Knowledge Management Specialist (Consultant)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Beirut

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Level : 

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 31-AUG-2021

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

 

BACKGROUND

As a specialized agency and knowledge-based organization, UNESCO contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has a unique mandate to lead on SDG4 (quality education).

As a Regional Bureau for Education, UNESCO Beirut provides support to the Arab Region to improve the quality and relevance of education and learning and promote a holistic approach to education in pursuit of SDG4-Education 2030 Agenda in the Arab States.

Within the framework of this leading regional role of UNESCO on education and SDG4, and capitalizing on the numerous regional education programmes and projects that are currently being led by UNESCO Beirut in the Arab region; which seek to enhance institutional capacities, strengthen education systems and procedures, and improve the quality of teaching and learning; and which target diverse education stakeholders including Ministries/public institutions, non-formal and informal teaching and learning entities, teachers, educators and teacher networks and communities of practice, schools, parents, and students;

Capitalizing on UNESCO Beirut’s continuous efforts to develop and disseminate educational resources and tools and to exchange and share knowledge, including best practices, to support quality teaching and learning of different education stakeholders in the Arab region and beyond, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States’ is seeking the services of a Knowledge Management specialist to strategically support the knowledge management operations at the Office in order to maximize the effectiveness of UNESCO’s collective knowledge.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this position is to lead knowledge management efforts of education projects and resources at the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States (UBO) and other relevant education partners in the region, through facilitating content development and engagement and knowledge sharing to enhance learning and to promote outreach, impact, and visibility of the projects and the donors.

The Knowledge Management Specialist provides technical support in developing and implementing effective and creative strategies to capture, consolidate, synthesize and share knowledge resources with various education stakeholders; thus leveraging impact for the effectiveness and outreach of the Office’s regional education programmes, projects, and resources. S/he will liaise closely with education colleagues and partners to manage information, data, and knowledge and to enhance internal and external communications; and will make use of traditional as well as digital tools and platforms to support and improve such knowledge management strategies and practices.

DUTIES, TASKS AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS

Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States, and in direct coordination and supervision of concerned Programme specialists and project coordinators, the incumbent will provide technical support and expertise for knowledge management (KM) of education programs, projects and resources.

In particular, the incumbent shall perform the following tasks:

• Formulate a knowledge management strategy with regards to the education programmes, projects and resources; with a particular focus on documenting and sharing learning, impact, and best practices;
  • The strategy must be closely aligned with UNESCO’s mandate and the education programmes at UBO;
  • The strategy must be based on an initial (rapid) assessment of current KM systems, capabilities and modalities at UBO’s education programmes and the best ways to improve such processes;
  • The strategy must aim to enhance the flow, sharing, and creation of knowledge internally as well as externally (education partners, beneficiaries, donors, other stakeholders).
• Operationalize the knowledge management strategy: Develop and implement a clear action plan and timeline;
• Manage the creation of updated and appealing high quality knowledge products that showcase results and impact of the regional education programmes/projects at UBO (including through reports, stories, case studies, briefings, and other externally facing resources);
• Facilitate a knowledge mobilization strategy, in close collaboration with relevant education programme staff (both in Beirut and field/cluster offices) and the communications team:
  • To strengthen links between knowledge creation and dissemination;
  • To ensure timely, useful and efficient delivery of information and synergy between content development and content engagement;
  • To ensure knowledge sharing on a wide range of channels and platforms, both traditional and digital; and including on the UBO website and social media; the Kodrat platform, and the Tarbiyah 21 Newsletter;
  • To promote creativity and innovation in knowledge sharing and facilitated collaboration.

• Design and implement knowledge-sharing events (webinars, workshops, etc.) as necessary;
• Identify and curate technical website content, in collaboration with relevant education programme staff and the communications team;
• Provide technical guidance to education programme specialists and other relevant colleagues to identify, manage, package and disseminate key information and effectively share learnings and impact with key stakeholders including education practitioners and other partners in the region.
• Liaise closely with the communications and editing teams to ensure that knowledge sharing is consistent, creative, accessible and wide-reaching to a broad and diverse stakeholder base;
• Track, monitor, evaluate, and report on KM efforts based on clear metrics and indicators;
• Liaise with UBO team on all aspects of the assignment and seek UNESCO validation before proceeding with any activity organization and validation, as well as prior to any external communication.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in education, communications, social sciences, or other related discipline.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in knowledge management, organizational learning, international development, or other relevant experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of knowledge management principles and capacity to deliver knowledge management activities whilst ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to synthesize information and translate complex concepts or large volumes of information into clear, understandable formats.
• Demonstrated ability to compile and consolidate information from various sources and write high-quality articles and communication pieces.
• Good knowledge of the SDGs, especially SDG4 (Quality Education); good knowledge of education and development issues in the Arab region.
• Experience in web content management is preferable.
• Excellent facilitation and organizational skills.
• Previous experience in working with UNESCO, or other UN agencies, is preferable.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and independently within a complex and multicultural environment.
• Capacity to deliver high quality results within specified timelines.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Arabic is a requirement. French is a plus.
• Availability and readiness to start assignment immediately (as of 1 September 2021).

CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS

• Type of contract: Consultant
• Duration: September 2021 – February 2022 (6 months)
• Working modality: The contractor is expected to work in his/her residence, with his/her own working tools and connectivity, and carry out the assignment in close consultation and collaboration with UNESCO.
• Reporting: Throughout the assignment, the consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Regional Director of UNESCO Beirut Office and will report to the Chief of Education, and the Tarbiyah 21 focal points of UNESCO Beirut Office.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Interested applicants are requested to submit the following documents to Mr. Elie Imad at e.imad@unesco.org:

• Updated curriculum vitae (CV); including 2 references;
• A statement indicating how the qualifications and experiences make you suitable for the assignment; and confirming availability for immediately starting the assignment (maximum two pages, A4);
• Two writing samples of previous work (one in Arabic, one in English) that demonstrate your skills, competences, and style.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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