Type of contract : Consultant Contract
Level : Level 3 - Senior
Hiring Unit : Sciences Sector (SCS)
Duty Station : Beirut
Work location : Remote
Duration of contract : 1 month
Hiring open to : External candidates
Application deadline (Midnight UTC+3 Time) : 27/11/2026
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
The MAWHIBA–UNESCO Online STEM Oasis project is a joint initiative of Mawhiba and the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, with a total project budget of USD 250,000. The project seeks to strengthen extracurricular learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for students in grades 7 to 12 in the Arab region, with particular attention to girls’ participation. Its first phase targets Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic.
The project combines digital learning resources with stakeholder engagement to support STEM learning beyond the classroom. Its planned components include an online portal featuring short STEM videos and quizzes, outreach materials, stakeholder networks and national consultations in the four participating countries. Through these complementary components, the initiative aims to expand opportunities for students to engage with STEM content and to support dialogue among relevant stakeholders on its use and further development. Gender equality, accessibility and inclusion are important considerations across the project’s activities. Gender equality, accessibility and inclusion are important considerations across the project’s activities.
Planned Results and Implementation Status
The project’s planned outputs and reported delivery as of 30 September 2026 are summarized below. The table identifies the corresponding indicators and supporting monitoring evidence to inform the final review.
| Project component | What was planned | Current status |
| Videos and quizzes | Produce 350 STEM videos with accompanying quizzes | All 350 videos are produced and uploaded, with quizzes for each video. |
| LMS portal | Create an online learning portal to host videos and quizzes | The portal is online and open for registration. Testing is planned during the consultations, followed by the official launch in December 2026 or January 2027. |
| National consultations | Hold four consultations in Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon | Jordan is confirmed for 2-3 November 2026. Responses from Lebanon, Iraq and Syria are pending. |
| Outreach and visibility | Promote the portal and its learning resources | No outreach activities have been implemented yet. Visibility activities are planned during the consultations and around the official launch in December 2026 or January 2027. |
| Coordination with national partners | Engage National Commissions and Ministries of Education to prepare the national consultations | Preparatory meetings have been held with National Commissions and Ministries of Education to coordinate the consultations. |
The initiative brings together UNESCO’s education and science areas of work through its focus on STEM learning and digital educational resources. UNESCO’s Regional Office in Beirut and Mawhiba are the principal institutional partners, while students in grades 7 to 12 constitute the intended beneficiary group. Stakeholders engaged through the project’s networks and national consultations provide perspectives on country needs, implementation experience and prospects for the continued use of project resources.
In connection with project completion, UNESCO intends to commission a final review by an external consultant. The review will provide a focused, evidence-based assessment of implementation and available results, distinguishing completed outputs and demonstrated achievements from planned activities and anticipated benefits. It will draw on available project documentation, financial and implementation records, platform information, selected learning materials and stakeholder consultations.
The final review is designed as an assessment proportionate to the project’s scale and available resources. It will document achievements, implementation challenges and lessons learned, and provide practical recommendations to UNESCO, Mawhiba and relevant partners to inform project closure, the sustainability of project outputs and possible future programming.
In connection with the completion of the MAWHIBA–UNESCO Online STEM Oasis project, UNESCO is commissioning a final review by an external consultant to take stock of implementation, assess available results and identify lessons for future programming. Following consultation with UNESCO’s IOS Evaluation Office, a final review has been identified as an appropriate assessment modality given the project’s scale, its USD 250,000 budget and the time and resources available for this exercise.
The purpose of the review is to support accountability, learning and informed decision-making by examining what the project delivered against its agreed objectives and planned outputs across Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. It will consider the relevance and usefulness of the project’s digital learning resources and stakeholder engagement activities, implementation challenges and prospects for the continued use of project outputs, with attention to girls’ participation, accessibility and inclusion. Findings will be grounded in available evidence and will distinguish verified achievements from anticipated benefits and results that cannot yet be established.
The primary intended users are the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut and Mawhiba. They are expected to use the findings and recommendations to inform project completion reporting, identify priorities for maintaining and using the online portal and learning materials, and guide decisions on possible follow-up support or future phases. Relevant national stakeholders and partners in the four participating countries may also use the findings to strengthen engagement with the project’s resources and inform future extracurricular STEM learning initiatives.
The review will produce practical, prioritized recommendations proportionate to the evidence available, with clear identification of the stakeholders best placed to take them forward.
