Title of Consultancy

Provision of Research Services on the Impact of Mother Tongue (Somali) Instruction on Academic Performance in Primary and Secondary Education in Somalia

SCI Contracting Office

Save the Children Somalia Country Office

Period of Consultancy

The assignment will be conducted 90 working days

Consultant type required

Consultancy Firm

Responsibility for Logistics arrangements and Costs

Save the Children will pay the fees for the consultancy in a lump sum and will not reimburse any incurred costs during the assignment. The consultant will cover their Logistical arrangements and costs in the country to coordinate and implement the consultancy. 

Taxation Provisions

The consultant shall be responsible for all Taxes arising from the consultancy in line with the local Tax regulations applicable at the SCI contracting office named above.

Travel requirements

The consultant will cover their travel costs (tickets) and arrange local travel to field sites if needed

Security requirements

The consultant will comply with standards of the Federal government and Save the Children Security procedures, including the completion of SCI online security training prior to travel to Somalia.

Professional quality and Expertise

The following are the minimum requirements for the consultant to be considered for carrying out the assignment

Applicants must demonstrate the following qualifications and experience:

Education:

•       Advanced degree (master’s or PhD) in Education, Linguistics, Social Sciences, or a related field.

Experience:

•       Minimum of 7–10 years of proven experience in conducting educational research, particularly in language of instruction, bilingual education, or academic performance studies.

Regional Expertise:

•       Demonstrated understanding of the Somali educational context, cultural nuances, and linguistic landscape.

Methodological Skills:

•       Strong expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, including statistical analysis and qualitative data interpretation.

Language Proficiency:

•       Fluency in both Somali and English (written and spoken) is essential. Knowledge of Arabic will be an added advantage.

Communication Skills:

•       Excellent report writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

Team leader

Education:

•       Advanced degree (master’s or PhD) in Education, Linguistics, Social Sciences, or a related field.

Experience:

•       Minimum of 7–10 years of demonstrated experience leading education research or evaluation studies, preferably in fragile or conflict-affected contexts.

•       Provides overall strategic and technical leadership of the research study, ensuring high-quality outputs and adherence to the agreed methodology and timeline.

•       Leads the design and finalisation of the study methodology, data collection coordination across all Federal Member States, and quality assurance of all tools and outputs.

•       Serves as the primary point of contact between the study team, MOECHE, and Save the Children International, managing all stakeholder relationships and communications.

•       Leads all key stakeholder engagements, including the Inception Workshop, Validation Workshop, and National Dissemination Event.

•       Oversees data analysis and takes lead responsibility for the preparation and quality of the final research report and policy recommendations.

Research Expert:

Education:

•       Advanced degree (master’s or PhD) in Education, Linguistics, Research Methods, or a closely related discipline.

Experience:

•       At least 5 years of experience in mixed-methods research in education or social science, preferably in the Somalia or Horn of Africa context.

•       Applies rigorous mixed-methods research approaches to ensure scientific credibility and comprehensive, evidence-based analysis across all study components.

•       Leads the design of data collection instruments and the development of a comprehensive research evaluation framework tailored to the Somali education context.

•       Collects and analyses data using both quantitative and qualitative methods, ensuring analytical rigour and meaningful interpretation of findings.

•       Contributes to the preparation of detailed research reports with clear, actionable policy recommendations for MOECHE and education partners.

Data Analyst

Education:

•       Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in Statistics, Data Science, Economics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field; a master’s degree is an added advantage.

Experience:

•       At least 5 years of experience analysing education or social science datasets, with demonstrated proficiency in statistical software (e.g., SPSS, Stata, R) and qualitative data tools (e.g., NVivo).

•       Manages, cleans, and analyses all quantitative and qualitative data collected during the study, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and data integrity throughout.

•       Develops and maintains the data management system; performs statistical analyses of learning outcome assessments and survey data.

•       Produces data visualisations and disaggregated tables (by gender, disability, IDP/non-IDP status, and urban/rural location) to support equity-focused analysis and reporting.

·         Interested firms who meet the requirements are requested to submit their bid and each application package should include the above required minimum requirements.

Applications can be submitted by either:

Electronic Submission via ProSave (Recommended)

Ø  Submit your response in accordance with the guidance provided in the below document:

·         Bidders are encouraged to apply via Ariba system. Please request the Ariba link via email sending your company profile and Business registration certificate/CV. Please address your Ariba link request to [email protected]   

·         Note – this is a sealed tender box which will not be opened until the tender has closed. Therefore, do not send tender related questions to this email address as they will not be answered.

Electronic Submission via Protected Email box (Optional)

Applications must be submitted via email should be addressed to [email protected]

·         The subject line of the email should read: “Consultancy Services for Research on the Impact of Mother Tongue (Somali) Instruction on Academic Performance in Primary and Secondary Education in Somalia” Applicants are required to submit both a technical proposal and a financial proposal combined into a single PDF document.

·         All attached documents should be clearly labelled so it is clear to understand what each file relates to.

·         Emails should not exceed 15mb – if the file sizes are large, please split the submission into two emails. 

·         Do not copy other SCI email addresses into the email when you submit it as this will invalidate your bid.

Applicants should also indicate the date they are available to start working on the consultancy

All applications MUST be submitted on or before the closing date below to be considered for the assignment.

Only shortlisted Candidates will be contacted.

Interested consultants shall submit their applications through the above procedures on or before Tuesday 28th May 2026.