National Programme Officer (Education)

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General Education (ADG/ED) and functional authority of the Director/Head of Office (HFO) and direct supervision from the Programme Specialist, the incumbent works in close collaboration with and guidance from Programme Specialist for Education in the Pacific Regional Office and is responsible for programme and project work, technical assistance, research and knowledge management, communication and advocacy, partnerships and resource mobilization, with an emphasis on the national perspective of their own country, on the Field Office and Education sector work as well as to multi-sectoral and cross country programmatic activities and initiatives conducted from own Duty Station.

Within the frameworks of UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy (C/4), the approved Programme and Budget (C/5) the programme specialist will develop, manage, monitor and report on regular and extra-budgetary programme aligned with national development plans and priorities, UNSDCF and relevant SIDS frameworks. He/she contributes to Pacific regional, multi-country and national education programme development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In particular, the incumbent will:

1. Programme Design and Management

• Identify, develop, implement, monitor and report the Office’s Education Programme/projects in areas including Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Global Citizenship Education (GCED), SDG 4 Benchmarking and data/evidence based policy and programming, TVET, Higher Education, and ICT in Education. Identify focus areas within the Member States national priorities and in alignment with the UNESCO education, SIDS and other strategies, the UN and other development partners’ approaches and strategies, as well as Pacific SIDS frameworks.
• Develop, support and monitor cross-sectoral programmes and strategies in line with UNESCO’s strategic priority areas to advance Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG4-Education 2030), the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs) and Country Implementation Plans (CIPs), national development goals, Pacific SIDS frameworks and strategies. Recommend programmes and approaches to respond to multi-sectoral development challenges.
• Contribute to Pacific regional and multi-country education programme development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

2. Policy Advice and Technical Assistance

• Monitor education status, statistics, trends, innovations in country and region to enable evidence-base policy and programme support.
• Initiate and develop policy advice, tools/resources, technical assistance and capacity strengthening support to Ministries of Education and other key national or regional education institutions to implement regional and country-level programme activities, in support of improving access, quality, and equity throughout education levels and modalities.
• Provide technical assistance on education and cross-sectoral programmes/projects, sector analysis, review and plan development/implementation/monitoring, capacity strengthening, systems development, coordination/alignment and other areas.

3. Knowledge Management, Partnerships and Resources Mobilization

• Identify and support research, develop knowledge and evidence base and implement outreach strategies, aimed at expanding and communicating UNESCO programmes/expertise with Member States, partners and education stakeholders.
• Mobilize and work with national, regional and international partners in pursuing SDG4 – Education 2030, in collaboration with UNESCO Specialized Institutes (especially IIEP, UIL, UIS) and UNESCO International Centre (e.g. UNEVOC, APCEIU).
• Mobilize partnerships and resources to support policy analysis, planning and system development in Samoa and in Pacific region, by preparing project proposals and cooperation frameworks with Member States and donor agencies and by engaging in fundraising activities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in education, social or natural sciences, public policy and administration, economics, statistics, international development or related fields.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in education development or closely related field.
• Experience in education policy formulation, education planning, programme development and management
• Experience in advocacy, resources and partnership mobilization.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Education 2030 Framework for Action.
• Ability to work independently.
• Strong organizational skills in project/programme planning, management and implementation.
• Excellent analytical and technical skills.
• Strong coordination skills and ability to liaise with the Government and a variety of partners and stakeholders.
• Good interpersonal and networking skills with the ability to work in a multi-cultural team.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including the ability to draft clearly and concisely, paying close attention to details and quality of work.
• Strong IT skills including good knowledge of standard office software and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning systems).

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English and Samoan.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Academic background in the field of educational policies, planning, teacher education, curriculum development or related areas.

Work experience

• Experience within the United Nations System or in other Intergovernmental Organizations or Cooperating Agencies.
• Experience and/or good understanding of government systems in Samoa and other Pacific states.

Skills and Competences

• Background and skills in public relations, communication and advocacy.

Languages

• Working knowledge of French.
• Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish).

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 02-JAN-2024;

Only nationals of Samoa are eligible to apply for this position.