Education Officer

United Nations Children's Fund

JOB DESCRIPTION

Duties
In HQ
– Translate global education objectives and strategic directions into guidance, strategies and priorities, in collaboration with other parts of UNHCR, and education colleagues in Regional Bureaux, to ensure coherence with UNHCR’s education policy and strategy.
– Engage, promote and foster partnerships/collaboration with education stakeholders and bodies within the AoR, in line with the GCR.
– Provide technical advice and support on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions, in line with UNHCR education policy and other global priorities, including through remote support and field missions.
– Support and provide technical advice to senior management and Policy and Development staff allowing for advocacy activities with States and international organisations on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions.
– Participate in humanitarian and development sector working groups to support that all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening.
– Assist Bureaux and Country Office(s) to elaborate and implement strategies to address issues related to education access, quality and data, in cooperation with other UN agencies (UNICEF, UNESCO, WFP, etc.) and other key education stakeholders.

– Foster inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, GBV, gender, community-based protection livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in their planning.
– Monitor and support implementation of education programmes within the AoR, provide guidance on orientation and facilitate engagement with key partners for delivery, reporting and advocacy.
– Support and monitor the implementation of Global Refugee Forum pledges within the AoR.
– Assist in the planning and coordination of UNHCR’s role concerning education, represent UNHCR at consultations, and represent UNHCR’s education strategy and policy to other UN bodies, NGOs, interlocutors, institutions and organisations within the AoR.
– Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and bilateral partners on refugee education priorities and identified topics.
– Support the development and dissemination of relevant tools to support UNHCR staff and partners in RBs and Country Office(s).
– Support active exchange of information and that best practices are identified, documented and disseminated both within the AoR and beyond.
– Where required, undertake direct dialogue with Country Office(s) on the implementation of education programmes in line with strategic directions and global approaches to working with education partners and coordination networks (UNICEF, Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and Local Education Groups, etc.
– Where required, join joint assessment missions in emergencies to minimise the time refugee children and youth spend out of education (ideally a maximum of three months after arrival).
– In emergency contexts, lead or co-lead education sector coordination groups, develop response strategies, advocate for the inclusion of education activities in inter-sectoral appeals and liaise with government and other actors to ensure that emergency programmes support inclusion in the national system and are aligned with national priorities and goals.
– Prepare, co-ordinate and oversee drafting of education input in key internal and external documents and reports, including appeals and refugee response plans.
– Encourage, seek, facilitate and learn from innovative practices in education.
– Where relevant, supervision or oversight of other education staff.
– Perform other related duties as required.

In the Regional Bureaux
– Translate global education objectives and strategic directions into regional guidance, strategies and priorities, in collaboration with the education officers or education focal points in country operations and Education Section in HQ, to ensure coherence with UNHCR’s education policy and strategy regionally and at country level. Develop regionally specific strategies, including key regional interlocutors, and considering cross-border issues.
– Engage, promote and foster partnerships/collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, including education interlocutors and development partners, in line with the GCR.
– Participate in regional humanitarian and development sector working groups to support that all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening.
– Assist in the planning and coordination of UNHCR’s role concerning education, represent UNHCR at regional consultations, and represent UNHCR’s education strategy and policy to other UN bodies, NGOs, interlocutors, institutions and organisations within the AoR.
– Jointly with technical teams at HQ, assist Country Office(s) to elaborate and implement strategies to address issues related to education access, quality and data. Synthesise and analyse data across countries in the region, making recommendations for how to react to trends, and contributing to global data and communications / advocacy approaches.
– Foster and ensure inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, GBV, gender, community services, livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in the planning processes supported by Bureaux and the HQs.
– Where relevant, supervision/management of other education staff at the RB and oversight of education staff/focal points in country operations.
– Undertake direct dialogue with Country Office(s) on the implementation of education programmes in line with strategic directions, integrated with SDG4 and Education Sector Plans, including with Ministries of Education/Higher Education, education partners and coordination networks (Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and Local Education Groups, etc.).
– Support and monitor the implementation of Global Refugee Forum pledges across the region within the AoR.
– Participate in joint assessment missions in emergencies to minimise the time refugee children and youth spend out of education (ideally a maximum of three months after arrival). With others in UNHCR, develop and implement approaches to track and prepare for emergencies, especially those which affect more than one country in the region.
– Encourage, seek, facilitate and learn from innovative practices in education.
– Where relevant, supervision/management of other education staff at the Regional Bureau.
– Perform other related duties as required.

In the Country Operations
– Translate global and regional education objectives and strategic directions into national strategies and priorities, in collaboration with the RBs and HQ, to develop contextualised approaches which ensure coherence with UNHCR’s education policy and strategy at country level.
– Develop, implement and build capacity around monitoring and support given to all formal and informal education programmes across the Country Office: tracking progress, trends and good practices to inform partnership development and planning.
– As required, keep donor representatives briefed on developments in the education sector and assist in the development of funding submissions, appeals and reports linked to education strategic planning.
– Participate in country level humanitarian and development sector working groups to support that all refugee education support programming is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening. Engage senior management at country level where needed, particularly in engaging with development actors.
– In emergency settings, establish and play a leadership role in education sector coordination mechanisms, ensure that education is represented in inter-sectoral appeals, establish a collective strategy for the response that supports longer-term inclusion in national systems and ensure effective monitoring of and reporting on the education response.
– Foster and ensure inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, GBV, gender, community-based protection, livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in their planning.
– Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and Ministry of Education officials on refugee education priorities and identified topics at country level, with the support of RB and HQ on global guidance
– Support and monitor the implementation of country-level Global Refugee Forum pledges within the AoR.
– Design, monitor and support implementation of education programmes within the AoR, provide guidance on orientation and facilitate engagement with key partners for delivery, reporting and advocacy.
– Encourage, seek, facilitate and learn from innovative practices in education.
– Where relevant, supervision/management of other education staff at the country level and support and quality oversight of education focal points in the sub and field offices.

– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).

– Perform other related duties as require

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Education; Social Sciences; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
4 years of experience in progressively responsible functions in education. Demonstrated work experience in education programmes. Field experience in education programme implementation and coordination in humanitarian and/or development contexts. Experience working with Governments, Ministry of Education and other line Ministries. Strong inter-personal skills in collaboration and coordination. Excellent analytical skills and drafting skills. Strong communications/presentations skills. Demonstrated capacity to work with minimum supervision.

Desirable
Demonstrated work experience in refugee education programmes. Knowledge and experience of UNHCR policies and standards. Experience in the area of child protection. Experience with educational research, teaching or education administration.

Functional Skills
*ED-Education programming design and quality assurance
*PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Community-based Protection – Planning, implementing and analysing surveys/assessments
ED-Global EiE standards and implementation
PR-Convention on the Rights of the Child / International Legal Framework
TR-Training – Virtual and face to face
*IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Community based assessment methodologies
WB – Community Services/Social Work
ED-Education capacity building – education programming
ED-Technical support to education programmes and proposals
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.


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