Individual Consultant: Educational Technology and Digital Pedagogies Expert

Type of contract: Consultant Contract

Level: Level 3 - Senior

Hiring Unit: Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Work location: Remote

Duration of contract: 11 months

Hiring open to: External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC+7 Time): 1 July 2026

**UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism**

1. **Background**

Building on the success of the implementation of the Strengthening Teacher Education Programmes in Cambodia (STEPCam), UNESCO and the MoEYS are implementing the second phase of STEPCam (STEPCam Phase II), supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

As a critical cross-cutting component of the programme, STEPCam promotes a uniform approach to digital transformation in Cambodia’s education system and the effective use of digital tools for quality teaching, learning, and education management. The MoEYS, with support from STEPCam, has developed Cambodia’s National ICT and AI Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT-AI CFT). The ICT-AI CFT will inform the review of the PRESET curriculum and development of targeted CPD courses focusing on artificial intelligence and promoting its ethical use, as well as developing ICT in education and EdTech pedagogy skills among teachers and teacher educators.

To foster research and thought leadership to drive the digital transformation of the education system in Cambodia, STEPCam is supporting the establishment of an Educational Technology (EdTech) Innovation Hub at the Phnom Penh Teacher Education College (PTEC) in Cambodia mandated to promote research and innovation in ICT in education, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, develop ICT in education competencies in Cambodia’s teaching force and provide advisory services to education stakeholders, ensuring a uniform approach to the use of digital technology in the education system.

1. **Objectives**

Under the overall authority of the UNESCO Representative to Cambodia, the supervision of the Chief of the Education Unit, and direct supervision of the STEPCam Programme Manager, the Consultant will provide technical support to Component 4 of STEPCam Phase II: Digital Transformation in Education – Preparing for the effective adoption of digital strategies for education delivery.

The Consultant will work in close consultation and collaboration with the STEPCam programme team, technical departments of the MoEYS, TEIs, and other Development Partners supporting the MoEYS to establish the EdTech Innovation Hub at the selected TEI and provide strategic advice, technical support and capacity building for the operations and sustainability of the EdTech Innovation Hub to fulfil its mandate as the leading specialised institute for driving thought leadership, research and innovation and teacher development to drive digital transformation in education in Cambodia.

The main objectives of the consultancy are:

1. Provide strategic technical support for the establishment, daily operations and institutionalisation of the EdTech Innovation Hub institute on educational technology and digital transformation at PTEC
2. Lead the capacity building at the EdTech Innovation Hub on institutional management and administration, and research and innovation
3. Provide technical support to seek new partnerships and resource mobilisation for the EdTech Innovation Hub
4. Provide technical advice and quality assurance for the development of new ICT and AI CPD courses in collaboration with the STEPCam programme team and technical experts
5. Provide strategic technical advice to UNESCO’s country-level portfolio on EdTech and digital transformation
6. **Specific tasks**

Specific tasks include, but will not be limited to, the following:

1. **Strategic technical support for the establishment, daily operations and institutionalisation of the EdTech Innovation Hub at PTEC**
2. Provide technical support to the MoEYS to oversee the process for the establishment, daily operations and institutionalisation of the EdTech Innovation Hub located within PTEC, ensuring its overall institutional capacity to fulfil its mandate, including facilitating consultation workshops/technical meetings to secure high-level buy-in from MoEYS leaders, development partners and other stakeholders
3. Provide technical advice to the MoEYS for the recruitment and/or selection of management personnel and technical experts for the EdTech Innovation Hub, as well as the selection process of candidates for the flagship Fellowship Programme which will support action research and the design, testing, and scaling up of digital and AI-enabled pedagogical incubation in the classroom
4. Lead the facilitation of technical meetings with potential partners identified for potential partnerships in research collaboration, knowledge exchange and capacity building for the EdTech Innovation Hub
5. Provide technical support and work collaboratively with the MoEYS technical departments, selected TEI to review, update and implement the EdTech Innovation Hub’s operational and capacity building plans, as well as develop the long-term sustainability strategy and plan of the Hub
6. Provide technical oversight for the procurement and installation processes of digital and/or physical infrastructure and equipment for the operational readiness of the EdTech Innovation Hub targeted by Q4 2026
7. Provide technical advice to the MoEYS and EdTech Innovation Hub in developing and operationalizing an interoperable digital knowledge platform and repository database for research outputs related to ICT and AI in education
8. **Capacity building at the EdTech Innovation Hub**
9. Act as the lead trainer in designing structured training programmes and developing training materials for training workshops/sessions targeted at the MoEYS technical departments, EdTech Innovation Hub personnel and Fellows, including but not limited to:
- MoEYS technical departments, EdTech Innovation Hub personnel: A total of 5 two-day training sessions on strategic planning, management and daily operations of the Hub, focusing on implementation of the flagship Fellowship Programme, grant management, quality assurance of research outputs, partnership building and resource mobilisation, and thematic topics related to ICT and AI in education
- EdTech Innovation Hub Fellows: A total of 4 two-day training sessions on conducting applied research and pedagogical incubation related to innovative practices in integrating ICT and AI in education in Cambodia
10. Provide ongoing capacity building to the EdTech Innovation Hub in fulfilling its mandate as a specialised institute for EdTech and the implementation of the flagship Fellowship Programme, including finalisation on the concept note of Fellowship Programme implementation, selection and management of Fellows, management of the research and innovation grants, daily operations and quality assurance of Fellowship outputs, with a focus on ensuring institutional capacity of the EdTech Innovation Hub for its long-term sustainability, as well as advancing the institutionalisation of the EdTech Innovation Hub within the teacher education/EdTech ecosystem in Cambodia
11. **Partnerships and resource mobilisation for the EdTech Innovation Hub**
12. Provide technical support to design a comprehensive partnerships and resource mobilisation to provide realistic strategies for medium-term and long-term financing (public, external and private) and/or revenue generation for the operations and sustainability of the EdTech Innovation Hub.
13. Seek new partnerships and resource mobilisation for the EdTech Innovation Hub, including brokering partnerships and/or resource mobilisation agreements, identifying institutions and/or experts with specialised expertise in EdTech and digital pedagogies, and facilitating partnerships for research collaboration and for providing capacity building on research and thought leadership to the EdTech Inno