The final review will assess project implementation and available results, identify lessons learned and provide practical recommendations for project closure, the continued use of project outputs and possible future programming. It will draw selectively on the OECD-DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability, applying them proportionately to the project’s scale and the resources available for the review.
The specific objectives and guiding review questions are:
| Relevance | Assess how the project responds to the needs of its intended beneficiaries in the participating countries. • To what extent did the project’s design and activities address extracurricular STEM learning needs, particularly those of girls and learners facing barriers to access and participation? |
| Coherence | Examine the project’s complementarity with relevant national and partner initiatives. • To what extent was the project aligned with relevant national STEM education priorities and complementary to other digital and extracurricular learning initiatives, including efforts to promote gender equality and inclusive access? |
| Effectiveness | Examine delivery against the project’s agreed objectives and planned outputs and identify available evidence of early results. • What outputs and early results were achieved, whom did they reach, and what factors—including UNESCO’s and partners’ contributions—supported or constrained achievement and equitable participation? |
| Efficiency | Review the use of financial and human resources, implementation arrangements and delivery timelines. • To what extent did resource allocation, management and partner coordination support timely delivery of accessible and inclusive project outputs, and what practical improvements can be identified? |
| Sustainability | Assess the prospects for the continued availability and use of project resources. • What ownership, capacities, resources and follow-up arrangements are in place or needed to sustain the portal, learning materials and stakeholder engagement, including continued access for girls and underserved learners? |
The final review will cover the following:
The final review will adopt a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and available quantitative evidence to answer the review questions. The design will be proportionate to the project’s scale, the assignment’s timeframe and budget, and the availability of reliable data. It will examine implementation and available results against the project’s agreed objectives and results framework, distinguishing verified achievements from anticipated benefits.
The consultant will propose and justify the most appropriate methods in the inception report. These may include:
Sampling will be purposive and designed to capture perspectives from all four participating countries, relevant stakeholder groups and different project components. The consultant will explain the selection criteria and seek balanced gender representation and perspectives on barriers affecting underserved learners. The sample is expected to include a purposive review of approximately 20–30 of the project’s 350 STEM videos, with the final sample proposed and justified in the inception report. It will support a focused review and will not be presented as statistically representative. No field missions are envisaged; any travel would require UNESCO’s prior agreement.
Gender equality and human rights considerations will be integrated into the review questions, sampling, consultation tools and analysis. The review will examine equitable access, participation, accessibility and non-discrimination, particularly in relation to girls and learners facing participation barriers. Where available and reliable, data will be disaggregated by sex, country and other relevant characteristics. Consultations will ensure informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality and appropriate protection of personal data. Direct data collection with minors is not envisaged.
The consultant will triangulate evidence across sources and methods, prepare country-specific findings and develop a cross-country synthesis. Evidence gaps, potential biases and limitations will be explicitly documented, including their implications for conclusions on early results, sustainability and emerging indications of impact.
The inception report will set out the proposed review matrix linking questions to evidence sources and methods, sampling approach, data collection tools, analysis plan, ethical safeguards and workplan. The methodology will be finalized in consultation with UNESCO, while preserving the consultant’s responsibility for impartial analysis and evidence-based findings.
The final review will be managed by the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, under the supervision of the Senior Programme Specialist, Sciences. Responsibilities will be allocated as follows:
External Consultant
The consultant will be responsible for designing and conducting the review and delivering all agreed outputs. This includes preparing the inception report, reviewing documentation and selected digital resources, conducting remote stakeholder consultations, analysing and triangulating evidence, and preparing the preliminary findings presentation, draft report, final report and presentation.
The consultant will arrange interviews with support from UNESCO, manage the practical requirements of the home-based assignment, and ensure informed consent, confidentiality and secure handling of data. The consultant will address consolidated feedback while retaining responsibility for impartial analysis, findings, conclusions and recommendations, and will disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest.
UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut
The Senior Programme Specialist, Sciences, will manage the assignment, serve as the consultant’s principal contact and approve deliverables upon satisfactory completion. UNESCO’s project team will provide available background documentation, including project documents, workplans, progress reports, financial information, deliverable records and national consultation outputs, and facilitate access to platform information where applicable.
UNESCO will introduce the consultant to Mawhiba and relevant country stakeholders and facilitate remote consultations. The consultant will remain responsible for scheduling and conducting these consultations. Any exceptional travel will require UNESCO’s prior authorization and agreement on logistical arrangements.
