIEW UNESCO, in partnership with Beijing Normal University and in collaboration with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, is implementing the project “ Closing the Digital Divide: Ensuring Gender-Transformative Digital Skills Education for Women and Girls ”. The project aims to advance inclusive and gender-transformative digital education by addressing systemic barriers that continue to limit the meaningful participation of women and girls in digital learning, ICT, and technology-driven opportunities. The initiative responds to persistent gender disparities in access to digital technologies, digital skills development, and participation in ICT-related education and career pathways. Although Tanzania is experiencing rapid digital transformation and an increasing demand for digital competencies, many girls, particularly in public secondary schools, continue to face interconnected barriers, including limited confidence in using digital technologies, inadequate exposure to female role models in ICT and STEM, entrenched gender stereotypes, and socio-cultural norms that constrain their participation, aspirations, and progression in digital fields. To address these challenges, the project focuses on increasing girls' exposure to ICT through school-based extracurricular initiatives that nurture their interest, confidence, and digital competencies while challenging gender stereotypes and broadening awareness of ICT studies and career opportunities. These interventions include the establishment and strengthening of school-based ICT Clubs, complemented by mentorship programmes, ICT and STEM workshops, innovation boot camps, STEM hackathons, ICT clinics, and other experiential learning opportunities implemented in collaboration with national and local partners. The ICT Clubs will serve as structured platforms for experiential and empowering learning, providing safe and supportive environments where students, particularly girls, can develop digital skills, collaborate on innovative projects, engage with mentors, and gain practical exposure to ICT and STEM. Beyond strengthening technical competencies, the clubs are intended to build girls' confidence, leadership, problem-solving skills, and aspirations while fostering their active participation in digital innovation and future ICT careers. In line with the project's gender-transformative objectives, the ICT Clubs will prioritize girls' participation while remaining inclusive to all learners. Implementation will ensure at least 50% female participation, while actively promoting girls' leadership, meaningful engagement, and sustained participation throughout all project activities. Long Description While these interventions are expected to expand girls' participation in digital learning, achieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes requires more than equitable participation. It requires a deliberate gender-transformative approach that addresses the underlying social, cultural, and institutional barriers affecting girls' engagement, strengthens their agency and self-confidence, and creates enabling learning environments that support their continued participation and success in ICT education and careers. To support the effective implementation of these interventions, UNESCO seeks to establish a gender technical support mechanism comprising one Lead Gender Expert and three Supporting Gender Specialists to provide specialized expertise in gender equality and gender-transformative programming throughout project implementation. Working under the technical guidance and supervision of the Lead Gender Expert, each Supporting Gender Specialist will have distinct and exclusive responsibility for 5 assigned schools, covering 15 of the 20 schools. The Lead Gender Expert will have direct responsibility for the remaining 5 schools while retaining overall technical oversight, coordination and quality assurance in 20 schools. Within their respective school clusters, the Supporting Gender Specialists will work closely with the technical implementing partner, education authorities, school leadership, teachers, mentors and other stakeholders to ensure that gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches are effectively integrated into ICT Clubs and related extracurricular activities. Each Specialist will monitor implementation, provide on-site technical guidance, document school-level results and lessons, and submit reports on his/her five assigned schools to the Lead Gender Expert. OBJECTIVES To engage 3 qualified Supporting Gender Experts to provide direct technical support for the implementation of the gender component of the UNESCO–BNU Project in assigned schools, ensuring that ICT Clubs and related extracurricular interventions are implemented through gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches that strengthen girls' meaningful participation, leadership, empowerment, and sustained engagement in ICT education and digital innovation, under the technical guidance and supervision of the Lead Gender Expert. Specifically, the assignment aims to: a. Support the co-design and implementation of gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches in ICT Clubs and related extracurricular activities in the 5 schools specifically assigned to each Supporting Gender Specialist, in collaboration with the Lead Gender Expert and the technical implementing partner. b. Provide technical guidance and mentoring to teachers, mentors, school focal persons, and the technical implementing partner, including the design and incorporation of gender-transformative content that challenges gender norms and stereotypes and strengthens girls' meaningful participation, leadership, safety, confidence, and retention in ICT education. c. Monitor implementation in assigned schools, identify gender-related challenges and opportunities, recommend practical solutions, and report progress to the Lead Gender Expert. d. Support the co-design, planning and implementation of mentorship programmes, ICT/STEM clinics, the Girls' ICT Innovation Bootcamp, STEM hackathons, and other project activities, including the identification and preparation of female ICT/STEM role models and the design of mentorship engagements that expand girls' awareness of studies, careers and opportunities in technology. e. Document achievements, lessons learned, good practices, challenges and recommendations from the five (5) assigned schools and submit school-specific technical inputs to the Lead Gender Expert for consolidation across all 20 participating schools. Long Description ASSIGNMENTS Working under the technical guidance & supervision of the Lead Gender Expert, each Supporting Gender Specialist shall: a. Provide field-based technical support for the integration of gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches into ICT Clubs and related extracurricular interventions within their 5 assigned schools. b. Provide technical guidance to teachers, mentors, school focal persons and the technical implementing partner to strengthen girls’ meaningful participation, leadership, confidence, safety, inclusion and empowerment throughout project implementation. c. Contribute to the co-design of gender-transformative approaches and content for ICT Clubs, mentorship engagements, the Innovation Bootcamp and related project activities, drawing on implementation experience and emerging needs within their assigned schools to en