Purpose and Opportunity

This consultancy offers an opportunity to contribute to national efforts to strengthen middle-tier leadership and teacher support in Zambia. The consultant will support PEAS’ collaboration with the Ministry of Education to design, document and aim to validate a Professional Development Framework for Standards Officers, helping to lay the foundation for a sustainable, system-wide approach to continuous professional development.

The role will also involve hands-on technical design and content development for related PEAS and MoEled professional learning and validation activities.

This opportunity places the consultant within an energetic, committed, and technically strong team, with close collaboration across the PEAS Global Technical Team and PEAS Zambia Team to deliver highquality results.

Objectives

• 1. Support PEAS and MoE to design and document a Professional Development (PD) Framework and toolkit for Standards Officers, aligned with MoE priorities and informed by research including a recent Functional Review and evolving job descriptions.
• 2. Integrate evidence and lessons from the MoE-PEAS TIEEZ programme and related initiatives to strengthen the focus on school improvement, data use, and coaching.
• 3. Support validation and endorsement processes with MoE, ensuring the resulting framework and materials are MoE-owned and ready for use, future testing or scale-up.
• 4. Provide targeted technical design and content development support (e.g. slides, workshop materials) to strengthen PEAS’ technical engagement with MoE across related systemstrengthening workstreams.

Scope of Work

A. Core Deliverables - Middle Tier Leadership Professional Development Framework

• Review existing MoE and partner CPD resources relevant to Standards Officers - including the recent Functional Review conducted by EDT - to inform the development process.
• Work with the PEAS team to interpret and integrate feedback and input gathered from MoE stakeholders (Standards Directorate, TESS, TCZ, and others as identified) into the framework design. This may also include FGDs and KIIs during a visit to Zambia, budget dependent.
• Develop, based on MoE input, a clear set of priority competency areas and professional standards, aligned with the evolving Standards Officer job description and the Functional Review recommendations.
• Design a structured Leadership Professional Development Framework outlining the process, learning journey, and expected outcomes for Standards Officers, reflecting MoE priorities and terminology.
• Develop an accompanying toolkit (sample modules, templates, facilitation and reflection tools, draft visuals) that builds on MoE feedback and PEAS’ experience through the TIEEZ programme.
• Support PEAS to prepare and refine materials for MoE-led endorsement or validation workshops (Standards Directorate, TESS, etc.) and integrate MoE feedback following these sessions.
• Produce a final MoE-branded (as appropriate) and endorsed framework and toolkit, with clear recommendations for future piloting, capacity-building, and scale-up.

B. Additional Technical Support to PEAS’ MoE Partnership Workstreams

Provide up to 20 days of content design, materials development, and technical input to strengthen PEAS’ support to the Ministry of Education across related workstreams. This may include:

• Drafting or refining content and providing technical input to support the review and adaptation of the Standards Directorate Handbook, including preparation for validation.
• Developing slides, workshop materials, or summary notes to support PEAS’ engagement with the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) as part of curriculum review and training needs discussions at primary and secondary levels.
• Designing or reviewing content for the validation and launch of the Top 10 for Pre-Service Teachers, including short presentations or facilitator materials.
• Preparing or refining technical materials to support validation of the Top 10 for Teachers (school-level) workshops.

Deliverables and Timeline

• Desk review summary of Functional Review, MoE documents, and existing CPD tools and programmes - December 2025
• Draft Professional Development Framework structure and competency areas (based on MoE input collected by PEAS) - January 2026
• Outline of accompanying toolkit (sample modules, templates, visuals) - January 2026
• Draft toolkit and materials prepared for MoE validation - Early February 2026
• Validation or endorsement workshop preparation and refinement of materials (supporting PEAS workshops with MoE) - Mid–February 2026
• Final MoE-branded framework and toolkit, integrating MoE feedback - March 2026

Required Qualifications and Experience

• 1. Advanced degree in Education, Education Policy, or a related field.
• 2. At least 10 years’ experience in education systems strengthening, teacher or middle-tier professional development, or institutional capacity-building.
• 3. Strong technical skills in designing CPD frameworks, competency standards, and training materials.
• 4. Proven facilitation and stakeholder engagement experience.
• 5. Excellent written communication and ability to produce polished, MoE-branded outputs.
• 6. Experience working with staff in multiple locations and maintaining effective communication.
• 7. Demonstrated experience working with or for the Ministry of Education in Zambia and/or Ministries of Education in Sub-Saharan Africa is an advantage
• 8. Experience with digital or blended learning tools is an advantage.

• Support PEAS and MoE to design and document a Professional Development (PD) Framework and toolkit for Standards Officers, aligned with MoE priorities and informed by research including a recent Functional Review and evolving job descriptions.
• Integrate evidence and lessons from the MoE-PEAS TIEEZ programme and related initiatives to strengthen the focus on school improvement, data use, and coaching.
• Support validation and endorsement processes with MoE, ensuring the resulting framework and materials are MoE-owned and ready for use, future testing or scale-up.
• Provide targeted technical design and content development support (e.g. slides, workshop materials) to strengthen PEAS’ technical engagement with MoE across related systemstrengthening workstreams.
• Review existing MoE and partner CPD resources relevant to Standards Officers - including the recent Functional Review conducted by EDT - to inform the development process.
• Work with the PEAS team to interpret and integrate feedback and input gathered from MoE stakeholders (Standards Directorate, TESS, TCZ, and others as identified) into the framework design.
• Develop, based on MoE input, a clear set of priority competency areas and professional standards, aligned with the evolving Standards Officer job description and the Functional Review recommendations.
• Design a structured Leadership Professional Development Framework outlining the process, learning journey, and expected outcomes for Standards Officers, reflecting MoE priorities and terminology.
• Develop an accompanying toolkit (sample modules, templates, facilitation and reflection tools, draft visuals) that builds on MoE feedback and PEAS’ experience through the TIEEZ programme.
• Support PEAS to prepare and refine materials for MoE-led endorsement or validation workshops and integrate MoE feedback following these sessions.
• Produce a final MoE-branded and endorsed framework and toolkit, with clear recommendations for future piloting, capacity-building, and scale-up.
• Provide up to 20 days of content design, materials development, and technical input to strengthen PEAS’ support to the Ministry of Education across related workstreams.

• Strong technical skills in designing CPD frameworks, competency standards, and training materials.
• Proven facilitation and stakeholder engagement experience.
• Excellent written communication and ability to produce polished, MoE-branded outputs.
• Experience working with staff in multiple locations and maintaining effective communication.
• Experience with digital or blended learning tools is an advantage.

• Advanced degree in Education, Education Policy, or a related field.
• At least 10 years’ experience in education systems strengthening, teacher or middle-tier professional development, or institutional capacity-building.
• Demonstrated experience working with or for the Ministry of Education in Zambia and/or Ministries of Education in Sub-Saharan Africa is an advantage.