1. General Background
Education is an integral part of protection for persons of concern to UNHCR, 50% of whom are children. The Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS) through its Education Section and in close collaboration with the Regional Bureaux and other relevant UNHCR divisions supports and promotes the provision of accessible quality education to persons of concern. UNHCR’s work on education is guided by the Refugee Education Strategy 2030 which draws from such international frameworks as the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). These frameworks emphasize the inclusion of refugee children in national education systems as a sustainable mechanism to meet displaced children’s educational needs, thus informing UNHCR education advocacy and implementation in this regard.
Providing education to refugees and other children in displacement settings is essential to building their futures and breaking the drivers of displacement. Yet access to education for refugee children remains low, with nearly half of school-aged refugee children estimated to be out of school. While 68% of refugee children participate in primary education, participation levels at secondary (37%) and tertiary (6%) levels show a dramatic drop that points to significant bottlenecks in education access, quality, and transition.
While the shift towards inclusion of refugee children has provided critical opportunities for increased access to education for refugees, inclusion in the national system remains a continuum for which greater efforts in advocacy and investment are needed.
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
Under the supervision of the Education Officer (Primary Education) and the overall supervision of the Chief of Education Section, DRS, the incumbent will assist in the provision of technical and programmatic to the section’s primary education work including the UNHCR-Educate A Child (EAC) partnership. The role in supporting effective programme development, planning, and implementation of specific primary education projects and in the broader work of the primary education team will work closely with regional, country, and field teams as well as with other relevant UNHCR divisions such as DER and DIP.
The incumbent will assist and contribute to knowledge management of the work of the primary education team including the identification and development of good practices and lessons learned.
The Associate Education Officer will contribute expertise to ongoing initiatives to increase refugee children’s access to quality educational opportunities, which will be built on including refugees in national education systems in accordance with Refugee Education Strategy 2030 and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).
Key Tasks:
- Provide technical and operational support to UNHCR – EAC programme implementing operations throughout the programming cycle, ensuring integrated, coherent, and harmonized implementation as per approved programme agreement and plans.
- Assist in the development of monitoring and implementation materials for use by operations and regularly monitor implementation progress and propose adaptations to plans as required.
- Work closely with PSP team that provides account management of the UNHCR-EAC programme to align technical components with the programmes budgetary aspects.
- Support the preparation of budget memos required for the provision of additional budget increases to operations in line with agreed budget OL/AOL splits and levels for each operation.
- Work closely with UNHCR-EAC programme reporting focal points and provide support as needed with meeting of internal and external development of programme reports and updates.
- Assist in the development and preparation of policy papers, briefs, and other strategic programme materials related to EAC programme area of focus and to the wider UNHCR primary education work.
- Assist in the identification of technical and programmatic capacity gaps EAC with programme education focal points and as a response design and deliver regular capacity development support.
- Support knowledge management through the identification, documentation, and dissemination of best practices and learning from the programme across the different implementation locations.
- Assist in the development of new initiatives and programmes to strengthen primary education provision in collaboration with PSP and other relevant entities.
- Collaborate with communication colleagues within PSP on the update of the UNHCR education webpages as well as the development of compelling and strong fundraising communications to engage global audiences and mobilize resources and engagement from the private sector and individual private donors.
- Provide input for appeals, internal and external reports, and other relevant pieces.
- Support monitoring of the implementation of Global Refugee Forum pledges within the area of responsibility.
- Prepare the drafting of education input in key internal and external documents and reports.
- Provide inputs for the development of global/regional international education policies and standards.
- Undertake mission visits to country and field locations to provide technical, implementation and monitor support.
- Support regional and country teams in advancing the inclusion of refugees in national education systems in line with SDG 4, GCR, and UNHCR Education Strategy 2030.
- Participate in internal and external meetings, working groups, forums, and networks as assigned.
- Other duties as required by the supervising officer.
3. Qualifications and Experience
a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
- Degree in Education; Social Sciences; or other relevant fields of study.
b. Work Experience
- 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with a Graduate degree; or 1-year relevant experience with a Doctorate degree
c. Key Competencies
Essential:
- 2 years of experience in progressively responsible functions in education.
- Demonstrated work experience in education programmes.
- Programme design, management, and implementation.
- Field experience in education programme implementation and coordination in humanitarian and/or development contexts.
- Experience working with Governments, Ministry of Education, and other line Ministries.
- Strong interpersonal skills in collaboration and coordination.
- Excellent analytical skills and drafting skills.
- Strong communications/presentation skills.
- Demonstrated capacity to work with minimum supervision.
Desirable:
- Demonstrated work experience in refugee education programmes.
- Experience in the design and implementation of out-of-school children (OOSC) focused education programme.
- Training and capacity development experience.
- Experience in development of tools and guidance materials.
- Knowledge and experience of UNHCR policies and standards.
Language requirements:
- Excellent written and spoken English is required. Given support to francophone countries, proficiency in written and spoken French would be an asset.
How to apply
Please follow this link to apply: Careers (myworkdayjobs.com)
