Project Officer

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Description

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• Identify opportunities for UNESCO engagement in policy development and programming on HIV, sexuality education and other health issues (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 and colleagues in the Regional Office for Southern Africa, and sub-region working on HIV and AIDS, in particular the Regional HIV and AIDS team for East and Southern Africa.
• Support UNESCO programming on health education, 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 technical support to the Ministry of Education and other national partners especially in curriculum development.
• Support capacity building interventions within the education sector, through the organization of meetings and workshops to develop comprehensive action on HIV and Health and to contribute to national responses.
• Contribute to advocacy efforts at country level, in order to advance use of the evidence and strengthen joint UN and national responses to HIV and AIDS.

• Lead the implementation of the O3 PLUS project in higher and tertiary education institutions in Zimbabwe.
• Facilitate the institutionalization of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services and prevention of / response to sexual and gender-based violence across the higher and tertiary education sector.
• Lead the establishment of a knowledge-sharing platform, providing an opportunity for institutions to collaborate, network, share knowledge and provide collective suggestions on issues related to health and well-being, practice and programs and evidence-based research.
• Support operations research, monitoring & evaluation around CSE/SRH for young people in higher and tertiary education institutions to enhance evidence-based planning and implementation of programmes.
• Support and oversee the work of Associate Project Officer and the Cluster Coordinators.
• 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 and school violence prevention, 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 and school violence prevention.  
• Grow and strengthen the CSE Community of Practice for teachers and other CSE practitioners in Zimbabwe.
• Lead the establishment of CSE repository in Zimbabwe. 
• ​​​Promote the establishment of safer, healthier, and inclusive schools and community environments 
• Support DBE in the development, review and implementation of education policies, and interventions on school health including but not limited to learner pregnancy prevention & management, HIV & STIs prevention, menstrual health hygiene, physical education, and climate change.
• Build school community understanding of and support for gender and social norms transformative-CSE, SRHR and school violence prevention through the community-based interventions 
• Work with DBE and CSOs to sensitize School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and School Management Teams (SMTs) and Representative Council of Learners (RCLs) on gender and social norms transformative CSE, SRHR and school violence prevention
• ​​​​​​Strengthen program implementation of the program through evidence generated from monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning
• Commission research on CSE and school violence to deepen evidence and support data driven and evidence -based decision making at legislative, policy and planning level.
• Strengthen the capacity of the education sector to report and use generated data for planning and decision-making.

• Support strategic planning and budgeting for UNESCO engagement in HIV and SRHR programming in Zimbabwe, in line with UNESCO’s commitments as a UNAIDS Cosponsor.
• Contribute to timely Project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting for the O3 and O3 PLUS Projects.
• Ensure timely narrative and financial reporting on elements from the national O3 and O3 PLUS Projects and budget portfolio falling under the incumbent’s responsibility, both within UNESCO and to external donors as appropriate.
• Support monitoring of the O3 and O3 PLUS Projects’ expenditure in line with the approved budget, in liaison with relevant Harare and HQ colleagues.
• Plan, commission and supervise various research pieces to inform the work on Education for Health and Well-being in Zimbabwe.

• 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 local organisations, including the civil society in support.
• Support UNESCO’s participation in regional structures and processes.

• Participate in resource mobilization efforts including proposal development from UNESCO and partners and 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.

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

• Minimum four years of relevant work experience, in areas related to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and education.
• Experience in curriculum development and learning assessment.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects on Comperehesive Sexuality Education (CSE) or SRH.
• Experience in resource mobilization. 

• Good understanding of the country, of the development work and of the education sector.
• Extensive knowledge, and high level of technical writing skills on HIV prevention, sexuality education and school related gender-based violence.
• Ability to manage budgets and report on implementation.  
• Ability to multitask, prioritize and deliver to deadline, as well as work 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 and civil society.
• Excellent strategic and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills.

• Fluency (oral and written) in English.
• Fluency in at least one of the local languages.  

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