Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: Costa Rica
Closing date: 13 Nov 2017
Post Title: Education OfficerProposed Level: NO-2Duty Station: San Jose, Costa RicaSupervisor:Programme Manager
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, 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.
For every child, an Education
Under the supervision of the Programme Manager, the Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for education programs/projects within the Country Program from development planning to delivery of results, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative program tasks to facilitate program development, implementation, program progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting. The position is also expected to support policymaking processes and program development of ECD related projects.
How can you make a difference?
We are looking for a dynamic and innovative Education Officer to support UNICEF’s Costa Rica office in the areas described below, seasoned professionals are encouraged to apply!
1. Support to education program development and planning2. Program management, monitoring and delivery of results3. Technical and operational support to program implementation4. Networking and partnership building5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building6. Support to ECD program development and planning
Support to education program development and planning
Contribute to the preparation/update of situation analysis for the program sector/s for development, design and management of education related programs/projects. Research and report on development trends and (economic, social, health etc) data for use in program development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
Contribute to the development/establishment of sectoral program goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of education and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting.
Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical, program, operational and administrative transactions, preparing related materials/documentations and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support program planning, results based management (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating of results.
Program management, monitoring and delivery of results.
Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programs/projects and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of program management.
Monitor and report on the use of sectoral program resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation/goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues/findings to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure timely resolution.
Draft regular/mandated sectoral program/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of program progress.
Technical and operational support to program implementation
Conduct regular program field visits and surveys and/or exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support, take appropriate action to resolve issues and/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, 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 and related issues to support program implementation, operations and delivery of results.
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 program implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programs.
Draft communication and information materials for CO program advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for education programs.
Participate in appropriate inter-agency meetings/events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of education programs/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.
M&E Capacity Building
Provide technical support to ensure that the monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead monitoring and evaluation processes.
Contribute to the collaboration of an M&E capacity building strategy for national partners and institutions and corresponding activities for implementation in the context of the IMEP or UNDAF M&E plan. Provide technical support for implementation of capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners with special attention to the interest, concern and participation of primary stakeholders.
In close consultation with senior managers, contribute to formulation of staff capacity development strategy and plans, and exercise effective leadership in implementing them, ensuring that Country Office staffs have the basic knowledge and skills to fulfil their monitoring and evaluation responsibilities, and training is planned and carried out to fill identified gaps.
Promote and provide support to ensure that Country Office staff and national partners are aware of and have access to UNICEF monitoring and evaluation learning resources.
Contribute to facilitate that Evaluation capacity of national partner organisations is strengthened through their involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives.
Contribute to liaise with knowledge institutions to seek partnerships for the identification of capacity gaps and the development of strategies to address them.
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 program results.
Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.
Support to ECD program development and planning
Conduct/update situation analysis and assessments on early childhood development related issues to establish evidence-based data to support holistic policy and program development and coordinated planning, implementation and monitoring of results of ECD related programs/projects.
Contribute to the development/establishment of ECD program goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of ECD related information/data for development planning and priority and goal setting.
Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical, program, operational and administrative transactions, preparing related materials/documentations and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support program planning, results based management (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating of results.
Prepare required program documentations/materials/data to facilitate the program review and approval process.
For every Child, you demonstrate:
Core Values:
Commitment
Diversity and inclusion
Integrity
Core competencies
Communication (II)
Working with people (I)
Drive for results (I)
Functional Competencies
Formulating strategies and concepts (I)
Analyzing (II)
Applying technical expertise (II)
Learning and researching (II)
Planning and organizing (II)
To qualify as a champion for every child you will have:
Education:
A University Degree in education, psychology, sociology or other social science field is required.
Experience:
A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in education and related areas at the international and/or in a developing country is required.
Relevant experience in Early Childhood Development, quality of basic education, and/or intercultural bilingual education is required.
Program/policy development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
Demonstrated expertise in community services, community development/organization, social work, social surveys/ assessment, counselling, or related areas is considered a strong asset.
Training and coaching skills/facilitation of learning is desirable.
Language:
Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
Candidates must be a citizen of Costa Rica to be considered eligible for this post. Please note that the National Officers(NOs) are locally recruited staff and therefore, candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
How to apply:
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=508263
