Senior Education Specialist

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2017, the WBG committed $59 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $19 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org

The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). IBRD and IDA are commonly known as the World Bank, which is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and fourteen Global Practices (GPs) to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

THE MENA REGION – HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region covers Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, the Gulf States, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian territories) and Yemen. These countries include low-income and middle-income countries that look for technical advice and financial support, and high-income countries that request Reimbursable Advisory Services. The MENA region has been undergoing major changes over the past several years and the World Bank is poised to support the countries in the region to achieve peace and stability for economic and social development.

The Bank's MENA Regional Vice Presidency has placed Human Development including education at the heart of its engagement as a critical part of its strategy in supporting countries rebuild trust between citizens and the state, promoting regional cooperation, building resilience in countries amidst the refugee challenges in the region, and supporting recovery and reconstruction. The MENA Human Development team is led by a Director and encompasses three units (Health, Nutrition and Population; Social and Protection and Jobs, and Education). The team is guided by the MENA Human Capital Plan that aims to help MENA become a region that realizes its vast potential by harnessing its greatest untapped assets: the human capital of its population, including youth, women, and the elderly.

Countries in the MENA region have taken great strides in education in the past few decades, but challenges remain, particularly in the areas of education quality, inequality, governance and accountability, and the relevance of skills for the labor market. The World Bank MENA Education Unit focuses on helping countries build the human capital required for economic growth and social development by providing analytical products, technical and financial support, as well as advisory services. As such, the MENA Education Unit supports countries in developing and implementing strategies for learning at all levels of education from childhood to tertiary. Teams work closely with countries to improve their systems of delivery, promote equity in education, and foster better management. We also work closely with education colleagues from other regions of the World Bank as well as colleagues in other Global Practices in MENA.

THE EDUCATION GLOBAL PRACTICE

Education is central to achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals:  it is a reliable route out of poverty because it has large returns to income for individuals and because it can drive economic growth and shared prosperity.  The main challenge in the education sector is to achieve “learning for all, learning for life”—that is, to ensure that all children and young people acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their lives.  The developing world has achieved great advances in education in the past two decades, yet major challenges remain: how to remove the educational barriers faced by the poorest people and those living in fragile states, and how to improve the quality of education so that schooling leads to real learning. The MENA Education Unit is part of the Education Global Practice. We draw upon global knowledge and tools and experts. In turn, we contribute to the global agenda and make available our expertise to other regional education units.

The World Bank Group’s program in Mashreq, takes a multi-pronged approach in education. Comprehensive reforms are needed to improve learning at all levels. The education programs align with the goals of the Human Capital Project and responds to Government priorities to strengthen human capital. The Bank programs also focus on refugees and other vulnerable populations, foster resilience, and in turn promote an environment conducive to tackling poverty and supporting economic growth for all.
The Bank’s Education program Iraq focuses on key challenges in the sector through policy dialogue, lending and technical assistance. 

The MENA Education Unit is seeking a Senior Education Specialist /Economist to support the Bank’s Education engagement in Iraq.  The position will be based in the Bank’s Iraq country office in Baghdad with some travel nationally. In collaboration with the Iraq Education Task Team Leaders (TTLs), the Education Specialist/Economist will engage in a wide-range of analytical, research, and operational tasks. Specifically, the Senior Education Specialist will:

Duties and Accountabilities

• The primary responsibility of the Senior Education Specialist/Economist will be to co-lead the development and implementation of the World Bank’s education work program in Iraq.
• Guide the implementation of Iraq’s ongoing education operations/activities such as the EODP-AF and general education and higher education technical assistance.
• Design and co-lead the analytical and technical assistance activities under the ongoing Advisory Service and Analytical and technical assistance program, including tasks supported by the Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund.
• Oversee and track the timely delivery of activities/projects and provide implementation support to the Iraq MOED and MOHESR to ensure all activities are achieving expected results.
• Co-lead the preparation of new education operations/activities, which includes participating in all stages of the project cycle: identification, preparation, appraisal, negotiations, and board approval.
• Lead policy dialogue with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of project activities. Specifically, liaising independently with Government of Iraq (GOI), including Ministry of Education (MOED) and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR). This further includes liaising with CMU/GPs/UN agencies/civil society organizations/any other stakeholder on implementation matters. There will also be a need to liaise with and represent the Bank with local donors/partners/NGOs supporting the Iraq Education and Human Development sector.
• Contribute to education and cross-cutting reports within Human Development, Human Capital, or other important areas for development where education plays a role.
• Also identify and lead new areas of analytical work in the education sector and produce reports and presentations, as needed.
• Engage and contribute to the policy dialogue with government officials.
• Contribute to other tasks as needed including potential work on other countries in the region, preparing new projects, events and conferences.