Programme Specialist

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Education (ADG/ED) and the direct supervision of the Director of the UNESCO Office in Apia (Samoa), the incumbent will be responsible for the development, planning, implementation and management of activities and projects under the Education portfolio of the Office in the countries covered within the 17 Pacific StatesCluster (i.e. Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu). The incumbent will perform the following essential tasks:

• Promote UNESCO’s Education Programme within the Pacific Region through the coordination and monitoring of activities and projects aimed at identifying the strategic issues, priorities, opportunities and risks of Member States, so as to effectively integrate them into Organizational work plan objectives.
• Conceptualize, develop and implement activities and projects that give particular consideration, within the context of the Pacific Region, to the precepts of key policy drivers such as Goal 4 (Quality Education) of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UNESCO Education 2030 Framework for Action, the Samoa Pathway, and the Pacific Education Development Framework, with the aim of improving access, equity and the quality of education.
• Provide technical support and expert advice to related government ministries and other key development stakeholders, including national commissions, in order to support policy formulation, project implementation, and the strengthening of national institutions that are integral to capacity building in education.
• Collaborate and build strategic partnerships and professional networks internally and with external actors in order to bolster implementation and monitoring efforts, as well as to benefit from the pooling of resources and other operational synergies.
• Participate in joint UN programming activities related to education and ensure UNESCO’s contribution and representation, where required, in UN Country Team(s) (UNCT), UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the Delivering As One framework in the Member Countries.
• Locate and mobilize resources to support the Education strategy and planning through the preparation of concept notes, project proposals and cooperation frameworks with donor agencies and Member States.
• Lead and supervise the Office’s Education team.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in Education, Economics, Social Sciences or related Education fields.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in one or several subject areas of education, of which at least 3 years acquired at the international level.
• Experience in planning, development, implementation, management and evaluation of educational programmes/projects.
• Experience in fund raising and resource mobilization.

Skills and competencies 

• Analytical skills and ability to collect, synthesize and analyze information from various sources.
• Proven ability to identify emerging educational trends and needs.
• Demonstrated ability to plan strategically, and to translate strategy into priorities and action.
• Ability to coordinate, negotiate and deal with partners and networks in private and public sectors.
• Proven ability to prepare, present and discuss findings and recommendations clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrated skills in results-based planning, management, monitoring and evaluation.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/Suva-Programme-Specialist-(Education)/804255002/