National Consultant – Software Developer for Student Tracking System (STS) Mobile App (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) contract Full Time NEW

Parent Sector : Education Unit, UNESCO Phnom Phnom Office

Duty Station : Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Type of Contract : Non-staff

Duration of contract : 6 months, tentatively April 2026 to October 2026

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline : 22 March 2026, 11:59 pm (Cambodia time)

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

I.    Background
Following the success of the first phase of Strengthening Teacher Education Programmes in Cambodia (STEPCam), UNESCO and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) is implementing STEPCam Phase II through $12.62 million System Transformation Grant (STG) financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

Building on the achievements of STEPCam Phase I, the programme retains a strong focus on enhancing the quality of education in Cambodia towards its ultimate objective of improving the learning outcomes of students. The programme aims to achieve its objectives through four components: 
Component 1: Teacher Education, which focuses on strengthening pre-service teacher education to cultivate teaching excellence
Component 2: Teacher professional development, through strengthening continuous professional development
Component 3: Classroom Learning, which aims at building capacity for effective early grade teaching and learning
Component 4: Digital Transformation in Education, focusing on building institutional readiness for the effective use of digital strategies in education delivery in Cambodia

Under Component 3 (C3), our intervention strategy focuses on expanding and enhancing the Student Tracking System (STS) to create a comprehensive and advanced platform. This strategic initiative aims to ensure the system’s readiness for deployment across all schools in Phnom Penh, Pailin, Svay Rieng, Prey Ven, Siem Reap province, setting the stage for a subsequent nationwide rollout.

II.    Scope of the assignment
Under the overall authority of the UNESCO Representative and supervision of the Chief of Education Unit, the Contractor will work under the direct supervision of the STEPCam Programme Manager and in close coordination with the National Project Officer to provide technical support to EMIS Department to develop a brand-new mobile application for Student Tracking System following the existing STS system in web based and ensure the mobile to be deployed four target locations and nationwide, with updated criteria and new additional functions, as well as develop a mobile application that is aligned with STS on the website.

The Consultant will work closely with the Component 3 focal point and the Education Data Specialist for the further expansion and enhancement of the STS system. The contractor will work in close consultation and collaboration with the relevant technical departments of the MoEYS (EMIS Department) and UNESCO. 

III.    Specific tasks
Specific tasks include, but will not be limited to the following:
1.    Develop an STS mobile application (for both iOS and Android) for use across all levels of basic education, including pre-primary, primary, secondary, and upper secondary. The mobile application will be designed for preliminary user groups such as classroom teachers, subject teachers, school directors, and parents.

a.    Develop a comprehensive application design, covering information architecture, navigation flow, menu structure, and functional access pathways to ensure all mobile application functions are consistently and intuitively accessible to users, through a consultative process with relevant technical departments and development partners
b.    Design a mock-up of the STS mobile application for review and agreement by UNESCO and DEMIS
c.    Ensure the mobile application has a user-friendly frontend interface suitable for smooth and efficient daily data entry and data synchronisation
d.    Ensure that the STS mobile application is linked to the STS web-based system and other relevant MIS systems under the MoEYS
e.    Ensure robust and high level of security measures for the protection of all user data managed in the system

2.    Review the existing STS web-based system and functions, develop mobile application API functions, and assess which current functions should be linked to the new mobile application. The STS mobile application shall be fully functional, user-friendly and ready to be deployed to increase uptake of the STS system, including:
a.    Review of the proposed new features in Task #4, comparing them with the current web functions, and identifying which features need to be transferred, adapted, or redesigned to fit the mobile application environment, ensuring data synchronisation with the web-based system
b.    Provide technical recommendations on the most appropriate approach for integrating relevant web-based functionalities into the mobile application to ensure consistency and alignment with the newly developed mobile features. 
c.    Ensure the mobile application has secure registration and login for users (teachers and Parents) (such as integrate two-factor authentication (2FA) with SMS).
d.    Work closely with EMIS department to identify the end users in order to classify user accounts and develop mobile application functions for Classroom Teachers, Subject Teachers and Parents
e.    Develop a ‘Notification System’ for both Parent and Classroom Teacher within the STS mobile application and web-based system, covering key functions such as notifications after completion of data entry of student scores (Daily, Monthly, Semester, Yearly), notification for student absenteeism, notification to input student attendance, and alerts enabling teachers to provide feedback on student learning performance through the score data entry function.

3.    Lead capacity building to the EMIS Department and provide technical support and troubleshooting on an ongoing basis for the operations and maintenance of the STS mobile application and web-based system:
a.    Provide ongoing source code and database maintenance, updates, and enhancements
b.    Provide ongoing capacity building and ensure knowledge transfer to the EMIS Department and strengthen their capacity in understanding the structure of mobile application, as well as how to install, backup and maintain the application
c.    Assist the EMIS Department in developing data and systems security procedures and mechanisms for data protection and safeguarding, and the prevention of system disruption
d.    Provide capacity building to EMIS Department to lead effective training sessions to targeted end users to facilitate effective rollout of the STS mobile application at national scale
e.    Lead the development of two packages of handouts and training materials to support the rollout of the STS mobile application, including (i) the first package will be an administrative mobile manual for national-level technical staff, focusing on overall system usage, basic troubleshooting, and handling minor technical issues, and (ii) the second package will be a general user handout for all other users, including teachers, school directors, sub-national officers, and parents.

