Costing expert(s), the Sustainable Financing Initiative for School Health and Nutrition

Общие сведения Role: Costing expert(s) in the Kyrgyz Republic for the Sustainable Financing Initiative for School Health and Nutrition, the Learning Generation Initiative at Education Development Center Status: Consultant, applications from individuals and applications from organizations with complementary skill sets are welcome Duration: Up to 40 days for the costing expert(s) (second half of September 2026 to April 2027 depending on needs) Deadline: September 16th, 2026 The consultancy is subject to contract finalization and funding confirmation BACKGROUND The Sustainable Financing Initiative is an initiative of the School Meals Coalition led by the Learning Generation Initiative at the Education Development Center (EDC). The School Meals Coalition was launched at the United Nations Food Systems Summit in September 2021. More than 113 countries from the global North and South together with 150 partners (including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, think tanks and academic partners) came together to improve and restore school meals programmes as a transformational platform for food and education systems. By working collaboratively with governments and donors, SFI aims to help countries identify the cost of high-quality school meals programs, develop multi-year financing strategies to implement the programmes and facilitate dialogue for the adoption of the strategy. With a strong focus on equity and the development of sustainable, predictable, and self-reliant financing, SFI research will seek to identify national and international mechanisms through which new and additional resources can be mobilized. SFI is now looking for financing expert(s) and costing expert(s) (preferably based in Kyrgyz Republic to support SFI’s country work in Kyrgyz Republic The successful candidate(s) will support the development of the sustainable financing strategy for school meals. The roles would operate as part of a virtual, international team. The experts will work with the cross-sectoral working group and other representatives of the government of Kyrgyz Republic and in close collaboration with research partners and the SFI team. Требования REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS The SFI is looking for individuals or organizations with the following background, experience, expertise and approach: 10+ years’ experience working in school meals, food and agriculture, nutrition, education, or health desirable. Experience in leading data collection. Experience conducting cost analysis. Experience working in partnership with and building strong relationships with low and middle-income country governments and global organizations, ideally including UN agencies and funders. Knowledge and understanding of School Health and, Nutrition Department, he Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance of Kyrgyz Republic and other government stakeholders. Knowledge and understanding of the School Meals Programme of Kyrgyz Republic preferable. Experience working on analysis and formulation of public policies. Able to synthesize information from a number of sources and present it in an accessible way. Excellent analytical skills. Strong attention to details. Professional written and verbal skills. Able to work independently and part of a team while remaining responsive to both internal and external requests. Able to travel to undertake data collection. Experience of coaching and collaborating with others. Enthusiasm, dedication, creativity, innovation, and attitude. Experience working in low- and middle-income countries required. Proficiency in English, Kyrgyz and Russian. Working IT skills. Обязанности JOB DESCRIPTION The job description includes the following but may vary depending on the scope agreed by the government and government objectives: Leading the development of a full cost model for the School Meals Programme using the SFI Costing and Financing tool. Defining with the government the models that should be assessed, and variables used to develop different costi