Consultant for providing technical support to Tinkering with Tech initiative

Consultant for providing technical support to Tinkering with Tech initiative 6 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants Job no: Contract type: ConsultantDuty Station: PodgoricaLevel: ConsultancyLocation: MontenegroCategories: Education UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up. For every child, quality education. In close cooperation with partner institutions and international organizations, UNICEF initiated and supported systemic and comprehensive reforms of the education system. Key reform initiatives include a comprehensive Education Reform Strategy (2025–2035) adopted by the Government of Montenegro, assessment of the teacher professional development system, support for the Education Digitalization Strategy (2022–2027), and smart integration of digital tools and technologies. One flagship initiative in digital education is the Tinkering with Tech (TwT) program, conducted with the UNICEF Learning Innovation Hub, the Micro Bit Foundation, and the Global Office of Research and Foresight (Innocenti). The TwT initiative, under the Learning Innovation Hub, aims to develop 21st‑century skills among students and spark interest in STEM through playful interaction with micro:bit devices. In 2024, UNICEF and the Bureau for Education successfully implemented the pilot phase of TwT. The Montenegrin pilot included 12 primary schools, 23 teachers, and 549 fifth‑grade students. Teachers received face‑to‑face training and continuous mentoring through a Community of Practice on Microsoft Teams. Students designed projects addressing climate action and sustainable cities, culminating in a Grand Challenge event. With support of the UNICEF Learning Innovation Hub and UNICEF Montenegro, and based on the successful pilot, the Tinkering with Tech project will be expanded during the 2025/26 school year to include more schools, teachers, and students, ensuring sustained implementation as part of the national Education Digitalization Strategy. How can you make a difference? UNICEF seeks a dedicated national consultant to assist in a wide range of activities requiring expertise in the phases of the Tinkering with Tech scale‑up. The consultant will work under the supervision of the Education Officer NoB, in close cooperation with the Quality Education & Adolescent Development team. Responsibilities Support Bureau for Education in developing a practical and transparent process for selecting additional schools in all three regions of Montenegro; support readiness checks and brief schools on expectations, timelines, and support channels. Support coordination among partner institutions and organizations (UNICEF–Bureau for Education–Learning Innovation Hub–Micro Bit Foundation – schools). Maintain regular communication with the Learning Innovation Hub and provide ongoing support to the UNICEF CO team and the Bureau for Education. Support the Bureau for Education in ensuring pedagogical alignment and quality; coordinate translation/localisation and deliver bilingual (MNE/ENG) files ready for print and digital. Prepare reference briefs for schools on design thinking, micro:bit integration, and safe/ethical use of technology/AI. Co‑plan and facilitate a preparatory meeting with representatives of participating schools; capture decisions and next steps in joint notes. Support organization of the National Tinkering with Tech Launch, including participant roster, invitations, agenda, speaker briefs, and run‑of‑show; develop and deliver project presentations. Support school leadership teams in all selected schools to embed the initiative into school year annual planning and Continuous Professional Development plans. Co‑design and co‑deliver practical teacher training (3‑day trainings for two groups of teachers), along with international and Bureau trainers; support development of materials, hands‑on activities, and evidence of learning for accreditation. Prepare accreditation files for national training certification. Plan, set up, and administer an online Community of Practice with Bureau focal points through structured channels, resource library, peer demo lessons, regular Q&A/office hours; facilitate regular online meetings and maintain other means of synchronous and asynchronous communication, with detailed reports prepared. Provide ongoing support to teachers by organising and facilitating joint in‑person meetings at the Bureau premises. Plan and conduct scheduled joint school support visits with the Bureau focal point for all participating schools (at least 22); including meetings with principals, classroom observations, and teacher coaching sessions. Develop and use shared classroom activities observation and teacher coaching tool and provide feedback summaries to teachers and principals. Provide technical and methodological support to teachers in 22 schools (expected teachers: 66) through various online and offline channels to introduce design thinking, basic programming concepts, and promote effective use of micro:bit devices. Administer and configure the UNICEF Montenegro instance of the Learning Passport Platform for the initiative; administer and adopt the platform to host content; convert and upload core materials; administer course settings, enrollment, and certificates; share monthly usage snapshots. Maintain a shared monitoring & learning dashboard (training completion, CoP engagement, visit notes) and propose improvements regularly. Support the research component (contextualise survey instruments, coordinate with schools, schedule data collection, assist the research agency on logistics/quality, review draft assessment), ensuring consent and data‑protection standards. Co‑organise the Final Event/Grand Challenge with the Bureau; develop a detailed event program, agenda, participant roster, and invitations; provide guidance to schools in preparing student project presentations; design and prepare certificate templates for teachers, students, and schools; produce a post‑event report and promotional package. Project duration: 1 December 2025 – 30 June 2026, with an estimated 105 working days during a seven‑month implementation period. Work Assignment Overview Project design, selection process criteria, project launch and alignment with school‑based annual planning Selection criteria developed and process implementation note prepared; internal readiness‑check template; online school briefings. Pedagogical alignment and quality check: bilingual (MNE/ENG) trainer guide, handouts & slides; terminology list prepared. Development of reference brief on design thinking, micro:bit integration, safe/ethical AI in line with UNICEF recommendations. Preparatory meeting for the launch and National Launch organisation; event agenda and detailed plan developed; project presentation prepared. Developed guidance note for school annual/CPD plans. By 15 December 2025 (7 days) Teacher training; design, accreditation & delivery support Finalised 3‑day teacher training program, agenda and materials. Set of accreditation files for the training certification prepared. Teacher training delivery along with international experts. Report prepared from two 3‑day training sessions with specific guidance for further support teachers. By 25 December 2025 (15 days) Community of Practice (CoP) establishment and facilitation MS Teams Community of Practice, with structured channels, document library, and discussion space established and moderated. At least 14 weekly maintenance and update of CoP, including various types of asynchronous and synchronous communication constantly maintained and facilitated. 