Research Specialist (Education), P-3, GORaF, outposted to Dakar, Senegal, #127793, Temporary Appointment, 364 days

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, answers

UNICEF Innocenti undertakes and commissions research on emerging or current issues of relevance for children and child rights. The office links research and global trends analyses to influence policies, programming, and advocacy, as well as innovations, and to drive future strategies and vision of the organization and the child rights agenda more broadly amongst governments, private sector, and other institutions.

• UNICEF Innocenti uses foresight to set the agenda for children uncovering emerging trends and deepening understanding of key issues facing girls and boys and serving as a go-to office for advising UNICEF and a diversity of actors, including governments, the United Nations, private sector, civil society and children and young people themselves in the face of the continually changing global economy, political and security environment.

• UNICEF Innocenti also strives to lead global discourse by creating an enabling environment and platform for children and young people along with global influencers and decision-makers to transform their contributions into future strategies, policies and actions of UNICEF and the world. Thereby positioning children and UNICEF at the centre of the global conversation through prominent external engagement, communication, and influence.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Innocenti has a dedicated research team focused on producing high-quality evidence to inform and improve education programmes and systems. Since 2018, the team has been leading and supporting education research in over 40 countries around the world. In the West and Central Africa (WCA) Region research has been conducted with UNICEF Country Offices and Ministries of Education on topics across from teacher attendance and allocation, identifying positive deviant schools and education practices, and embedding research into innovative education programmes including accelerated learning, differentiated learning and digital learning.

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Education Manager (Level 4), the Research Specialist will support the co-creation and delivery of implementation research built into education programmes for countries in the West and Central Africa region. The Research Specialist will be responsible for managing research built into innovative education programmes including differentiated, accelerated and digital learning programmes. The Specialist will provide technical guidance to country offices in the region on research and digital learning in support of country office priorities, regional office priorities and the priorities of UNICEF Innocenti.

In particular, the specialist will lead on research built into major innovative programmes where research is active in the West and Central Africa Region including but not limited to digital learning in Ghana and Guinea, phone based education support for teachers in Cote D’Ivoire and differentiated learning in Ghana.

The Research Specialist will report to the Education Manager (P4) in Innocenti with dotted line reporting to the Education Specialist P4 in WCA, with 10% of his/her time contributing to the West and Central Africa Regional Office Reimagine Education agenda, in close collaboration with the regional office education section.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
1. Research planning and coordination
2. Oversight of Research Designs, Methods, and Analysis
3. Research Technical Guidance and Capacity Building
4. Evidence Based Technical Support

1. Research planning and coordination
• Plan, coordinate and implement co-creation research design with Government counterparts, implementing partners and other research’s potential beneficiaries.
Supervise research field work in the participating countries, including Guinea, Ghana, and Cote D’Ivoire
• Manage and supervise research consultants and partners to deliver research in a timely and efficient manner, including through quality assurance of concept notes, research proposals and deliverables.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions on embedding research within planning of education programmes. Formulate, design and prepare programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with UNICEFs Strategic Plan

2. Oversight of Research Design, Methodologies and Analysis
• Provide oversight and overall guidance on the design and use of mixed methods research built into the roll out of innovative education programmes in the region.
• Review, quality assure and provide input to research methods and data collection tools ensuring their contextual fit, and their fit for the stage of implementation of the programme under study. Methods will include – implementation research, participatory action research, behavioral insights, mixed-methods experimental / quasi-experimental impact evaluations.
• Lead on analysis and synthesis of evidence for innovative education programmes under study in West and Central Africa.

3. Research Technical Guidance and Capacity Building
• Strengthen the capacity of Government counterparts and UNICEF field offices for the design and implementation of research in countries deploying innovative education programmes including digital learning.
• Provide guidance and quality assurance of research on innovative programmes to Governments and UNICEF field offices.
• Strengthen and support the use of research for policy dialogue and capacity strengthening of Government and Implementing partners at country level.
• Lead on codification and curation of research methods and instruments based on the implementation phase of implementation and context of an innovative education programme.

4. Evidence Based Technical Support
• Support the regional office in providing technical support to countries implementing digital learning programmes and strategies based on evidence.
• Develop joint proposals between programming and research to contribute to fundraising around evidence-based programming.
• Contribute to activities aiming at increasing the use of research findings by decision makers at country level.
• Contribute to WCARO education section activities around research and evidence for innovative programmes including digital learning, and other non-tech innovations in programming.

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

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, social policy or other social sciences.

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national or international levels education research, with low/middle-income country level experience essential.

• Demonstrated experience in management of projects across multiple countries.

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of some of the areas related to digital learning research.

• Experience in implementation research and in developing identification strategies for mixed methods impact evaluations is an asset.

• Demonstrated ability to work well as part of a team and to forge and manage partnerships.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, transparency and accountability.

• Ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment.

• Experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset.

• Professional experience or knowledge of the West and central Africa region is an asset

• Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish, Portuguese) or a local language is an asset.

Technical competencies must be demonstrated in the following areas:

• Some understanding of the overall global development context, including issues such as: poverty, conflict and the impact of these factors on education and vice-versa; and inter-sectoral approaches to address such issues in collaboration with other sectors (including Social Policy, Child Protection, Nutrition, WASH, Health, and Communications within UNICEF).
• Some knowledge of global developments in education and international engagement strategies, including the application of the equity lens and human rights perspectives to programming.
• Some ability to support policy dialogue: translation of analytical findings and evidence into development programme and policy discussions around equity and learning with partners, including government, development partners, CSOs and academia in relevant areas.
• Strong mixed-methods research capacity, including understanding both quantitative and qualitative research methods; experimental and quasi-experimental research methods, and participatory research methods.
• Some education and policy sector analysis capacity, including understanding of the core education data sets and indicators; tools for analysis of equity; determinants of student access and learning; budget, costing, and financial management in education systems; political economy; and education policy and strategic planning.
• Some ability to support engagement with partners e.g. Sector Wide Approaches, Global Partnership for Education, Education in Emergency Clusters, Education Provider Forums, Delivering as One, Inter-sectoral partnerships such as in ECD, as well as networking with other key partners.
• Some understanding of gender and inequity issues in relation to education and development and the application of gender / equity analysis to policy and planning in education.

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:

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.

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 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.