Senior Consultant – EU Education and Training Policy – EU Consulting

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.

About The Role

We are seeking a Senior Consultant to join our EU Consulting practice, supporting research and implementation programs across the EU Education and Training policy ecosystem. The role involves leading robust evaluation, impact assessment, and analysis work; facilitating workshops and supporting mutual learning activities; and contributing to proposal development and cross‑project coordination.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead or contribute to research and evaluation work on education and training policy‑related subjects, carrying out research and analysis across multiple frameworks.
• Research, analyse and produce policy content in different forms, such as thematic or analytical papers, case studies, good‑practice fiches, mapping and comparative exercises, monitoring and evaluation surveys, stakeholder interviews, and more.
• Contribute to the organisation and support of programme‑related activities, including working groups, secretariats, helpdesk or advisory services, communities of practice and expert networks.
• Contribute to or oversee the design and organisation of face‑to‑face, virtual and hybrid workshops and events, supporting agenda development, writing summaries, and facilitating discussion.
• Prepare reports, presentations and other written deliverables for a range of audiences, from technical reports to website content.
• Contribute to proposal‑writing and technical offer preparations, coordinating with relevant experts.
• Undertake other consultancy tasks as required, working independently.
• Support project/programme managers and senior team members in coordinating packages of activities and deliverables.

Required Experience

• University degree or equivalent in public policy, politics, economics, law, or a related discipline.
• 6+ years of professional experience in consultancy, public policy and/or government affairs in the EU and/or UK.
• Knowledge and interest in education and training policy, particularly 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, engaging with multi‑national and multi‑disciplinary stakeholders.
• Knowledge of communications methods and tools for disseminating outputs.

Personal Qualities

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

Location & Sponsorship

Eligible candidates may be based worldwide. For positions located in the UK, Belgium, Spain or Germany, applicants must: 1) 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 2) be physically present in that country by their first day of employment (or be able to relocate beforehand). Relocation support is not automatically provided.