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For every child, Education

The Education Officer position is based in Dhangadhi field Office of UNICEF Nepal Country Office for Sudur Paschim Province. The office provides technical, operational and administrative support to the provincial and local governments for education programme/projects for Dhangadhi Field office. Under the Nepal Country Programme and UNSDCF, the education officer works from planning to delivery of results, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks, programme monitoring, evaluation and reporting at sub-national level. The Education Officer reports to the Chief of Field Office as the direct supervisor and Chief Education as the technical supervisor and will receive technical support and guidance from the Education section.

How can you make a difference?

Join our dynamic Dhangadhi field office team to support the strengthening of the provincial and local governments within Sudur Paschim Province to implement the School Education Sector Plan, while supporting selected local governments to model education in schools under the EU-UNICEF partnership.

The incumbent for this position will be required to support the implementation of priority education programme strategies being implemented to support equity, inclusion and system strengthening supported by key development partners such as the EU and Finland. UNICEF’s partnership with the EU and Finland embodies the spirit and added value of strong partnership and a coherent approach, providing a strategic response to the multiple challenges in the education system. This is translated into strong support to the Government of Nepal in adapting the National School Education Sector Plan (SESP) into local government education sector plans and budgets. The localization of the SESP will create conditions that will ensure that all children in Nepal can attend free, inclusive and qualitative education and thereby assuring good learning outcomes.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

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. Research and report on development trends (economic, social, health etc.) and data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of education sector’s goals, objectives and strategies, evidence and results-based planning at sub-national level through EMIS data/information analysis, related research/study findings, national and sub-national priorities, School Education Sector Plan (SESP) and other relevant information.
•  Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes including during humanitarian situations 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.

• Conduct Programme Monitoring Visits (PMVs) and report on the programme/project progress and 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

• Conduct regular program field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress, and provide technical support, take appropriate action to resolve issues or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts both at provincial and municipal government level, 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 sub-national government counterparts and other stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programmes and supporting decentralization efforts of local and provincial governments.
• Contribute to prepare communication and information materials for programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fund raising for education programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on UNSDCF operational planning and preparation of education programmes/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNSDCF development and planning process.
• Prepare and execute partnership document at field office level during implementation of education projects/programme and strengthen partners’ capacity aligned to key priorities to strengthen local education sector plans and modelling of programme solutions for scale up.

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 partners/stakeholders

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: 

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

• Work Experience:A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in education planning, management, and/or research in education is required.Relevant experience in a UN system agency or international organization and/or experience of working in emergency and gender mainstreaming is an asset together with local governance system strengthening.
• Language Requirements:Fluency in English and Nepali language is required.  Fluence in the local dialect (Doteli, Tharu) will be considered an asset.

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be 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 canceled.

Remarks:

Female candidates and candidates from the under-represented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.