International Data Consultant for Nigeria, Abuja Nigeria, 12 Months, (Remote with Regular visits to Nigeria)

UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, works together with partners in 190 countries and territories to promote and advocate for the protection of the rights of every child.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

Nigeria is home to approximately 206 million people, 43 per cent of whom below 14 years of age. By 2030, there will be close to 126 million children in Nigeria. The growing child population places significant pressure on the provision of schooling and the delivery of education services. Despite the progress made in the past years, 10.2 million children at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary levels remain out of school. Lack of access to safe, quality, inclusive education impacts learning of children. Approximately 50 per cent of students in school cannot read or write, while only one in four children in Nigeria demonstrate foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

The Federal Ministry of Education launched the Nigeria Education Sector Renew Initiative (NESRI) with education data as one of the core pillars for education reform. Subsequently, the Ministry initiated the Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI) to strengthen sector-wide data collection, management, analysis and use. The initiative aims to enable the federal, state and local governments and school authorities to leverage the education data for policy making, programme development, and improvement of teaching and learning activities. To achieve the goal, UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry to operationalize education information management systems (EMIS) across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. In 2025, UNICEF supported the Ministry to launch the EMIS with annual school census module, safe school module and student registry module. The EMIS system has been developed by the University Oslo (UiO) that has provided a DHIS platform.

To help the government mainstream the EMIS in the education sector and institutionalize it as a sustainable system, UNICEF seeks to hire an international consultant. Under the supervision of Chief of Education, the consultant will undertake the following tasks.

1. Coordination:

Coordinate the education data project by liaising with and supporting the Ministry of Education (i.e., NEDI and NEMIS teams), University Basic Education Commission, and University of Oslo by organizing regular planning and review meetings Support the government to develop and implement an EMIS operational plan and monitor the progress.

2. Systems: 

Provide guidance and oversight on the system functionalities including data collection, management, analysis and reporting functions, dashboards, and migration of systems into Government’s server. Identify needs for system updates and guide the government and UiO in planning and conducting the updates.

3. Resources:

Collaborate with the government and UiO to identify a need for updating the knowledge base for DNEMIS, which contains manuals, videos, and SOPs for EMIS operators and users. Support the project team to revise and update the knowledge base. Examine ways to provide tailored user support such as an AI chat box.

4. Capacity building:

Identify capacity building needs and coordinate/monitor training and coaching sessions for key stakeholders including NEDI/NEMIS and state/local government teams in close collaboration with UiO.

5. Evidence generation:

Support UiO and the government in generating evidence on the effectiveness of DNEMIS based on the project initiative for ASC 2025/2026, by providing feedback and suggestions to evidence products they developed (e.g., investment cases, policy brief).

Updated DNEMIS workplan

2.  Systems: Provide guidance and oversight on the system functionalities including data collection, management, analysis and reporting functions, dashboards, and migration of systems into Government’s server.

Updated DNEMIS platform with revised/new functions

3. Resources: Support updating of the knowledge base with revised/new resources.

Updated knowledge base with revised/new resources

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: TOR_International Consultant for Education Data System 2026-2027 Abuja Nigeria.pdf

Eight years of experience in coordinating and supporting the development and operationalization of national education management systems and practice.

 Five years of experience in supporting the capacity building of education officers and school personnel in collecting and using education data.

Technical expertise in designing and functioning digital platforms.

Technical expertise in data collection, analysis and use for policy making and programme development.

Experience in working for UNICEF or international organizations/

Experience in working in Nigeria or African countries.

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is also proud of a diverse workforce who are profoundly committed to supporting the full realization of children’s rights, and in uplifting a rights-based approach in all that we do.

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others  

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure 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 prior to 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: 13 May 2026 W. Central Africa Standard Time
Applications close: 20 May 2026 W. Central Africa Standard Time

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