4.    Participate in bi-weekly review and work-planning meetings with UNESCO and EMIS Department as required
5.    Participate in capacity building activities and on the job training provided by the software development company engaged by STEPCam, to gradually assume responsibility for technical support in the management and maintenance of the STS
6.    Provide technical advice to STEPCam’s efforts in supporting MoEYS to integrate its MIS systems

IV.    Deliverables
The consultant is expected to submit a monthly progress report after the contract starts on the tasks undertaken and accomplished in line with the above-mentioned responsibilities. 
1.    Deliverable 1 by 20 April 2026
a.    Technical report based on the review of the STS web-based system, including:

i.    A proposed application design and architecture, and the proposed functions to be built in the STS mobile application to respond to the needs of each category of users
ii.    STS mobile application development criteria, including technical and operational requirements and specifications for the application
b.    Workplan for the full assignment, outlining the overall approach and sequence of activities required to complete the assignment presented in Excel or as a Gantt chart, including the main phases of work, the detailed tasks under each phase, and the timeline for implementation and completion of each task

2.    Deliverable 2 by 13 May 2026
a.    Proposed wireframes and mock-up screens, and workflow diagrams that illustrate all key functions, data entry processes, and dashboard views based on inputs from EMIS and UNESCO

3.    Deliverable 3 by 26 June 2026
a.    STS mobile application (developer testing, functional testing, usability testing, and security testing) developed and tested based on the approved development criteria and workplan

b.    Progress report on mobile application development and system security, including achievements, challenges, and recommendations for the next steps regarding development of STS mobile application

4.    Deliverable 4 by 24 July 2026
a.    Technical report summarising the progress and outcomes of the pilot of the STS mobile application with end users, including documentation of inputs and feedback from end users and recommendations for the way forward to respond to the feedback received to enhance user experience 
b.    Progress report on (i) mobile app development, system security, achievements, challenges, and solutions for the development of STS mobile application and (ii) technical support provided to the EMIS Department on STS management and maintenance

5.    Deliverable 5 by 28 August 2026
a.    Technical report on (i) STS mobile app trial and development, system security, achievements, challenges, solutions, fixing bugs, linking of STS mobile application and web-based system with other MoEYS MIS systems

6.    Deliverable 6 by 25 September 2026
a.    Final version of two training materials packages developed for national-level technical staff and all other users, including teachers, school directors, sub-national officers, and parents. 
b.    Complete dossier of outputs produced under the assignment, containing source code, system documentation, and final user manual(s)
c.    Final completion report on (i) mobile app development, system security, achievements, challenges, and final recommendations for the way forward regarding the enhancement of STS mobile app, and (ii) Capacity building provided to the EMIS Department on the STS web-based system and mobile app management and maintenance

V.    Contract duration, location and other conditions
The duration of the contract will be for a period of 6 months from April 2026 to September 2026, during which the Individual Consultant is expected to work full-time. The Individual Consultant is expected to be based at the MoEYS to provide on-site capacity building and may be requested to work from the UNESCO Phnom Penh Office for coordination with the STEPCam programme team as requested by the Programme Manager. The Consultant may be requested to undertake missions to the provinces across Cambodia outside of Phnom Penh. 
The Individual Consultant will be responsible for their necessary tools, equipment (laptop, printer, etc.) and software to complete the assignment. For work sessions at the MoEYS, the MoEYS will provide a working space and access to the internet, printer and LCD projector.

VI.    Required qualifications and experience 

Education
•    Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science, and/or information technology

Professional experience
•    At least 5 years of experience in development of enterprise information systems
•    At least 3 years of experience in PHP framework Laravel and MySQL
•    At least 3 years of experience in Dart Framework Flutter
•    Demonstrated experience in developing RESTful API and security
•    Demonstrated experience in mobile application development with cited work examples
•    Demonstrated experience working with government counterparts, development partners and educational institutions
•    Demonstrated experience with Web security
•    Experience with following technology/tools is an advantage: CSS Bootstrap, Javascript, Jquery, Ajax, Json, React, Git (desirable)

Skills and competencies
•    Excellent planning, organization, coordination and monitoring skills
•    Excellent training and capacity building skills
•    Ability to take initiative, establish priorities and capacity to work efficiently under deadlines
•    Ability to work in a multicultural team to achieve shared objectives
•    Good understanding of management information systems in education (desirable)

Language skills
•    Effective verbal and written English language skills
•    Native proficiency in verbal and written Khmer language skills

Desirable qualifications
•    Work experience: More than 7 years of professional experience in development of enterprise information systems
•    Experience working with the UN, and knowledge of UN regulations and guidelines

VI.    How to apply
Interested candidates are kindly requested to click on “Apply Now”, then download and complete the Employment History Form (Word file). At the end of the Word file, the candidate must insert extra pages with the following required information in English:
(Please note UNESCO cannot consider an incomplete proposal that does not include the following information requested.)
1.    Curriculum Vitae or Resume 
2.    Technical proposal (3 pages maximum) explaining the methodology for undertaking the assignment
3.    Financial proposal, indicating a monthly rate (in US$), to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a monthly rate will not be considered.
4.    The contact details of three referees
If you are unable to attach requirements in the system, please inform us at phnompenh@unesco.org

VII.    Selection and recruitment process 
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.
The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 
UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.