Individual Consultant, Zambia - Government Relations and Advocacy

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Position: Individual Consultant, Zambia - Government Relations and Advocacy

Reports to: Senior Country Manager, Zambia
Position Type: Part-time consultancy, 2 days per week for 12 months, with a six-month review
Duty Station: Lusaka, Zambia, with periodic attendance at the TaRL Africa Zambia office

Deadline: 6th October 2026

Background

Since 2016, the Ministry of Education in Zambia, with support from TaRL Africa and other partners, has implemented the Catch Up programme using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. The programme now reaches nine of ten provinces and more than 7,000 schools. The Ministry aims to establish Catch Up nationally as a government-led and funded remedial and accelerated learning strategy, with minimal or no NGO support.

Objective

TaRL Africa is seeking a senior consultant to strengthen government relations and advocacy in Zambia, with a focus on securing formal policy support for Catch Up, supporting its integration into national budget processes, and building senior-level government relationships that complement the country team's operational engagement.

The consultant will report to the Senior Country Manager and support the implementation of TaRL Africa's government relations strategy at senior level.

Key Responsibilities

• Government and stakeholder engagement: Build and maintain high-level relationships with the Minister's office, Permanent Secretaries, Ministry of Education Directors, teacher unions, the Teaching Service Commission, Teaching Council of Zambia, donors, and other key stakeholders.
• Policy engagement: Provide technical support to TaRL Africa's participation in national foundational learning processes, including the Foundational Learning Technical Committee and Foundation Learning Investment Plan.
• Budget advocacy: Support Ministry directorates to develop strong business cases for increased Foundational Learning and Numeracy (FLN) funding and strengthen budget submissions through civil society and coordination platforms.
• Strategy development: Contribute to TaRL Africa Zambia's strategy, ensuring alignment with government FLN priorities, opportunities for institutionalising Catch Up, and long-term sustainability.
• Advocacy and communications: Develop and maintain policy briefs, advocacy materials, stakeholder engagement plans, and briefing notes to support senior-level engagements.
• Stakeholder intelligence: Maintain an up-to-date stakeholder map and engagement tracker and provide regular updates on policy, budgetary and institutional developments affecting FLN.
• Networking and coalition-building: Strengthen coalitions and identify and engage Catch Up champions, including relevant policymakers and Members of Parliament.
• Reporting and advisory support: Provide monthly briefings to the Country Manager, contribute to funder reporting, and provide strategic advice on government relations, advocacy opportunities and risks.
• Zambia strategy: Support the development and implementation of the TaRL Africa Zambia Strategy 2026–2030/31.
  

Key Deliverables

• Government relations and advocacy strategy for Catch Up.
• Stakeholder and relationship mapping and a multi-year engagement plan.
• Policy briefs and advocacy materials for high-level engagements.
• Budget advocacy plan and support to relevant government budget processes.
• Regular stakeholder, policy and budget intelligence updates.
• Identification and engagement of Catch Up champions.
• Contributions to donor proposals and progress reports.
• Support to the TaRL Africa Zambia Strategy 2026–2030/31.
• End-of-cycle assessment of budget advocacy outcomes, lessons learned and recommendations.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in Public Policy, Education, International Relations, Social Sciences or a related field.
• Typically 15+ years of senior-level experience in government relations, public policy or advocacy in Zambia.
• Demonstrated experience engaging senior government officials, ideally Permanent Secretaries, Directors or equivalent.
• Proven track record of influencing national policy or budget decisions, preferably in education.
• Strong understanding of the Zambian government budget cycle and parliamentary processes.
• Excellent negotiation, diplomacy, relationship-building and consensus-building skills.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly and persuasively.
• Established relationships within Zambia's education sector and/or public administration.
• Self-driven and able to work independently with significant autonomy in a part-time consultancy arrangement.
• High integrity, discretion and sound judgement.
• Genuine interest in children's learning and education.

Application Requirements

Interested consultants should submit:

• A brief Expression of Interest outlining their relevant experience and suitability.
• A current CV highlighting relevant qualifications and consultancy experience.
• A brief technical approach/methodology, where applicable.