Education Officer, NOB, Islamabad, Pakistan

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 toughest places, to reach the world most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil 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!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves.

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives -- being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

Under the guidance and supervision of the Education Specialist (P3), the Education Officer– Education Cannot Wait/ Education Sector Coordination is responsible for the coordination of the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) investment and partnership of the Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Pakistan (60 per cent of time). The postholder is further responsible for coordination of the Education Sector Working Group (education in emergencies) and selected support to UNICEF ’s education in emergency work (40 percent). The post will be for a 364- TA contract with possibility of extension.

To make a difference you will be accountable for the following key duties & tasks:

ECW coordination portfolio (60% time)

Coordination and technical support

• Position the MYRP effectively within the education sector, ensuring alignment between different policies, plans and frameworks and education actors at national and provincial levels, notably, Education Sector Working Group, National Education Partners Group, Local Education Groups, and the ECW governance structure.
• Support the coordination of the ECW MYRP through Steering Committee, Grantees Group and Technical Working Groups, and provide Secretariat support for meetings, discussions and follow up on actions and decisions.
• Maintain effective relations with the three main grantees/recipients and sub-grantees of ECW funding to ensure smooth MYRP management and implementation, including specific roles of grantees related to reporting and gender mainstreaming.
• Communicate progress, bottlenecks and issues arising with the management and implementation of the MYRP and workplans in a timely manner to UNICEF supervisor and Chief of Education.
• Liaise with ECW Secretariat, and coordinate and ensure the availability of ECW technical experts for timely support throughout all stages of programming and project implementation.
• Leverage the MYRP with donors, government, civil society partners and communities to advocate and promote MYRP initiatives, and pursue additional funding opportunities for MYRP portfolio.

Programme planning, monitoring and reporting

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to ensure that up-to-date and comprehensive data are available to guide MYRP’s strategic policy advocacy, strategies and interventions.
• Provide technical guidance and operational support to grantees/recipients to establish the MYRP annual work plans, and set priorities and targets in line with the overall MYRP, and ensure synergy and coherence with relevant sector priorities, strategies and plans.
• Plan and collaborate on MYRP monitoring and evaluation to establish standardized and harmonized benchmarks, performance indicators and tools for data collection and reporting, to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results.
• Support consolidation and assess monitoring and progress reports to identify gaps, strengths, and/or weaknesses in programme and management to inform decision-making.
• Ensure sound knowledge management and a well-managed pool of documentation of all ECW relevant documentation and contacts and provide information as required.
• Support and coordinate bi-annual programme progress reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress, decision-making on course corrections, and follow up.
• Coordinate with grantees/recipients and within UNICEF for timely and quality inputs for reports and other deliverables to the donor and other partners;
• Support preparation of consolidated reports to donors, including mandatory donor narrative and financial reports, for finalization and submission via UNICEF established reporting mechanisms.

UNICEF coordination and technical support (40 %)

Coordination of Education Sector Working Group

• As Education Sector Working Group lead, support appropriate coordination between all humanitarian education sector partners for coordination, development and management of the inter-agency Refugee Response Plan, Humanitarian Response Plan, Contingency/Preparedness plans , at the national and provincial level for education in emergencies.
• Support development of education needs and gaps analysis, and response strategies and plans, involving all relevant partners to inform Situation Analysis and humanitarian response planning for education.
• Support and organise capacity building of Education Sector Working Group members and toher stakeholders on education in emergency and response planning, in collaboration with ESWG members and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
• Coordination with Global Education cluster on support required on the functioning of the coordination mechanisms in country, learning lessons from other contexts, capacity building opportunities, assessments, and other relevant supports.
• Ensure appropriate and improved knowledge management and information sharing and documentation of education in emergencies, ensure effective communication, reporting and engagement between national and provincial levels

• Support selected UNICEF education in emergency interventions, as required.

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

• An advanced University Degree (Master’s) in education, economics, psychology, sociology or other social science field is required.

• A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in coordination, planning and management in education in emergencies, disaster risk reduction and resilience and related areas.
• Strong coordination, organizational, and analytical skills required.
• Experiences in cluster/ sector coordination required.
• Experience with humanitarian/education in emergency monitoring is an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience of working with ECW partnership an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. Knowledge of another official UN language or Urdu and other local languages is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

The competencies required for this post are Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness, Works Collaboratively with others, Builds and Maintains Partnerships, Innovates and Embraces Change, Thinks and Acts Strategically, Drive to achieve impactful results, Manages ambiguity and complexity

View our competency framework at Competency Framework Brochure.pdf

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

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. Our contracts, benefits and wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.

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.
• Verified educational certificates/ HEC Attested Degrees are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF. During the recruitment process candidates will be required to present HEC attested degrees/certificates.
• UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.