Partnerships Specialist, GPE – Washington DC
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Location:
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Salary:negotiable / YEAR
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Job type:FULL_TIME
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Posted:19 hours ago
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Category:Education
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Deadline:16/10/2024
JOB DESCRIPTION
Description
Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.
Who We Are
GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency.
What We Do
GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue.
How We Work
Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality.
Raise Your Hand
In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.
A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.
Governance And Organizational Arrangements
The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Dr Susan Liautaud. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.
The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the European office is in Paris with a satellite office in Brussels and a support office in Chennai.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Partnerships Team of the Secretariat is charged with ensuring internal coordination and strategic engagement of partners to achieve education system transformation in our partner countries.
The Strategic Partnerships and Capabilities sub team supports the development of strategic partnerships to deliver critical capabilities that address challenges across multiple partner countries.
ABOUT THE JOB
This position will be based initially in Paris or Washington DC but may be relocated if business needs arise that make it necessary to do so.
Description
The Partnerships Team seeks to recruit a Partnerships Specialist to strengthen its collaboration and engagement with strategic partners to address common challenges across GPE partner countries. The candidate will report to the Team Lead for Strategic Partnerships and Capabilities.
In December 2020, the GPE Board approved a new modality for engaging partners under the “Technical Assistance Initiatives” heading to support its achievement of the GPE 2025 strategy. The aim of this work is to address critical cross-sectoral challenges by mobilizing technical partners to work actively to address identified capacity needs in countries, accelerating and reinforcing national efforts to collaborate across ministries for children’s overall well-being. The portfolio currently consists of a number of cross-sectoral initiatives which are under development, piloting and implementation:
• Climate Smart Education Systems initiative – through this initiative, GPE seeks to enhance countries’ capacities to mainstream climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability into education sector plans, budgets and strategies as well as to enhance education ministry capacity for cross sectoral coordination on climate and environment related policy and programming.
• School Nutrition Technical Assistance Facility – this initiative aims to provide technical assistance to strengthen countries’ capacity to achieve increasingly sustainable, gender-responsive and nationally owned school meals programs, providing school children with safe, diverse, nutritious foods that are locally purchased.
• Gender Equality Initiative – this initiative will provide capacity support to governments in order to reinforce the capacity of ministries of education to use data and evidence to improve gender equality in education; and to strengthen engagement by ministries of mducation, local education groups, civil society and young activists to actively get involved in inclusive dialogue on gender-transformative education.
• Safe Learning Initiative – the objective of this initiative is to build country capacity to integrate violence prevention mechanisms within their education systems and create safe learning environments for children.
• Technology for Education Initiative – this initiative aims to reinforce the capacity of partner countries to use technology to improve education access and learning outcomes for children.
These technical assistance initiatives enable the GPE Secretariat to leverage contributions from a wide range of partners, by connecting them to opportunities to support government-led education system transformation efforts.
Duties and Accountabilities
The position will encompass a range of responsibilities including the following:
Technical Assistance Initiatives Coordination and Project Management
• Project management of the technical assistance initiatives workplan, tracking deliverables, timelines and supporting collaboration among project team members and initiative partners for each of the initiatives.
• Support the activities of the cross-Secretariat project teams tasked with designing, piloting and scaling the technical assistance initiatives (organizing meetings, agenda-setting, etc.).
• Support the development of guidance for the management of technical assistance initiatives, including standard operating procedures, process guidance, approval procedures and other documentation
• Develop and maintain knowledge management and document filing, ensuring effective utilization by internal and external stakeholders of shared folders and materials
• Monitor and track deliverables and results, and provide inputs to Secretariat-wide monitoring and reporting on technical assistance initiatives
• Participate in supervision missions to participating countries to inform roll out of technical assistance programs at country level and capture learning
Technical Assistance Initiatives Communications and External Relations
• Coordinate regular progress reports to the Secretariat and its leadership, including organizing webinars, meetings and targeted discussions with relevant teams
• Develop communications materials related to the portfolio of technical assistance initiatives including internal (intranet content, staff updates, document filing etc.) and external (fact sheets, powerpoint presentations, FAQs, Board updates, blogs, GPE and Partner Portal websites).
• Coordinate with GPE’s External Relations Team to effectively communicate progress and impact of technical assistance initiatives through videos, blogs, social media, etc.
• Support effective joint communications with initiative partners, including the development of joint communications strategies, missions and materials for external audiences
• Lead on the development of briefing notes for GPE principals for their engagements with initiatives partners or in events on thematic areas of the portfolio
Support aligned and effective country engagement in technical assistance initiatives
• Track country dialogue priorities, challenges and emerging issues shared across multiple countries (including those adopted through partnership compacts).
