Education Specialist (NO-3) period 1 Feb - 30 Nov 2024, Bucharest, Romania, open for citizens of Romania only

Contract

This is a NO-3 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-3 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.

Why working for UNICEF video

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. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job organizational context: UNICEF Romania Country Programme 2023-2027 has the vision that „all children and young people in Romania, especially the most vulnerable and excluded, enjoy their rights, and have access to equal opportunities. They are born and develop in a healthy and inclusive environment, free from violence and abuse and benefit from quality health, education, and protection services. They are empowered to participate in decision-making that concerns their lives and have their voices heard”.

According to its Country Programme, UNICEF interventions in education will focus on enhancing the quality and inclusiveness of the Romanian pre-university education system. Through partnerships with key stakeholders, UNICEF is expected to bring its expertise in order to improve national public policies in education, so that all children benefit from quality inclusive education, especially the most vulnerable.

In 2023, Romania adopted a new Law on Pre-university Education, that was developed also with UNICEF support. School desegregation is just one focus of the equity of education as promoted by the new Law. As such, 2024 will have a very rich calendar for the adoption of a huge amount of secondary legislation, on which UNICEF must provide technical inputs and feedback.

In 2022 MoE, with the support of UNICEF Romania, developed and submitted successfully to the

European Commission a technical proposal for a TSI Project on School Desegregation, where UNICEF has been contracted by the European Commission (DG REFORM) to provide technical assistance to the Romanian MoE on the development of Romania’s new regulatory framework for school desegregation with multiple protected criteria. The TSI Project on School Desegregation will continue to be implemented until October 2024.

Currently UNICEF is seeking to consolidate its presence as a technical assistance provider to the Romanian Government while leveraging more resources for this from the European Commission (via EC Technical Support Instrument). The success of the first TSI Project of UNICEF Romania is paramount for achieving the objectives of the CO, and the experience gained with the design and implementation of this TSI Project will help the CO’s efforts in developing and implementing other TSI Projects.

Purpose for the job:

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Education Specialist, Head of Education Section the Specialist supports the development and preparation of the Education programmes, as part of the knowledge and technical assistance team and contributes to program planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education, especially for children who are marginalized, disadvantaged and excluded by focusing on equity in education and schooldesegregation.

The Specialist contributes to achievement of results according to plans, allocation, results-based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance, and accountability framework.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

4. Networking and partnership building

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

1.Support to programme development and planning

▪ Support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the education programmes to ensure that current and comprehensive data on education issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy, advocacy, intervention and development efforts on education programmes.

▪ Help supervisor set priorities, strategies, design and implementation plans. Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery.

▪ Participate in strategic programme discussion on the planning of education programmes. Formulate, design and prepare programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans and Country Programme and coherence/integration with regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.

▪ Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.

▪ Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes and to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.

2.Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

Plan and collaborate with internal colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators to assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector on education programmes.

▪ Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.

▪ Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.

▪ Actively monitor programmes/projects through field visits and surveys, and exchange information with stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.

▪ Prepare regular and mandated programme reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

3.Technical and operational support to programme implementation

Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and country office partners and donors on interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices and approaches on education and related issues to support programme implementation and delivery of results.

▪ Arrange/coordinate availability of technical experts with Regional Office/HQ to ensure timely and appropriate support throughout the programming process.

▪ Participate in education programme meetings including programme development and contingency planning to provide technical and operational information, advice and support.

▪ Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use.

4. Networking and partnership building

Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant government counterparts, national stakeholders, global partners, donors, and academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication to build capacity, exchange knowledge/expertise and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results on education programmes.

• Prepare communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund raising for education programmes.

▪ Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency discussions on education and related issues to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on planning and preparation of programmes/projects ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.

• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best practices in education management. Assess, institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.

▪ Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.

• Organize and implement capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders to promote sustainable results on education and related programmes/projects.

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

• Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field.
• ****Experience:**** A minimum of five years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required. Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered 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

UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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 benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments are also 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 cancelled.

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.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

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