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For every child, education

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Pacific is hiring an Education Specialist on fixed term appointment to be based in the Pacific Multi-Country Office in Honiara, Solomon Islands.  Under the supervision of the Chief of Field Office and with matrix reporting to the Chief of Education, the Specialist is responsible for managing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting the progress of education programmes and with a coordinating role on multi-sectoral ECD,  in Solomon Islands as part of the UNICEF Pacific multicountry programme.The Specialist will need to lead UNICEF’s education portfolio with government and civil society partners in Solomon Islands; provide technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on education programmes to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education; ensure the education programme has a strong focus on gender and climate-resilience and is particularly attentive to the needs of those children who are most marginalized, disadvantaged, and excluded in society.

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.

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for gender-responsive and climate-resilient 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 supervisors 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 the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the Pacific 2023-27, Pacific regional strategies and national priorities including the Blue Pacific 2050 Strategy, sector plans and competencies.
• Establish specific goals, objectives, strategies and implementation plans for the sector using results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentation for programme review and approval.
• 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.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses in programme management.
• 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.
• Monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity, ensuring timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
• 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 – particularly in the context of climate-resilient programming relevant for Small Island Developing States - and related issues to support programme management, implementation and delivery of results.
• Arrange/coordinate availability of technical experts with PMCO/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 FO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fundraising for education programmes, showcasing results on gender equality and climate action.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) discussions on education and related issues to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNSDCF planning and preparation of programmes/projects ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNSDCF process in development planning and agenda setting.

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.

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, psychology, sociology, or another relevant technical field of expertise.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in policy, planning, management, and/or research in education is required.
• Education programme leadership experience (including leading discussions with government and partners in the design, implementation and monitoring of education programming with considerable independence) is required.
• A minimum of two years education sector work experience in at least one other country aside from the candidate’s home country is required.
• Some experience with multi-sectoral early childhood development, or other multi-sectoral coordination role, is required.
• Proven work experience in a Pacific or SIDS context is considered a valuable asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization or Pacific regional organization is considered a strong asset.
• Previous work experience and/or technical level engagement in climate-resilient programme development is a strong asset.

• Demonstrated education quality and relevant expertise, including pedagogy, curriculum, learning assessment, inclusive education, supervisional instruction, culturally- and contextually-relevant approaches to teaching and learning, use of learning data to improve instruction, school quality standards, school leadership, school improvement planning, digital learning, learning solutions for remote areas, gender-responsive teaching, learning continuity in the face of school closures and emergencies, behaviour management, and multi-sectoral partnerships for student learning and wellbeing in schools. 
• Some understanding of the overall global development context, including issues such as: poverty, conflict and the impact of these factors on education and vice-versa; and inter-sectoral approaches to address such issues in collaboration with other sectors (including Social Policy, Child Protection, Nutrition, WASH, Health, and Communications within UNICEF). Understanding of these issues specifically within the Pacific context is an asset.
• Some ability to support policy dialogue: translation of analytical findings and evidence into development programme and policy discussions around equity and learning with partners, including government, development partners, CSOs and academia in relevant areas.
• Some education sector planning knowledge/ability, including the range of modalities for delivering education, linkages between different sub-sectors (e.g. ECE, Primary, Secondary, TVET, Tertiary, Inclusive Education), cost-effectiveness and efficiency issues, key institutional structures, components and processes, as well as governance issues.
• Some education and policy sector analysis capacity, including understanding of the core education data sets and indicators; tools for analysis of equity; determinants of student access and learning; budget, costing, and financial management in education systems; political economy; and education policy and strategic planning.
• Some programme management in education, including programme design, costing, monitoring and evaluation and reporting.
• Some ability to support engagement with partners e.g. Sector Wide Approaches, Global Partnership for Education, Education in Emergency Clusters, Education Partner Forums, Delivering as One, Inter-sectoral partnerships such as in ECD, as well as networking with other key partners.
• Some understanding of gender and inequity issues in relation to education and development and the application of gender / equity analysis to policy and planning in education.

Languages

• Fluency in English 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…

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

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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