(Re-Advertisement): Senior Education Assistant, LICA5, UNOPS Assignment

Senior Education Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Senior Education Assistant will support the roll-out of Refugee Education 2030, the Refugee Education Strategy, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which calls on States and relevant Stakeholders to contribute resources and expertise to expand and enhance the quality and inclusiveness of national education systems to facilitate access by refugee and host community children and youth to primary, secondary and tertiary education. Providing inclusive and equitable quality education is central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Senior Education Assistant will assist the supervisor in ensuring UNHCR¿s programming is in line with the SDGs. Leveraging the growing global momentum, UNHCR is working to translate the objectives of the GCR into impactful results, including through follow-up on pledges made through the 2019 Global Refugee Forum. Contributing to this global roll-out of the GCR, the Senior Education Assistant, in collaboration with the Education Section in the Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS), will assist the supervisor in providing technical support to UNHCR countries and partners to advocate for and implement the objectives of Refugee Education 2030:

1. Promote equitable and sustainable inclusion in national education systems for refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, stateless and internally displaced persons 2. Foster safe enabling environments that support learning 3. Enable learners to use their education toward sustainable futures

The Senior Education Assistant normally reports to a higher grade Education position. S/he monitors educational standards and provides technical education support to all refugees. The incumbent undertakes regular missions in refugee camps to provide technical support, conduct monitoring and follow-up on educational activities. The Senior Education Assistant assists refugees to enrol in suitable educational levels, institutes and builds strong relationship with the various refugee communities, implementing and operational partner of education and the host government to monitor the implementation of UNHCR¿s existing education strategy and to respond to queries from refugees, external agencies and other UNHCR units. In collaboration with the education and protection teams, s/he will work to improve access to and quality of refugee education at all levels, both formal and non-formal education sectors. The incumbent will work on the development of innovative education approaches for emerging needs in refugee education, including attention to special needs, minorities, girls, pre-school education and non-formal activities.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties – Assist the supervisor in managing and coordinating the education sector. – Assist in monitoring of implementation of the education strategy and activities at all levels in formal and non-formal education sectors. – Act as first point of contact for refugee families to provide information and support on enrolment of children in schools. – Assist in providing regular reports on educational activities, achievements and challenges. – Conduct regular visits to community schools, carry out assessments and write recommendations. – Assist in identification of persons with special educational needs and support implementation of inclusive and special needs education. – Support and promote quality education data collection, analysis and reporting by assisting the implementation of the Education Management Information System (EMIS). – Ensure education level of refugee children are updated in the UNHCR database for tracking of education achievement of refugee children. – Assess needs for services of persons of concern, as related to education responses. – Systematically promote and comply with the Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) policy and other priorities such as the HIV/AIDS policy. – Liaise on behalf of UNHCR with external partners like Education Ministry on education matters. – As requested participate in local humanitarian and development sector working groups to support and ensure all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serve system strengthening. – Foster 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 their planning. – Monitor implementation of education programmes and provide guidance on orientation. – Assist in the planning and coordination of UNHCR¿s role concerning education. – Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and Ministry of Education officials on refugee education priorities and identified topics. – Develop and disseminate relevant tools to support UNHCR staff and partners in Country Offices. – 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). – Assist in preparing and drafting of education input in key internal and external documents and reports. – Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level For G5- 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education Not applicable. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses Education; Social Sciences Business Administration (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience Essential 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.

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 PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework *ED-Technical support to education programmes and proposals *IT-Computer Literacy CO-Drafting and Documentation CO-Cross-cultural communication TR-Training – Virtual and face to face ED-Global EiE standards and implementation (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Required competencies:

Core Competencies – Accountability – Communication – Organizational Awareness – Teamwork & Collaboration – Commitment to Continuous Learning – Client & Result Orientation

Cross-Functional Competencies: – Analytical Thinking – Planning and Organizing – Technological Awareness

Language Requirements

Knowledge of English is essential. Knowledge of Kurdish and Arabic are considered an asset.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

1. General background, organizational setting, work relationships and operational context

UNHCR in partnership with MoHE and DAAD facilitates tertiary education scholarships for selected refugees in KRI under the DAFI Scholarship Programme. The incumbent will be responsible for supporting the Sulaymaniyah Field Office in the implementation of the DAFI Programme in KRI which encompasses individual support for current DAFI scholars, implementation of the application process for future DAFI scholars including information dissemination and organization of information sessions as well as support engagement of DAFI graduates/Alumni. The incumbent will collaborate with the UNHCR coordination office to ensure adequate compliance with agreed standards and policies on the DAFI programme as well as with local education institutions and DAFI scholars for the implementation of the DAFI Programme.

