Education Officer (Digitalization), NOB, Temporary Appointment (364 days), Thimphu, Bhutan (Open for Bhutanese Nationals only) #00127632

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, Learning

UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for children’s rights. For over 70 years, UNICEF endeavored to improve the lives of children and their families, working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood.  UNICEF also advocates and partners with leaders, and policymakers to help all children, especially the most disadvantaged, realize their rights. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens and addressing inequity not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. The focus on equity is vital as it supports the equitable development of nations and accelerates progress toward realizing the human rights of all children.

Today countries face challenges to attain sustainable development goals. These challenges range from the provision of basic needs such as clean water, adequate and appropriate nutrition, health services, and enhancing access to education; and broad societal goals such as removal of poverty, promotion of gender equality, peace and improved governance, and environmental sustainability. The new and improved technologies, combined with innovative delivery models, offer opportunities to address many of these challenges and UNICEF can leverage suitable resources that can help in the generation of solutions and then deploy them at scale.

In Bhutan, UNICEF supports health, nutrition, WASH, child protection, and education programmes.  Bhutan has made impressive progress in advancing children’s right to education, attaining almost universal access. However, there are disparities in the quality of education based on location and socio-economic factors. These were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic when, due to limited digitalization of education, learning was discontinued for almost one year. One of the solutions to making the education system more resilient to future shocks and to increasing the quality of education is to digitalize curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment by connecting schools to digital gateways. The transformation of Bhutan’s education ecosystem through digitalization is one of the goals of the 13^th Five-Year Plan.

In collaboration with the MoESD and with funding support from the donor, UNICEF will realize the initiative on supporting inclusive access to digitalization in education and skills in Bhutan to contribute to increasing the quality of education, promote equity, and include children who are out of school since digital solutions and connectivity can become a bridge for their return to education.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this position is to lead, manage, coordinate, deliver, and support the realization of the UNICEF initiative on Digitalization of Education implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development and donor Delegation. Under the supervision of the Education Specialist, Chief of Education, P3, the Education Officer (Digitalization) provides professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the implementation process – from development planning to delivery of results – preparing, executing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative tasks to facilitate project implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The Education Officer works closely, as a team with the Project Coordinator hired to support the implementation of the project initiative on digitalization of education and placed at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties or tasks

Summary of the key functions, accountabilities, and related duties or tasks include:

1. Coordinate and support initiative development and planning 

• Take the lead in the design, development, and planning of the project on the digitalization of education in consultation with the Education Specialist.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define the final project scope, objectives, activities, results, and indicators reflected in the results log frame.
• Coordinate the commission and conduction of surveys and studies under the initiative and use research data collection, analysis, and related information for planning of digitalization interventions in the education sector and goal setting at large and beyond the present initiative on digitalization of education supported by the donor.
• Engage with the Govtech Agency on national policy, standards, and protocols related to the digitalization of education in Bhutan.
• Identify appropriate technology solutions to be employed in the project on digitalization of education and scaled up in the education sector with UNICEF and other partners’ support.
• Support the UNICEF Education Programme and MoESD in the development of project proposals and initiatives on the digitalization of education.
• Stay abreast of ICT trends, developments, and best practices through professional development journals, training, certification, etc.

2. Technical expertise and operational support to project implementation, ensuring management, monitoring, evaluation, and delivery of results.

• Develop comprehensive project plans, timelines, and resource allocation strategies.
• Oversee the execution of the initiative on digitalization of education, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and industry best practices.
• Generate and review the terms of reference, and support vendor selection (including LTAs and contracts) to ensure UNICEF standards and procurement policies for the donor grant are followed.
• Support and contribute to the development and review of policies and standards under the initiative, including the Education Technology Framework: Policy and Standards, capacity building and training plans and packages, etc.
• Provide technical expertise for the development, piloting, and documentation of the connectivity models under the initiative.
• Ensure that all activities and results are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Manage project budgets, monitor expenditures, and ensure efficient resource utilization.
• Identify potential risks, proactively develop mitigation plans, and take corrective actions.
• Establish a project monitoring system, including key performance indicators (KPIs); develop appropriate tools and techniques, and organize monitoring and evaluative exercises.
• Participate in education programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts documenting achievements, gaps, and lessons learned with respect to the initiative.
• Prepare comprehensive periodic project reports, including status updates, risk assessments, technical analysis, and periodic financial reports/summaries.

3. Enhance collaboration, and build internal and external relationships and capacity.

• Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government bodies, educational institutions, developmental, and technology partners, businesses, and other relevant experts for successful implementation of the project.
• Communicate project progress, challenges, and outcomes effectively to stakeholders.
• Prepare a calendar of events and organize meetings and networking events, conferences, and workshops.
• Support the UNICEF Education Programme and the MoESD to coordinate other matters related to the digitalization of education.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies, capacity, and knowledge within the programmes on the digital development of UNICEF staff, partners, government counterparts, and other end users in digital development and technology innovation.

4. Improve results delivery and provide quality assurance.

• Review and optimize processes to enhance project efficiency and implement quality control measures to ensure the delivery of high-quality digital solutions.
• Stay informed about relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards related to digitalization in education.
• Ensure project compliance with all applicable rules and guidelines.
• Provide oversight of ICT services and products delivered by vendors and other service providers including third parties for the initiative.
• Implement feedback mechanisms to gather insights from stakeholders to further improve the process and quality of the initiatives planned.
• Liaise with HQ, RO, and other COs to share knowledge, and experience, and discuss opportunities and risks for the improved delivery of results.
• Uphold ethical standards, ensuring data privacy, security, and inclusivity in digital solutions for education and technology solutions that are compliant with national data security and privacy policies.
• Support and work closely with the team, comprising the Project Coordinator, and other staff from UNICEF staff associated with the initiative promoting a collaborative work environment.
• Conduct regular team meetings and reviews to ensure project milestones are met.
• Maintain detailed project documentation for future reference and audit purposes.

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

Education: A university degree is required in computer science, education, software engineering, information technology management, business administration, or another relevant technical field.

Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in Education or any other relevant technical field focusing on Technology for Development in Education, managing projects related to information technology in an international organization and/or corporation.

Desired Experience:

• in a UN or multi-lateral organization is an asset
• in designing or implementing education digital learning or digital skills development programmes
• in supporting and coordinating project activities across a large organization and with government and international partners
• in standard project management methodologies
• in identifying, designing, and implementing solutions for large-scale projects with technical components – including procurement, supervising external vendors, budget and contracts management
• high-quality report writing and documentation skills.
• good analytical, facilitation, communication, and presentation skills
• knowledge of Open Source, mobile, and emerging technology applied to UNICEF programme areas is desirable.

Technical Competencies: Preferably have:

• a hybrid background combining technology skills, understanding of education systems, and project management competency.
• ability to interact diplomatically with high-level officials, as well as experience working directly with community-level partners;
• skills in technical project management in ICT-led innovations.

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…

• 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)

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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. 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 canceled.

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 who 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.