Description

The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.  For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

The Human Development (HD) Practice Group (PG)

The World Bank Group (WBG) is the largest provider of development finance and solutions for human development working with high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries to develop country-tailored solutions for human development (HD) under the themes of education, health, social protection, jobs, and gender. The HD PG coordinates with other Practice Groups to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to development challenges, and through the World Bank Regional Units is expected to deliver the strongest and most pertinent support to our client countries. The Human Development Vice Presidency (HDVP) at the World Bank Group is made up of the Global Practices for education; health, nutrition, and population; and social protection and jobs; additionally, the HDVP houses the gender group.  As such, HD is central to the World Bank Group’s goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and raise shared prosperity.
Education Global Practice

Education is a human right, a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income and is the most important factor to ensure equality of opportunities. For individuals, education promotes employment, earnings, health, and poverty reduction.
The World Bank Group is the largest external financier of education in the developing world. The Bank works on education programs in more than 80 countries and is committed to helping countries reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG4), which calls for access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.
The mission of the Education Global Practice is to ensure that everyone can achieve her or his full potential with access to quality education and lifelong learning. The Education GP helps clients address challenges through financing, knowledge services, and strategic partnerships.

At the country level, the Education GP supports a systemic, equitable, and inclusive approach to improve access to and quality of education across all levels of schooling from early childhood and basic education to workforce training and tertiary education; as well as across all contexts, from fragile settings to upper-middle-income economies. It supports investments and policy reforms to improve the delivery of education services, including through multisectoral approaches, public-private partnerships, and results-based financing.
At the global level, the Education GP contributes to global public goods in education and taps on cutting-edge global knowledge and partnerships to ensure that the Bank’s regional and country projects, policy advisory and knowledge products reflect innovative solutions for the delivery of education services.
The Education GP is led by a Global Director, who has overall responsibility for the practice, together with the Regional Directors who oversee the human development program in the regions, working with the nine practice managers for regional education units and the practice manager for the Global Engagement and Knowledge Unit (GEAK).
The Global Engagement and Knowledge Unit (GEAK)
At the global level, the Global Engagement and Knowledge Unit (GEAK) (a) contributes to global knowledge products and know-how across key strategic areas and priorities (including early childhood development, teachers, curriculum and learning materials, student assessment, skills development, management capacity and service delivery, education finance, and education technology) and help ensure that the EDU GP’s global, regional, and country-based products, operations, and analytical activities reflect this global knowledge; (b) facilitates knowledge exchange; (c) contributes to capacity development; and (d) develops and manages strategic partnerships (including the management of several Umbrella Trust Funds).

GEAK is seeking the services of an Extended-Term Consultant to play a crucial role in advancing the foundational learning agenda of the World Bank through global knowledge products advancing the knowledge base on the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills, and by providing technical expertise on the World Bank’s foundational learning country operations. The selected candidate will be based in Washington DC and report to the Practice Manager for the Global Engagement and Knowledge (GEAK) Unit.

Duties and Accountabilities

The selected candidate’s work program is expected to include a mix of analytical and operational work. As a member of the foundational learning technical team, the ETC will be responsible for a range of tasks, including but not limited to the following:

•Carry out analysis and research and produce high quality analytical outputs with guidance and independently on various aspects of foundational literacy and numeracy.
•Provide technical support on designated areas of the global work program, including but not limited to applying insights from the science of reading to the design and implementation of foundational learning programs, among others.
•Provide significant contributions to analytical products, policy briefs, design and delivery of learning events, policy academy resources, workshops, and other forms of knowledge exchange within the WBG and among member countries and other partners in foundational learning.
•Provide technical support to WBG education teams and policymakers in the design, planning, and implementation of foundational learning programs to improve reading and numeracy outcomes.
•Liaise as needed with international partners (including UNESCO, UNESCO UIS, UNICEF, WHO, bilateral agencies, and foundations) and support resource mobilization.
•Provide advice to WBG staff and policymakers to guide policies and programs on topics linked to foundational learning.
•Contribute to reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of foundational learning grants
•Contribute to knowledge management tasks
•Carry out other tasks as specified by the Practice Manager and selected staff in the global unit.

Selection Criteria

• Education: A minimum qualification of a Master’s degree (Ph.D. would be desirable) in education policy, curriculum and instruction, foundational learning, or a related field.
• Experience.  A minimum of 5 years of relevant and substantive research, education policy and operational experience is necessary.
• Technical knowledge and experience in designing and implementing foundational learning programs.
• Experience working in low and middle income country contexts
• Knowledge: Strong and holistic understanding of the principles of learning and cognition, including literacy and/or numeracy instruction  with a demonstrated ability to operationalize knowledge.
• Demonstrated strong analytical, writing, and presentational skills, with experience in summarizing evidence in clear, convincing graphics and concise text.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and preferably in at least one other language.
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently to produce high-quality outputs under tight time constraints.
• Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to management requests, and set priorities for self and others.
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and independently, seeking guidance on complex projects/issues from senior staff.
• Ability to work effectively in diverse, multi-stakeholder environments
• Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills, client-orientation, diplomatic skills, mature judgment, ability to work with others in a multi-cultural environment, identify and respond to needs as they arise, and remain flexible and self-motivated in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.
• Willingness to travel.
• Experience working in World Bank operations (including Trust Fund management) and analytical and advisory services (ASA) is desirable.
• Experience teaching literacy and numeracy in basic education is desireable.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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