Under the guidance of the Coordination Office and the functional supervision of the Associate Community-Based Protection Officer in Sulaymaniyah, the incumbent will be responsible for: – Identification and enrolment of new DAFI scholars. – Organization of information sessions, discussions, and mass communication with scholars and relevant stakeholders in collaboration with the focal point on communication with communities. – Provision of support and counselling of DAFI scholars to ensure continuous attendance and performance during their study. – Collaboration with universities and education institutions including student advisers and heads of departments for the purpose of ensuring access to education, monitoring, and quality assurance of the DAFI programme. – Establishing and implementing a sound monitoring and reporting system including regular collection of data, analysis and reporting on the implementation and impact of the DAFI Programme, the tertiary education landscape in KRI and access to tertiary education and the DAFI Programme. – Regularly updating and sharing information on the application, admission, and enrolment processes and education opportunities to potential scholars, current scholars, graduates, and alumni as well as collaborating institutions. – Continuous engagement with DAFI scholars and graduates and their integration into community-based protection activities in line with the office’s strategies on community mobilization and the expressed preferences of DAFI Programme participants. – Identification of protection risks and provision of individual counselling and support to DAFI participants and in accordance with operational needs provision of support to the Protection Unit with protection assessment and counselling of individual cases.

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment – Assist the supervisor in managing and coordinating the DAFI education programme and tertiary education sector. – Assist in monitoring of implementation of the tertiary education strategy and activities at all levels in formal and non-formal education sectors. – Act as first point of contact for refugee families to provide information and support on enrolment of children in schools. – Assist in providing regular reports on DAFI educational activities, achievements, and challenges. – Conduct regular visits to community schools and institutions, carry out assessments and write recommendations. – Assist in identification of persons with special educational needs and support implementation of inclusive and special needs education. – Support and promote quality education data collection, analysis and reporting by assisting the implementation of the Education Management Information System (EMIS). – Ensure education level of refugee children are updated in the UNHCR database for tracking of education achievement of refugee children. – Assess needs for services of persons of concern, as related to education responses. – Systematically promote and comply with the Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) policy and other priorities such as the HIV/AIDS policy. – Liaise on behalf of UNHCR with external partners like Education Ministry (MoHE) on tertiary education matters. – As requested, participate in local humanitarian and development sector working groups to support and ensure all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, improved, and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serve system strengthening. – Foster inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, SGBV, 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 their planning. – Monitor implementation of education programmes and provide guidance on orientation. – Assist in the planning and coordination of UNHCR¿s role concerning education. – Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and Ministry of Education officials on refugee education priorities and identified topics. – Develop and disseminate relevant tools to support UNHCR staff and partners in the field offices. – Join joint assessment missions in emergencies to minimize the time refugee children and youth spend out of education (ideally a maximum of three months after arrival). – Assist in preparing and drafting of education input in key internal and external documents and reports as well as yearly planning. – Support in conducting protection counselling and assessments of identified vulnerable cases in the urban and refugee camp registration center and facilitate timely referrals for specialized services within the area of coverage. – Perform other related duties as required.

1. Monitoring and Progress Controls – UNHCR’s Registration Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are implemented in accordance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies. – Persons of concern have fair and transparent access to registration procedures. – The counselling / recording of asylum-seekers and refugees in accordance with UNHCR policies and standards. – The identification of vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees and their referral to other units within the office and/or implementing partners in an accurate and timely manner.

Desirable Qualifications & Competencies: – Demonstrated work experience in refugee education programmes. – Knowledge and experience of UNHCR policies and standards. – Experience in child protection. – Experience with educational research, teaching or education administration. – Experience in the implementation of education programmes and tertiary education in particular – Experience with the education system and the tertiary education system in KRI – Experience in working with refugees and knowledge of refugee protection principles and framework – Experience in managing small projects.

Functional Skills: – PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework – *PR-Refugee Education programmes – UN-UNHCR Operations, mandate, principles, and policies – *IT-Computer Literacy – MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation – CO-Cross-cultural communication – TR-Training/Coaching/Facilitation – PR-INEE (International Network for Education in Emergencies) standards and implementation. (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Eligibility: – Candidates must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position and candidates not citizens of the country must comply with all eligibility requirements for employment in line with the prevailing legislative prerequisites in the country.