Education Specialist, Foundational Learning

Job Title: Education Specialist, Foundational Learning

Organization: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

Host entity: UNICEF

Assignment country: Senegal

Expected start date: 09/10/2023

Sustainable Development Goal: 4. Quality education

Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist

Type: Onsite

Duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension)

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Dakar

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents – and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines, we support child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation. Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, we are never neutral when it comes to defending children’s rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.

Context

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. Learning is at the heart of the global education and development agenda 2030. Education is recognized as a critical development priority by the Africa Union, while the Kigali Statement of Outcomes sets out equitable and inclusive access to education for all, skills and competencies among the regional priorities for sub-Saharan countries, as they move toward the Education 2030 goals. However, despite the substantial progress that has been made in terms of access, completion and quality of basic education, disparities persist within and among countries, and learning achievement remains low in Sub-Sharan region. In 2019, the World Bank introduced the concept of ‘Learning Poverty’ – the inability to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. It had estimated that 48 per cent of children worldwide and 89 per cent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are ‘learning poor’ in these terms. Thus, the Education Programme Section at the UNICEF West and central Africa Regional Office expressed an interest to recruit an international UNV, in response to the increased field demand for technical support for scaling up foundational learning initiatives in the region. The purpose of the post is to support an institution as well the Quality & Learning Education Specialist and 16 UNICEF country offices meet their country commitments for Foundational Learning and scale up critical foundational learning initiatives in collaboration with the correspondent governments. Among the 16 country offices, 1 will receive high support (Ghana), 7 will receive medium support (Congo, Senegal, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia), while the additional 8 will receive light support based on specific needs (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Cabo Verde, and Equatorial Guinea).

Task description

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results a) Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results on foundational learning initiatives – with a strong focus on scaling up government initiatives with UNICEF’s support. b) Ensure compliance of remedial education and RAPID Framework. c) Support monitoring programmes/projects, and exchange information with stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution. Technical and operational support to programme implementation a) Provide technical guidance and operational support to UNICEF Country Offices (COs), Government and national education institutions to translate global and regional foundational learning strategies into regional tools and resources for policy development, advocacy and capacity-building initiatives. b) Support the country offices and regional office to scale up, monitor and evaluate foundational learning activities/initiatives. c) Support digitalizing and disseminating public goods and uploading them in UNICEF’s FLN website (The FLN Hub | Build foundational literacy & numeracy). Networking and partnership building a) Support developing partnerships and networks with local/regional solution providers, innovators, NGOs, the private sector and academia to build and provide a space to nurture and test new and innovative pedagogical approaches and build local capacity. Identify opportunities for establishing linkages between resource mobilization and new partnerships and contribute to proposals and partnership development efforts supporting Country Offices and the Regional Office. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building a) Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned and use knowledge gained for integration into broader knowledge development planning and management efforts including from countries via the global and regional networks available within UNICEF. Maintain an inventory of innovative learning initiatives, assets, resources and networks. b) Support organizing capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of UNICEF staff, partners, government counterparts.

Eligibility criteria

Age

27 - 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results Education: Advanced Degree in Education, Social/Human Sciences, Technological Sciences or another related field. Work experience: Minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience at national or international level in the area of education. Work experience or knowledge of the West and Central Africa region is an asset. Language requirements: Fluency in English and French is necessary, with excellent drafting skills and oral presentation skills in at least one of the two languages. Knowledge of Portuguese or Spanish will be an asset. Skills: - Proven experience in implementing education and/or learning programmes. - Ability to work in teams. - Ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral form and to produce reports in a timely manner. - Ability to work independently as well as with a team in an international, multicultural and interdisciplinary environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organization. - Ability to cope with political/cultural sensitivity and ability to work in international and multicultural environment. - Excellent writing, research and analytical skills.

Area(s) of expertise

Administration, Education, Development programmes

Driving license

-

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required French, Level: Fluent, Required Spanish, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable Portuguese, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in Education, Social/Human Sciences, Technological Sciences or another related field.

Competencies and values

UNICEF's competencies: - Builds and maintains partnerships – Level 1 - Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness – Level 1 - Drive to achieve results for impact – Level 1 - Innovates and embraces change – Level 1 - Manages ambiguity and complexity – Level 1 - Thinks and acts strategically – Level 1 - Works collaboratively with others – Level 1

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

The UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa works with 24 countries with unique contexts. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. While based in Dakar, Senegal, the candidate will be expected to conduct occasional field missions to countries in the region. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in harsh and potentially hazardous conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort, are essential.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Reasonable accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.

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