Senior Consultant – EU Education and Training Policy – EU Consulting (research and programme implementation role)

About ICF

ICF (www.icf.com) is a consultancy firm with offices in the UK, Belgium, US and worldwide. At ICF, we help governments, public agencies and international institutions solve complex problems and improve the quality of life of people around the world.  We offer critical insight, rigorous analytical techniques and implementation support to deliver innovative solutions and thought-provoking analyses for our clients.

Today, ICF is a global consulting services company with over 9,000 full- and part-time employees, but we are not your typical consultants. Working at ICF means applying a passion for meaningful work with intellectual rigor to help solve the leading issues of our day. We believe in collaboration, mutual respect, open communication, and opportunity for growth.

About the role:

We are looking for a Senior Consultant to join our well-established EU Consulting practice, which manages both a spectrum of large projects and implementation programmes, and carries out a wider range of policy research and evaluation services.

• Within our research capabilities, we work across on a spectrum of programmes, including the provision of expertise and support for European Cooperation in education, training, youth, culture, sport, research and innovation, the EQAVET Network, the European Network of Graduate Tracking, and SENTENCE ON DG EAC FWS please. The work on these projects is hands-on and varied, ranging from overseeing the preparation of thematic and analytical papers, identifying good practices in European countries and developing content for communication and dissemination purposes, through to supporting practical learning and networking in the form of working groups, workshops, study visits, seminars, etc. This is grounded in a solid understanding and application of the policy subject-matter, as well as an ability to interact with many stakeholders, such as national ministries, international organisations, non-governmental bodies, independent experts.
• We also lead a number of large programmes, providing technical assistance, insights, networking and other services to EU institutions, particularly the European Commission and its agencies. Our current portfolio of projects supports the main Directorates-General of the Commission, spanning Mutual Learning Services for DG Employment and Social Inclusion, supporting the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES), providing support services to the ESF + programme and operating the European Centre of Expertise on labour market policy and labour law– to name a few.

We are looking for a Senior Consultant in EU Education and Training policy who can span both services lines in our EU Consulting team – leading robust evaluation, impact assessment and analysis pieces, with the ability to facilitate workshops and support Mutual Learning and knowledge exchange activities in our larger programmes. Your work will focus on education, schools, early years, teacher training, youth, culture and sport, alongside other subjects across the EU education policy ecosystem. The role requires a flair for sound research and evaluation methods, strong writing skills, clear communication, experience in facilitating workshops and the ability to work in a multi-national environment.

Depending on your experience, you would support the delivery of large research contracts and policy implementation programmes and deliver specific activities and work-strands, reporting to Programme and Contract Managers. You could work across more than one project and be expected to:

• Lead or contribute to research and evaluation work on education and training policy related subjects, carrying out research and analysis work across a number of frameworks.
• Research, analyse and produce policy content in different forms. Examples include thematic or analytical papers, case studies, good practice fiches, mapping and comparative exercises, monitoring and evaluation surveys, stakeholder interviews, etc.
• Contribute to the organisation and support of programme-related activities with the aim of building capacity, such as working groups, secretariats, helpdesk or advisory services, communities of practice and expert networks and more.
• Contribute to or oversee the design and organisation of face-to-face, virtual and hybrid workshops and events, supported by a dedicated event logistics and technical team. With a strong focus on content development for our more senior consultants, your work could include supporting elements of the agenda, writing summaries, facilitating workshop and supporting event discussions.
• Prepare reports, presentations and other written deliverables for a range of audiences, from technical reports through to website content.
• Contribute to proposal-writing and preparations, supporting sections of the technical offer, and coordinating with relevant experts.
• Undertake other consultancy tasks, as required, working independently.

At Senior Consultant level, you will typically support project/programme managers and senior members of the team as they coordinate packages of activities and deliverables.

Required experience:

• University degree or equivalent in a related discipline, for example, public policy, politics, economics, law
• 6+ years professional experience in consultancy, public policy and/or government affairs in the EU and/or UK
• Knowledge and interest in education and training policy, ideally in relation to early years, schools, higher education, VET, graduate tracking and non-formal/informal learning.
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, including time management, multi-tasking and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Solid foundation in research and analysis, including qualitative and quantitative methods. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including interacting with multi-national and multi-disciplinary stakeholders.
• Knowledge of communications methods and tools in the context of disseminating outputs

Personal Qualities:

• Ability to self-organise, prioritise and manage/ work with multiple teams in parallel under tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• High level of ability and confidence to perform tasks independently, with limited supervision
• Ability to work flexibly to meet client and organisational priorities and needs
• Sound research and business ethics, including the protection of proprietary and confidential information
• Excellent verbal, written, analytical and communication skills in English - additional European languages an advantage
• Ability to work with all levels of internal staff, as well as clients and sub-contractors, managing experts
• Ability to work within multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary teams spread across several countries
• Willingness to travel within Europe, as required

Ready to apply?

Interested candidates are invited to follow this link and submit a cover letter and a CV.

Right to Work, Location & Sponsorship 
We welcome applications from candidates based anywhere in the world. For roles located in the UK, Belgium, Spain, or Germany, applicants must: 

• Hold the right to work in the country where the role is based, or be eligible for visa sponsorship, which we may consider on a case-by-case basis, and 

• Be physically present in that country by their first day of employment (or able to relocate beforehand). 

Unless stated otherwise, relocation support is not automatically provided. 

Working at ICF