Education Officer (NO-B) Emergency Response Bulgaria CO (Temporary Appointment, 364 days, open for Bulgarian nationals only)

Bulgaria CO is looking for an Education Officer to contribute to UNICEF efforts to respond to the education needs of refugee and host-community children.

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, safety.

Since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis more than 234 000 refugees have entered Bulgaria with 101,000 remaining in the country, out of them 40,000 children. In line with the Inter-agency Regional Refugee Response Plan UNICEF Bulgaria is assisting the government together with UNHCR and other partners to respond to the humanitarian needs of the refugee children and their families.

UNICEF in Bulgaria is supporting the government efforts to access to education services that are sensitive to the experience of displacement children and adolescents and overcoming barriers they experience to integrating in national facilities and schools. 

How can you make a difference?

The Education Officer to contribute to UNICEF efforts to respond to the education needs of refugee and host-community children.

Support to programme development and planning

- Support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the education programmes to ensure that current and comprehensive data on education issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy, advocacy, intervention and development efforts on education programmes.

- Contribute to setting priorities, strategies, design and implementation plans. Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery.

- Participate in strategic programme discussion on the planning of education programmes. Formulate, design and prepare programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans and Country Programme, regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.

Establish specific goals, objectives, strategies and implementation plans for the sector using results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentations for programme review and approval.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

- Plan and collaborate with internal colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators to assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector on education programmes.

- Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.

- Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses in programme management.

Technical and operational support to programme implementation

- Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and country office partners and donors on interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices and approaches on education and related issues to support programme management, implementation and delivery of results.

Networking and partnership building

- Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant government counterparts, national stakeholders, global partners, donors, and academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication to build capacity, exchange knowledge/expertise and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results on education programmes.

- Prepare communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund raising for education programmes.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

- Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.

- Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best practices in education management. Assess, institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.

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

Technical competencies must be demonstrated in the following areas:

Good understanding of the Bulgarian development context and refugee crisis, 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, ECD and Communications within UNICEF).

Good knowledge of global developments in education and international engagement strategies, including the application of the equity lens and human rights perspectives to programming.

Strong 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.

Good education sector planning knowledge/ability, including the range of modalities for delivering education, linkages between different sub-sectors (e.g. ECD, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Inclusive Education), cost-effectiveness and efficiency issues, key institutional structures, components and processes, as well as governance issues.

Strong 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.

Good programme management in education, including programme design, costing, monitoring and evaluation and reporting.

Ability to support engagement with partners such as NGOs, education and ECD clusters, parents and voluntary organizations, corporates, as well as networking with other key partners.

Good 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.

Required qualifications:

- A university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, psychology, sociology or another relevant technical field.

- A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required.

- Experience working in a humanitarian context is considered as an asset.

- Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

- Fluency in English and Bulgarian is required.

- Knowledge of Ukrainian is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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 may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). 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.