Chief Education, P-4 FT, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso #11314

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, a Champion

Accountable for formulation, design, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of Education programme(s) to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the programme management, delivery and accomplishment of programme goals and objectives. Across the Education programme(s), accountable for identifying gender inequalities in education, developing innovative approaches and programmes to eliminating these disparities. Collaborates across the programme(s) to ensure gender mainstreaming. Ensures that monitoring mechanism are in place to track progress towards disparities reduction goals and targets in Education.

Promotes intersectoral partnerships in order to ensure that progress benefits mutually education and other programmes, in particular Health, Nutrition, Water and Environmental Sanitation. Contributes to synergize the work of United Nations agencies in Education for all Goals including in humanitarian actions, working closely with the Education cluster within the inter-agency standing committee (IASC).

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative Program, the position is responsible for the following responsibilities:

1. Timely sectoral analysis, input, support and collaboration to the Situation Analysis and its periodic update made for effective programme planning, development and management, in a gender-specific framework. Partnership with the stakeholders, including knowledge institutions strengthened to further understanding of barriers to and opportunities for advancing the 3 priorities themes (the “3Es”) – Equal access and universal primary completion, Empowerment through girls’ education and gender mainstreaming, Emergencies and post-crisis education cluster interventions.
2. Knowledge management effectively promoted through drafting/finalizing key Education sectoral programme documents and reports, sharing good practice, lessons learned, and knowledge/information exchange, with partnerships and collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, capitalizing on the know-how and network of knowledge institutions.
3. Rights-based Education programming effectively promoted, and coherence, synergy and value added to programme management process through results-based management. The four core partnerships as well as selective partnerships on specific issues and themes or regional concern, such as education and HIV, abolition of school fees… exploited efficiently in order to formulate common advocacy position, develop policy guidance and influence allocation of resources on behalf of education.
4. Sectoral work plan and activities formulated, implemented and monitored, ensuring alignment with the defined programme strategies and approaches and gender mainstreaming across programmes. UNICEF contribution reflected as part of the coordinated support of external partners to national efforts to achieve the MDGs 2 and 3.
5. Programme delivery, evaluation and reporting carried out efficiently, rigorously and transparently in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures.
6. UNICEF’s global goals effectively promoted through advocacy and policy dialogue in the Education sector. The four core partnerships in education –  Education for All Global Action Plan (EFA – GAP), Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA – FTI), The United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI ) and Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Education Cluster for Education in Emergencies –  catalyzed to accelerate progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3.
7. Proper and timely UNICEF and Government and all implementing partners accountability ensured regarding supply and non-supply assistance as well as disbursement of programme funds for the Education sector.
8. Effective communication and networking achieved through partnership and collaboration, focussing on the 3 priorities themes (the “3Es“) and the 2 cross-cutting areas –  Early child development and school readiness and Enhancing quality in primary and secondary education – which reflect UNICEF comparative advantage and expectation that donors and partners have on UNICEF ability to help country to achieve the MDGs.

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

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Education; Primary Education, or Social Sciences fields relevant to international development assistance.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressive professional work experience at national and international levels in fields relevant to Education programmes in developing country work experience (for IP) or field work experience (for NO)
• Knowledge of the global commitment on aid effectiveness, including the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action as well as knowledge of the Global Programme Partnerships (GPPs). Some demonstrative capacity to identify and monitor gender inequalities, as well as develop and implement gender mainstreaming in programmes. Background/familiarity with Emergency.
• Fluency in French is required. Fluency in English Knowledge of the local working language of the duty station 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

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People [2]
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness [3]
• Works Collaboratively with others [3]
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships [3]
• Innovates and Embraces Change [3]
• Thinks and Acts Strategically [3]
• Drives to achieve impactful results [3]
• Manages ambiguity and complexity [3]

The technical competencies required for this post are:

• Leading and Supervising [1]
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts [2]
• Analyzing [3]
• Relating and Networking [2]
• Deciding and Initiating Action [2]
• Applying Technical Expertise [3]

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. 

Remarks:

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 are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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 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.