Education Officer, Beijing, China, for 364 days

Entry Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Contract

This is a NO-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-1 contracts.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, education

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.

In China, UNICEF Education program works with the Government of China and other partners, communities and parents to provide the country’s most disadvantaged children with quality learning opportunities. We also support government to strengthen the education system so that it addresses the needs of all children, including those with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and rural and urban poor, while ensuring that girls and boys have the same opportunities. This includes supporting children develop into well-rounded individuals and creating nurturing environments that meet their physical, cognitive, creative, social and emotional needs.

The 2021-2025 education programme embraces key strategic shifts that Education has made continued efforts to promote equity and inclusive quality education though education workforce capacity building, and in promoting inclusive education policy and practices. In the year of 2024-2025. The education program is expanding to Xinjiang autonomous region in addition to other western provinces of China to benefit more needed children.

How can you make a difference?

The Education Officer will support the planning, implementation and management of the Education Programme in designated thematic areas. He/ she will provide technical, operational and administrative inputs throughout to ensure specific projects deliver intended results for children, are in compliance with UNICEF values and programme management standards.

More specifically, under the supervision of Education officer, the assistant education Officer will

• Support the development and formulation of education programmes to advance education quality in areas that are crucially important to the developing needs of Chinese children and closely linked to UNICEF programme areas. This will involve working with key education departments at the national and provincial levels to identify quality gaps and entry points, promoting education quality improvement through research, international experience introduction, and capacity-building activities.
• Assist in program planning, implementation, and monitoring of inclusive and preschool education in the Western region, especially Xinjiang.
• This will involve working with key local education administrators, researchers, and practitioners to establish standards/guidelines, formulate operational manuals, develop practical tools and learning materials, support capacity-building efforts, and conduct a technical evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the programme interventions.

To excel in this role, the assistant education officer would have certain experience and capacity to engage in managing stakeholder relationships. He/she would also have demonstrable technical expertise in the field of teacher education (pre-service and in service teacher training) , promoting gender equity , with direct experience managing programme interventions.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Contribute to the preparation and updating of the situation analysis for the development, design, and management of education related programmes/projects. Research and report on development trends (economic, social etc.) and data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation, and delivery of results.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis, and reporting of education and other related information for development planning and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentation, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results- based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluation of results.

2. Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results.

• Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to collect, analyze, and share information on implementation issues.
• Suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow-up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative, and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare draft inputs for programme/donor reporting.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on education-related issues to support program implementation, operations, and delivery of results.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate program implementation and build the capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programs.

• Draft communication and information materials for CO program advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fundraising for education programs.

• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fundraising and partnership development purposes.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Contribute to identifying, capturing, synthesizing, and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders.

• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.

• Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.

• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

  Impact of Results:

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the assistant education Officer to programme preparation, planning and implementation, contributes to the achievement of sustainable results to improve learning outcomes and universal access to quality, equitable and inclusive education. Success in education programmes and projects in turn contribute to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education:

A university degree in one of the following fields: education, development, law, psychology, sociology, or a highly relevant technical field.

Experience:

A minimum of one year of professional experience in education policy, engagement, program planning, management and/or research.

Relevant track record in senior stakeholder relationship management is desirable.

Familiar with Chinese policy and legal and administrative system is desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Chinese is required.

Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *

  • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
  • Works Collaboratively with others (1)
  • Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
  • Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
  • Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
  • Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
  • Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates with disability are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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Added 10 days ago - Updated 8 hours ago - Source: unicef.org