• Contribute to effective mission planning and engagement of GPE country teams in technical assistance initiatives, including in dialogue processes with local education groups
• Ensure regular country feedback on technical assistance initiatives and support effective adaptation measures to address lessons learned
• Share learning, evidence and knowledge with the Secretariat on technical assistance initiatives based on implementation experience
Partnerships team support
• Contribute to team building of the Partnerships Team, including participation in team meetings, presentations, and coordination tasks.
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Selection Criteria
• Master’s degree in relevant subject area or the equivalent experience with at least 5 years’ relevant professional experience in a similar function within the international development context.
• Strong understanding of the global international development environment, key institutions and partners and topical issues.
• Experience developing complex multi-stakeholder partnership initiatives which deliver country-level activities
• Demonstrated strength in written and oral communications, with strong ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, direct style.
• Ability to work independently, operate under pressure, lead multiple tasks, deliver time critical, high-quality work, and meet team objectives.
• Substantive experience in education policy and advocacy across GPE partner countries.
• Knowledge of and experience with the World Bank or the Global Partnership for Education will be considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required; fluency in French or Spanish will be considered an asset
Competencies
Accountability & Results Focus – Engages in productive consultation without losing sight of responsibility for own decisions, deliverables and deadlines. Doesn’t let the pursuit of perfection prevent forward progress. Seeks clarity when needed to move work forward and takes initiative to remove obstacles. Takes ownership of own mistakes, failures or oversights, and seeks to correct them. Manages differences of opinion to productive resolution so as not to impede progress. Works to ensure group efforts produce clear actions and decisions and tasks conclude.
Adaptability – Models flexibility – responds to changing circumstances by innovating and altering behavior to better fit different situations. Learns new skills and performs work in different ways. Remains calm in stressful situations and influences others do so. Professionally deals with personal discomfort in a changing work environment.
Collaboration & Teamwork – Actively collaborates with others and models and open, helpful disposition. Acts as a teammate, proactively stepping in to support colleagues as needed. Recognizes and values the role of each team in delivering on GPE’s mission. Approaches challenges and obstacles as shared challenges to be overcome. Sincerely contributes to productive group dynamics and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills – Has experience & success working in multicultural environments. Speaks and writes clearly and effectively, adapting language, tone, style and message to diverse, multicultural audiences. Skilled at communicating complex information in succinct and digestible ways. Shares information and keeps people informed; Models transparency, in a way that builds trust in a culturally diverse environment. Maintains productive working relationships with colleagues and models this behavior for junior staff. Engages in active listening and two-way conversation. Asks questions for clarification and responds to others appropriately. Learns from others’ ideas and expertise.
Planning & Organizing – Works well independently and in teams. Plans and prioritizes work effectively, making adjustments as needed to accommodate changes. Sets and meets individual and team deadlines. Works well under pressure and against tight timelines, and still delivers high-quality work. Foresees risks and identifies mitigation strategies and contingencies.
Foundational Technical Knowledge in Education & Development – Experience supporting work on education and/or development issues in low and middle income countries. Understanding of the policy process. Understanding of unique considerations in fragile and conflict affected contexts. Knowledge of stakeholders, major issues and challenges. Knowledge and/or experience in one or more of the following GPE focus areas: Education finance, education planning and management, education in fragile contexts, girls’ education, inclusive education, learning, teacher development, other areas relevant to work of GPE.
Partner Engagement Skills – Knowledge of national dialogue mechanisms. Understanding of the international development environment (in education and across sectors), including key institutions and partners, topical global policy issues, interests and agendas, as well as global development frameworks and commitments. Basic understanding of political economy in GPE partner countries. Some experience with complex multi-stakeholder partnership initiatives that deliver country-level results.
Policy Dialogue Skills – Is aware of, and sensitive to, different stakeholder perspectives, interests and needs. Is effective at building trust and support for proposed courses of action or solutions. Possesses political judgment, diplomatic sense, negotiation, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. Understands the importance of transparency & accountability in implementation of education policies and programs, and the importance of monitoring and tracking results. Has some understanding of country context – organizational or technical capacity of country partners; policy environment, laws and sector issues; key actors relevant to dialogue. Can work effectively within constraints to facilitate system transformation.
BENEFITS FOR THIS POSITION
Term appointments include, but are not limited to, medical benefits, including dental and vision, Staff Retirement Plan, financial assistance program, life & disability insurance, comprehensive leave policy (minimum 26 days/annum) and parental leave policy (50-100 days).
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Poverty has no borders. Neither does excellence. This is why we continually search for qualified individuals with a diverse set of backgrounds from around the globe. We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, creed, race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability.
GPE has a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in line with its PSEAH policy.
Individuals with disabilities may be provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions of the role and support in receiving other workplace accommodations. Please contact the DAF-Disability Accommodation Fund at disabilityfund@worldbank.org for further information and support.
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World Bank Group Core Competencies
The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
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