
Introduction
³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is implementing a European Union funded Action titled ‘Education Access and Quality Improvement Programme – Higher Education Systems Strengthening in Somalia’ (EAQIP – HESSS) which aims at ensuring that targeted steps are taken to address the apparent systemic gaps in higher education in Somalia. This is in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MOECHE) in the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) in Somaliland, and Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) in Puntland, in addition to the respective Commissions and Departments for Higher Education in the three regions. The Action will build on the gains made under previous higher education initiatives also funded by the EU, especially on strengthening regulatory frameworks, development of quality assurance tools, institutional level improvements, and networks. The countenanced interventions will target three levels – policy framework, regulatory bodies (High Education Departments and Commissions for Higher Education) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
Overall Objective:ÌýTo strengthen quality assurance and accreditation within Somalia’s higher education sector, contributing to quality research, academic mobility and shared learning to improve educational attainment and recognition of qualifications for the target population.
Specific objective:ÌýTo support the delivery of good quality education services for the target population in Somalia through operationalization of quality assurance and accreditation agencies and building capacity in higher education institutions to operate within an enabling policy environment.
Achievement of the aspirations of the specific objective shall be done throughÌýfive (5) Key Result Areas (KRAs)Ìýmade up of several activities designed to achieve the goals of this action. The KRAs are:
- Capacity enhancement of Commissions for Higher Education to effectively perform their functions in quality assurance, accreditation and overall regulation of the higher education scene
- Strengthening institutional-level governance and quality related interventions for greater accountability and learning outcomes in universities
- Promoting the culture of research as a central practice within higher education institutions
- Promoting networking and peer learning amongst higher learning institutions and other affiliate institutions
- Strengthening the higher education policy framework to make it functional, adaptable and responsive to the evolving higher education landscape
To this end, ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ shall require the services of consultants in different thematic areas in the course of the project implementation. This is an invitation to interested individuals with expertise in the listed areas in the table below, to send their curriculum vitae, to form aÌýdatabaseÌýfrom which the short-listed candidates will be contacted and engaged whenever their services will be needed. The table below contains the relevant details:
| Ìý | Consultancy Title | Execution Timeline | Minimum Requirements of Prospective Consultant(s) |
| 1 | End term evaluation of the project | October, 2024 | Mandatory;
·A master’s degree and above (preferably in education, monitoring and evaluation or project management) from a recognized university. ·Solid experience in mixed methods research including designing and conducting baseline surveys in education programs. · Extensive experience working in the education sector, especially in a post-war developing country. (Knowledge and experience of working in Somalia will be an added advantage.) · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. ·Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 2 | Development of a 5 year Strategic Plan for the Federal Commission for Higher Education | November, 2022 | Mandatory;
· A master’s degree and above (preferably in Business Administration) from a recognized university. ·Ìý Solid experience in leading strategic planning processes for organizations in the education sector, especially higher education. · Experience in institutional strengthening especially for organizations operating in fragile contexts like Somalia · Extensive experience in research and information synthesis for strategic planning purposes. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 3 | Short course trainings for Commission for Higher Education (CHE) Members | January, 2023 | Mandatory;
· A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (preferably in Education) from a recognized university · A minimum of 10 years teaching and research experience in a recognized university. · Solid experience in developing and evaluating pedagogical materials in a higher education context. · Extensive experience in research, information synthesis for teaching and learning in higher education. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 4 | Development of integrated Higher Education Management Information System | December, 2022 | Mandatory;
· Bachelor’s degree in any of the following areas: Software Engineering, Computer Science or Information Technology · Experience in development of information management systems (preferably in a social sector) · Proficiency in UI design software, such as Adobe XD, Sketch, Figma or Invision Studio · Proficiency in any of these full stack programming languages including HTM, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Angular, Python, Java, SQL · Knowledge of Content Management Systems (CMS) functionality · Proficiency in site monitoring tools, including Google Analytics and Google; Tag Manager · Demonstrable experience or certification in IT security. · Experience in image optimization for online use. · Experience in using A/B testing to improve user retention · Proficiency in integration of plugins to extend side functionality · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 5 | Tracer Study targeting university graduates in Somalia | March, 2023 | Mandatory
· Post-graduate degree in Social Sciences, Education, Economics, Project Management, or any related field from a recognized university. · Experience in mixed methods research. The individual must provide evidence of good analytical and quantitative skills capacity, including experience in survey methodology. · Minimum of 5 years’ relevant professional experience in conducting similar tasks, particularly tracer studies related to Post-Secondary education. (Experience of this in the context of Somalia will be an added advantage.) · Strong experience in conceptualizing and implementing market, labour, value chains analysis and tracer studies within the context of Higher Education. · Excellent interpersonal, communication and report writing skills |
| 6 | Training Research Liaison Persons in Universities | May, 2023 | Mandatory;
· A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (preferably in Education) from a recognized university · A minimum of 10 years teaching and research experience in a recognized university. ·Ìý Solid experience in developing and evaluating pedagogical materials in a higher education context. · Extensive experience in research, information synthesis for teaching and learning in higher education. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 7 | Support to the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) towards publication of an AnnualÌý‘State of Higher Education in SomaliaÌý‘ÌýReport | July, 2023 | Mandatory;