UNESCO will coordinate review of the inception report, preliminary findings and draft final report, and provide one consolidated set of comments at each agreed stage. Quality assurance will consider the appropriateness of the methodology, accuracy and completeness of evidence, integration of gender equality and human rights, and clarity and feasibility of recommendations. Approval will confirm that deliverables meet the agreed requirements while respecting the consultant’s impartial findings.
Evaluation Focal Points and IOS Evaluation Office
UNESCO Beirut’s Evaluation Focal Points and the IOS Evaluation Office may provide methodological advice and review selected deliverables, subject to agreed arrangements and availability. Their support may include review of the revised Terms of Reference, inception report and draft report to help maintain a credible and feasible approach proportionate to a final review. Relevant UNESCO guidance on inception reports, reports and quality assurance may be used selectively and adapted to the assignment.
Mawhiba and Relevant National Stakeholders
Mawhiba and relevant national stakeholders will be invited to provide documentation and contextual information, participate in consultations, verify factual information and comment on the practicality of proposed recommendations. UNESCO will coordinate their input to avoid duplication and support ownership and use of the findings.
Stakeholder engagement and feedback will be coordinated through the review manager; a formal Evaluation Reference Group is not envisaged. UNESCO and Mawhiba, in consultation with relevant partners, will consider the final recommendations and identify appropriate follow-up responsibilities.
The assignment will require approximately 22 working days over 8–9 calendar weeks, commencing after completion of the four national consultations and UNESCO’s provision of the core project documentation. The calendar period includes time for stakeholder feedback, quality assurance and revisions. The detailed schedule will be confirmed during inception.
| Deliverable | Expected content | Timeline |
| 1. Short inception report | Brief outline of the review’s purpose and scope, proposed methods, stakeholder selection, ethical and inclusion considerations, limitations and workplan. Include a concise review matrix and data collection tools. Maximum 5 pages, including the review matrix and tools. The consultant will address UNESCO’s consolidated comments before proceeding with the main data collection. | Submit within 5 working days of the assignment’s start. UNESCO will provide consolidated comments within 3 working days; the consultant will submit the revised note within 2 working days of receiving comments. |
| 2. Preliminary findings debrief | Remote presentation and discussion of emerging findings, relevant country differences, evidence gaps, preliminary conclusions and possible recommendations. The debrief will allow UNESCO and relevant stakeholders to clarify facts and provide feedback before submission of the draft report. | By the end of week 5. |
| 3. Draft review report | Executive summary; brief project background; review purpose and scope; methodology and limitations; findings organized around the review questions; conclusions; lessons learned; and practical, prioritized recommendations. Maximum 20 pages, excluding annexes. Country differences will be discussed within the findings, without separate country annexes. Supporting annexes will be limited to essential material, such as the review matrix, sources consulted and data collection tools. | By the end of week 7. UNESCO will provide one consolidated set of comments within 5 working days of receipt. |
| 4. Final review report | Revised report addressing UNESCO’s consolidated comments, maintaining the 20-page maximum, excluding annexes. Recommendations will identify proposed responsible stakeholders and indicative timeframes. The consultant will provide a brief response to comments explaining how substantive feedback was addressed. | Within 5 working days of receiving UNESCO’s consolidated comments, normally by the end of week 9. |
All deliverables shall be submitted electronically in English, in editable formats, with the final report also provided in PDF.
Meetings and presentations will be conducted remotely.
UNESCO will coordinate stakeholder feedback and provide one consolidated set of comments at each review stage.
Deliverables will be reviewed and approved by the Senior Programme Specialist, Sciences, UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut.
Any changes to the agreed schedule arising from delays in access to documentation, consultations or feedback will be agreed with UNESCO.
For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
The assignment shall be undertaken by one external individual consultant with expertise in project reviews or evaluations, mixed-method research, and education or digital learning. The consultant must demonstrate the capacity to assess project implementation and available results across the four participating countries and deliver practical, evidence-based recommendations within the agreed timeframe.
Applicants shall submit:
Selection will be based on an assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, relevant experience, work samples, technical proposal, professional references and financial proposal. Failure to meet any mandatory criterion will result in disqualification. Desirable qualifications will inform the technical assessment but are not prerequisites for eligibility.
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.
To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted.
The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.
Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course.
Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).
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