Education Officer, NO2, Beijing, China # 64861 (Open for Chinese nationals only)

Contract

This is a NO-2 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-2 contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, education

UNICEF in China promotes policies and laws that better deliver on children's rights. We have about 100 staff members working with the Government of China and other partners to ensure that the benefits of the country's development reach the most impoverished children. And we share what we learn with others.

The UNICEF Education Section works with the Government of China, local partners and communities to provide the country’s most disadvantaged children with quality learning opportunities. We support government to strengthen China’s education system so that it addresses the needs of the most excluded and vulnerable children, as well as ensure that girls and boys have equal access to opportunities. We also promote nurturing environments to support children develop into well-rounded individuals and facilitate smoother transition from school to work.

The 2021- 2025 education program also embraces key strategic shifts with a renewed focus on upstream engagement and policy impact. It will place greater emphasis on evidence-based policy and research, advocacy for children’s rights and adaptation of international evidence to China’s context (and vice versa). There will also be a shift from child-friendly schools to child-friendly education systems and scaling-up of adolescent programs, particularly around integrating life skills into the technical and vocation education & training (TVET) reform process and expanding alternative learning pathways for out-of-school adolescents in China.

To learn more about what we do, please visit http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzU5ODg1NDcxMg==.html

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Education and direct supervision of the Education specialist, the Education Officer will

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, health 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 documentations, 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, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare inputs/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 programme 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 programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programmes.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fund raising for education programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on UNSDCF operational planning and preparation of education programmes/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.

• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising 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.

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

Education:

Minimum a university degree in the following fields: Education, development studies, social/public policy, psychology, sociology or any related field of study. A master’s degree is an asset.

Experience:

• Demonstrable understanding of China’s education landscape, challenges and direction of travel, particularly in the field of TVET and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Education.
• Strong track record and hands-on experience in applying programme management tools (such as log-frame, Theory of Change, etc.) to conceptualize and drive major education interventions, with proven success in delivering education outcomes for young adolescents in China (evidence required).
• Minimum of two-years relevant professional work experience in Education development, policy research and analysis, programme management and/or evaluation with government, international organisation and/or professional bodies in Mainland China.

• Familiarity with UN finance and programme management system is an asset.

  Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Chinese is required. Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

Core competencies

• 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)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1) Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.