· A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (preferably in Economics of Education) from a recognized university · Solid experience in data analysis (qualitative and quantitative data) and visualization of data. · Experience in interpretation of complex data and presentation of the same in a decipherable manner. · Excellent report writing skills · Extensive experience in research, information synthesis especially in higher education. · Understanding of use of communication for development within the education sector. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 8 | Organizational Capacity Assessment of Higher Education Institutions | November, 2022 | Mandatory;
· A master’s degree and above (preferably in education, monitoring and evaluation or project management) from a recognized university. · Experience in conducting multi-thematic (human resource, policy environment, equipment needs etc.) capacity assessments of organizations aimed at designing interventions for performance improvement · Solid experience in system design in the public sector. · Extensive experience working in the education sector, especially in a developing country with post-war context. Knowledge and experience of working in Somalia will be an added advantage. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 9 | Training of Quality Assurance Liaison Persons in targeted Higher Education Institutions | May, 2022 | Mandatory;
· A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (preferably in Education) from a recognized university · A minimum of 5 years teaching and research experience in a recognized university. ·Ìý Knowledge and understanding of quality assurance processes and requirements preferably in higher education. · Evidence of experience in provision of trainings in quality assurance in higher education contexts. · Extensive experience in research and information synthesis for teaching and learning in higher education. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 10 | Short-course Trainings in Higher Education Pedagogy to university lecturers in Somalia | March, 2023 | Mandatory;
· A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (preferably in Education) from a recognized university ·Ìý A minimum of 10 years teaching and research experience in a recognized university. ·Ìý Solid experience in developing and evaluating pedagogical materials in a higher education context. · Extensive experience in research, information synthesis for teaching and learning in higher education. ·Ìý Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. ·Ìý ÌýProficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: ·Ìý Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 11 | Trainings to university staff members on ISO Certification Practices | June, 2023 | Mandatory:
·Ìý A master’s degree and above (preferably a Master’s in Business Administration) from a recognized university · Evidence of certification/training in ISO Certification practices from a recognized institution · Solid experience in institution of ISO clauses (leadership, planning, support, operations and performance evaluation) in an institution (preferably one operating in a fragile context) · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 12 | Trainings on Development of Strategic Plans by Universities | February, 2023 | Mandatory;
· A master’s degree and above (preferably a Master’s in Business Administration) from a recognized university · Evidence in strategic planning in higher education context. · Solid experience in institutional strengthening especially for organizations operating in fragile contexts like Somalia · Extensive experience in research, information synthesis for strategic planning purposes. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context · Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
| 13 | Labour Market Study | May, 2023 | Mandatory
· Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context ·Ìý Post-graduate degree in Social Sciences, Education, Economics, Project Management, or any related field from a recognized university. · Experience in mixed methods research, including a good understanding of survey methodology. · Minimum of 5 years’ relevant professional experience in conducting similar tasks, particularly labour market studies related to Post-Secondary education. Experience of this in the context of Somalia will be an added advantage. · Strong experience in conceptualizing and implementing market and labour, value chains analysis within the context of higher education. · Excellent interpersonal, communication and report writing skills |
| 14 | Short-course Trainings on Research Grant Writing and Publishing for Faculty Members | August, 2023 | Mandatory;
· A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (preferably in Education) from a recognized university · A minimum of 5 years teaching and research experience in a recognized university · Evidence of publications in international, peer-reviewed journals. ·Ìý Solid experience in moderating research-based assignments · Evidence of research awards received in the past. · Extensive experience in research, information synthesis for teaching and learning in higher education. · Knowledge and understanding of higher education in developing countries especially in the global south. · Proficiency in report writing skills in English language. Desirable: · Familiarity with the Somali religious and cultural context ·Ìý Experience of working in a politically fragile environment. · Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia. |
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Terms and Conditions of Engagement
These include the following;
- The application and quoted costs should be valid until the projected period of execution of the said consultancy
- The HESSS Action will provide the consultant with the required information upon contracting.
- The HESSS Action commits to provide ‘Duty of Care’ to the consultant for those assignments that require travel to the field in Somalia, as part of the deliverables.
- The consultancy shall be subject to statutory (tax) deductions.
- The consultant shall be responsible for his/her security implication as a result of engagement in this assignment.
- As part of the contracting process the consultant shall sign the ASSUMPTION OF RISK, COVENANT NOT TO SUE AND INDEMNIFICATION agreement, which is a standard requirement for all personnel travelling to the field.
- The HESSS Project Management shall retain the CVs and other relevant materials/documents of the applicants and contact them if in the Action assessment, the said applicant is qualified. Therefore, this advertisement is not a guarantee of engagement for provision of consultancy work to any of the applicants.
Application Procedure
Interested applicants should send their applications to the Programme Manager, HESSS Action by Close of Business on Friday 7thÌýOctober, 2022 viaÌýhesssproject@ku.ac.ke.
Applications should include ONLY the following documents:
- Cover letter (max 1 page)Ìýoutlining your suitability for the consultancy you are applying for.
- Curriculum Vitae, using the World Bank template. DO NOT ATTACH your certificates.
- AttachÌýTWO SAMPLESÌýof reports for work that you have done, asÌýa lead consultant/team leader, in the area you are applying for.
Use theÌýtitle of the consultancyÌýyou are applying for as the heading of your email.


