National Project Officer

Under the overall authority of the UNESCO Assistant-Director General for Education (ADG/ED), the Director of the UNESCO South Asia Regional Office in New Delhi, and the direct supervision of the Education Programme Specialist of the New Delhi Office, and in close cooperation with the Regional Advisor on Education for Health and Wellbeing based in UNESCO Bangkok and the Section of Health and Education at UNESCO Headquarters, the incumbent will serve as UNESCO’s National Programme Officer in Education for Health and Wellbeing with responsibility for projects across the South Asian region.

Guided by the UNESCO Strategy on Education for Health and Well-being and aligned with its results framework, and in response to local needs and contexts across the countries covered by UNESCO South Asia Regional Office (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka), the incumbent will be responsible for providing strategic and technical support for research, conceptualization, development and implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes and projects aiming to advance education for health and wellbeing with focus on school health, sexuality education, HIV prevention, violence prevention in schools, gender equality, and mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, according to agreed yearly workplans and biennial priorities of the UNESCO Programme and Budget (C/5). 

S/he will also support the development of intra and inter-country partnerships, including among UN agencies working in this thematic area, and facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration, capacity building of education sector partners, advocacy, organization of events and preparation of knowledge products. The incumbent will liaise with Project Officers in the field as well as with UNESCO consultants and various UN partners including those within the UNAIDS Joint Programme.

Main duties and responsibilities

Programme and Technical Support

Identify opportunities for UNESCO’s engagement in policy development and programming on HIV, sexuality education, prevention of school violence, and other health and wellbeing issues relevant for the education sector (within the framework of the UNESCO Strategy on Health and Well Being, national strategies, and the UNAIDS division of labour).

• Facilitate a process of strategic planning within UNESCO for engagement in these opportunities.
• Liaise with UNESCO structures, including the Section on Health and Education at UNESCO Headquarters; the Regional Advisor on HIV and AIDS in the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok; and colleagues in UNESCO Dhaka and Kathmandu Offices.
• Coordinate UNESCO South Asia Regional Office’s programming on school health, in collaboration with other staff working on HIV and Health Education, with particular emphasis on interventions supporting national efforts towards HIV prevention, scaling up sexuality education, gender and school-related gender-based violence.
• Facilitate the provision of policy advice and technical support to the Ministry of Education and other national partners in comprehensive school health programming, with particular emphasis on curriculum review and development, delivery, assessment and monitoring – with associated teacher capacity-building and support.
• In collaboration with education sector partners, conceptualize and coordinate the delivery of capacity building interventions, through the organization of meetings and workshops to develop comprehensive action on HIV prevention and education for health and wellbeing, and to contribute to national responses.
• Contribute to advocacy efforts at country level in order to advance the use of evidence and best practices on education for health and well-being, including through UNESCO normative and operational resources, strengthen joint UN and national responses to HIV and AIDS, and to supporting the wellbeing of learners.

Scale up and strengthen the delivery of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

• Support the capacity building of curriculum developers, teachers, and teacher educators, including teachers of learners with disabilities, to deliver gender and social norms transformative CSE, including through ICT-based solutions.
• Lead the development and dissemination of good quality teaching and learning digital and non-digital resources on gender and social norms transformative CSE (or equivalent curriculum interventions).

Strengthen implementation of the education for health and well-being program through evidence generated from monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning

• Plan, commission and supervise research on priority themes to inform work on education for health and well-being, such as on CSE and school violence, to deepen evidence and support data driven and evidence-based decision making at legislative, policy and planning level in the countries under the coverage of the UNESCO South Asia Regional Office in New Delhi (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka)
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and learning exchange among policy and programme practitioners.
• Support strategic planning and budgeting for UNESCO engagement in HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Programming in India, in line with UNESCO’s commitments as a UNAIDS Co-sponsor.
• Contribute to timely programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and narrative and financial reporting for the Education for Health and Wellbeing Programme, both within UNESCO and to external donors as appropriate, in coordination with relevant New Delhi and HQ colleagues.
• Strengthen the capacity of the education sector in programme monitoring and reporting and to use generated data for planning and decision-making.

Representation and partner relations  

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with a range of external partners on key thematic issues, and internal collaboration within and across UNESCO Divisions and Sectors.
• Represent UNESCO in appropriate coordination forums, such as the UN Joint Teams on HIV and AIDS, interagency meetings, and thematic meetings.
• Develop and maintain partner relations with the Ministry of Education, the UNESCO National Commission, national bodies, and development partners, including civil society organizations. Provide technical guidance and guidelines for further development of their capacities and activities.
• Engage with regional and local organisations, including civil society and especially those led by or serving youth.
• Support UNESCO’s participation in regional structures and processes.
• Collaborate on and contribute to the co-development and publication of new joint resources and research in key thematic areas.

Resource Mobilization

• Participate in resource mobilization efforts including developing projects, programme and funding proposals from UNESCO and partners.
• Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education in accessing funding for the education sector response to HIV, gender-based violence and other health issues.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• An advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in education, social sciences, public health or a relevant field.

Work Experience

• At least four years of relevant work experience, in areas related to comprehensive sexuality education, reproductive health, and gender issues.
• Experience in partnerships and resource mobilisation.

Skills & Competencies

• A track record in policy and strategy planning; programme management (programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation); and reporting on activities and  budget, including donor reporting.
• Good understanding of the South Asian region, and of education sector development work.
• Extensive knowledge, and high level of technical writing skills on HIV prevention, sexuality education, gender equality and school related gender-based violence.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize and deliver on deadline, as well as working under pressure.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy.
• Excellent networking and high level representational and partnership building skills, involving a wide range of partners (including relevant Ministries, UNAIDS Co-sponsors, donors, civil society and academia).
• Excellent strategic and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills.

Language

• Excellent knowledge (oral and written) of English.

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/New-Delhi-National-Project-Officer-(Education-for-Health-and-Wellbeing)/799610702/