Learning and Scaling Lead, Sierra Leone

About the Role

The successful candidate will contribute to innovative outcomes funds, transforming how education and skills are financed and delivered. EOF offers its team the opportunity to drive systems change at scale, while working in a mission-driven, high-performing team.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies, and partners by providing quality services, integrated solutions, and management support through strategic, cost-effective, and results-oriented approaches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate, and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva—from fund management and oversight to advisory services and operational support to partner organizations.

Purpose

The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), is prioritizing improvements in Foundational Learning outcomes, particularly literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills, as a cornerstone of human capital development. Despite significant achievements under the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) programme, challenges remain in ensuring that all children achieve minimum proficiency in foundational skills. Strengthening system-wide coherence, instructional quality, use of data, and delivery mechanisms is critical.

The Learning and Scaling Lead will support the Country Lead to develop and implement a learning, scaling, and evidence synthesis agenda that translates programme evidence into operational insights and actionable policy recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Support the Country Lead to provide recommendations to MBSSE leadership on policy decisions and reforms related to foundational learning and early childhood education outcomes.
• Contribute to sector planning and reviews of Foundational Learning and ECCE outcomes.
• Document lessons related to workforce development, service delivery models, inclusion practices, supervision systems, and quality assurance mechanisms.
• Support development of transition and institutionalization plans.
• Draft policy briefs, learning notes, and strategic recommendations.
• Support the Country Lead to interpret and apply evidence in planning and decision-making processes.
• Contribute evidence inputs to national policy discussions and technical working groups.
• Provide technical inputs to MBSSE directors and other partners when designing or implementing foundational learning and ECCE policies and programmes.
• Promote piloting and testing of innovative approaches.
• Contribute to translating global research into practical policy guidance.
• Conduct analyses of scale potential, cost drivers, implementation models, and sustainability options.
• Support the Country Lead to identify barriers and enablers to scaling successful interventions.
• Convene stakeholders from government, civil society, donors, research institutions, and implementing partners.
• Support design and scaling of activities under the Foundational Learning Compact.
• Ensure programmes are cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable.
• Facilitate continued learning about data and evidence use in foundational learning and ECCE interventions, including annual review of progress.
• Promote a culture of data-driven improvement.
• Lead the collection, synthesis, and interpretation of implementation evidence.
• Collaborate with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research partners to analyze quantitative and qualitative data.
• Identify emerging lessons, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Act as a focal point for all partners supporting foundational learning.
• Under supervision of the Country Lead, contribute to ensuring alignment of donor-funded programmes with national priorities, engaging on cross-sector evidence and collaborative action.
• Under supervision of the Country Lead, contribute to ensuring reforms are evidence-based, reduce duplication, lead to impact, and are implemented in line with policies.
• Build the capacity of government counterparts to use data and evidence in routine decision-making, moving the system towards learning outcomes.

Requirements

Education

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Public Policy, Education, Business, Economics, Political Science, Finance, or similar.
• Desired: Master’s degree in International Development, Public Policy, Education, Business, Economics, Political Science, Finance, or similar.

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in Education, skills-for-employment, development, and/or policy programs.
• Experience working with national and/or provincial governments, preferably within the education, skills-for-employment, or broader development sectors.
• Experience in education and/or skills-for-employment policy and systems strengthening, including pathways for program scale-up and sustainability.
• Desired: Experience should ideally include evidence generation, policy analysis, system reform, or scaling innovative practices.
• Experience with innovative financing mechanisms (particularly outcomes funds), performance management frameworks, or large donor-funded programs is an asset.
• Experience working in the Early Childhood sector and familiarity with ECCE data and indicators.
• Proven track record of producing high-quality analytical reports, policy briefs, and evidence-based recommendations.