7 bi‑weekly online Teams meetings prepared and facilitated, with detailed reports prepared for Bureau for Education, UNICEF and Learning Innovation Hub. By 30 April 2026 (15 days) School support visits and meetings Observation/coaching tool for school visits created. At least 22 school visits (meeting with school principal, class observations and coaching sessions with technical (micro:bit and basics of programming) and methodological support, with reports prepared for each visit. Planning, organising and facilitating two joint meetings with teachers at Bureau for Education premises. By 1 May 2026 (25 days) Research support Coordinate data collection with research agency. Support to instruments development and contextualisation. Ensure communication with school, teachers and parents, consent & quality assurance (documented). By 5 May 2026 (5 days) Final event (Grand Challenge) Detailed event program and agenda developed. Support to schools on student project presentations preparations (3‑min videos) prepared for sharing. Schools’ showcase guidance created. Preparation of the presentation of project results. Certificate templates created for teachers, students and schools. Post‑event report prepared for the Bureau for Education and UNICEF. Promotional package for Bureau for Education social media created. By 20 May 2026 (6 days) Learning Passport Platform (Digionica) administration and adoption for the Tinkering with Tech initiative. Learning path/ dedicated space for the Tinkering with Tech initiative configured on the Country Office Learning Passport instance. Capacity‑building session for teachers conducted on the use of Digital School platform services. Three learning courses created and fully managed, including enrolment and certificate issuance. Seven monthly analytical reports produced on the use of Digital School platform courses related to the Tinkering with Tech initiative. By 1 June 2026 (17 days) Overall quality assurance for implementation of the Tinkering with Tech initiative and final report (approved and accepted by UNICEF). Maintained project action/risk tracker (updated continuously). Coordination of partners (UNICEF–BES–LIH–MBF): bi‑weekly coordination notes (at least 10). Final report delivered. By 20 June 2026 (15 days) To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… Education University degree in social sciences. An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) will be considered an advantage. Certified teacher trainer. Experience A minimum of 15 years of relevant professional work experience in the education sector. In‑depth knowledge of the Montenegrin education system. Proven experience in teaching, classroom observation and mentoring in primary or secondary schools. Experience in coordinating multi‑stakeholder projects and maintaining effective communication among education partners and institutions. Experience in administration and moderation of the Learning Passport Platform or similar online learning systems. Expertise in providing methodological and technical support to teachers, particularly in the areas of digital learning, coding, and micro:bit‑based classroom practice. Proven experience in establishing or moderating online teacher communities of practice. Experience in designing, facilitating, and evaluating teacher training and professional learning activities. Experience in educational or social research, including the development, piloting, and contextualisation of research instruments, and proven experience in coordinating field data collection in school settings. Excellent organisational and facilitation skills required. Excellent knowledge of English and Montenegrin, including writing and presentation skills. Previous work experience with UN/UNICEF or other international organisations will be considered an advantage. Language Fluency in Montenegrin and English is required. Other Excellent writing skills, presentation skills, strong strategic and analytical skills. Ability to work with different stakeholders. Demonstrates tact and a high sense of responsibility and discretion. Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. The consultant must have proof that they possess a teacher trainer certificate in one or more of the following areas of relevance to the project: digital education, civic education. Payment Schedule The payments will be made upon successful completion of the deliverables 2, 3, 6 and 8, submission of invoices as per above delivery schedule. All deliverables should be produced in English and final product in both local and English language. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. Mandatory E‑learning Upon conducting the recruitment process and prior to the signing of the contract, the consultant will be required to complete the following online courses. All certificates should be presented as part of the contract. Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (PSEAA) Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA) Before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF, the Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete course on General Information Security Awareness Course. In addition to above, any Consultant or Individual Contractor must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract: Fraud Awareness; General Information Security Awareness Course (only for consultants/individual contractors with a UNICEF email address). Course completion certificates should be shared and retained with the human resources unit of the hiring office. Qualifications All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below. The proposal will be evaluated against the following criteria: Technical criteria – Technical evaluation process / Maximum points: 70. Desk review of CVs – 75% of total evaluation – maximum 75 points. Education: 15 points. Previous experience: 50 points. CV, Motivation/cover letter, other: 10 points. Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 52.50 points) will be qualified for consideration for financial proposal evaluation. Financial criteria – evaluation of financial proposal – Maximum points: 25. The applicants are requested to submit as a separate document their lump sum financial proposal consisting of a professional fee and costs for field visits. Financial scores will be calculated using the formula (lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 25). UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including people living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. Selected candidate is solely responsible for ensuring that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS‑CoV‑2 (Covid‑19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met before taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. Advertised: 14 Oct 2025 Central European Daylight Time Deadline: 28 Oct 2025 Central European Standard Time Seniority level Entry level Employment type Full‑time Job function Information Technology Industries: Non‑profit Organization Management We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI. #J-18808-Ljbffr