Vacancy Announcement - Education Officer, NOB, FT, Sokoto Nigeria #123461

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Education Officer to Programme preparation, planning and implementation, contributes to the achievement of sustainable results to improve learning outcomes and universal access to quality, equitable and inclusive education. Success in education programmes and projects in turn contribute to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide Programme services for mothers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

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 fulfil 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, Educate

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfil and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/.

Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

The Education Officer is based in Sokoto Field office, reporting line to Education Specialist.   

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Education Specialist, the Education Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for safe schools and other tasks within the education Programme. The officer is expected to contribute to the delivery of results, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative Programme tasks to facilitate Programme development, implementation, Programme progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting in the area of safe schools.

Key responsibilities:

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to Programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to Programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

1. Support to Programme development and planning

• Contribute to the preparation and updating of the situation analysis for the development, design and management of education-related programmes/projects.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral Programme goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of education and other related information for development planning and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical Programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support Programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluation of results.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.

• Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to collect, analyze and share information on implementation issues.
• Suggest solutions on routine Programme implementation and submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, Programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral Programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare draft inputs for Programme/donor reporting.

3. Technical and operational support to Programme implementation

• Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and refer to relevant officials. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on education-related issues to support Programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate Programme implementation and build the capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programmes.
• Draft communication and information materials for Programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fundraising for education programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on operational planning and preparation of education programmes/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Contribute to identifying, capturing, synthesizing, and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable Programme results.
• Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

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

Education:

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

Experience:

• A minimum of two years of professional experience in Education related Programme planning, management, and/or education delivery.
• Experience in safe school programming is required
• Working in an emergency/crisis or high-risk setting is considered as an asset.

Technical skills:

• Support the operationalization of the Safe Schools Declaration
• Facilitate and coordinate monitoring and reporting on safe school implementation
• Facilitate coordination of key partnerships and inter-sectoral collaboration on Safe Schools

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English (verbal and written). Fluency in Hausa language is an added advantage

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

• The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...
• Builds and maintains partnerships (II)
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (II)
• Drive to achieve results (II)
• Innovates and embraces change (II)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (II)
• Thinks and acts strategically (II)
• Works collaboratively with others (II)
• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (II)

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.

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 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:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.