Closing Date: 5 June 2025
UNESCO is hiring for a Senior Education Programme Specialist: Apply Now
Overview
As the only specialized organization with the mandate to support educational policy, planning and management, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) plays a unique role within the United Nations system. IIEP was established in 1963 as an integral part of UNESCO. It supports ministries of education and their partners around the world to plan and manage education systems through four types of capacity development programs: training, technical assistance, research and development, and knowledge sharing.
Role Description
Under the overall authority of the Director of IIEP and under the direct supervision of the CSESI Programme manager, the Senior Education Programme Specialist will lead implementation and contribute to the management of the Climate-Smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI) and activities that support the capacity of Ministries of Education to better plan and manage their education sectors for climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability. Candidates should have experience in managing large and complex programs and projects to support the planning and management capacity of ministries of education, including in crisis affected settings.
More specifically, the candidates should display proven expertise in the following areas:
1. Education Sector Planning: Expertise in supporting evidence-based, multi-stakeholder decision-making processes in ministries of education, using a variety of analysis and planning tools and approaches (including climate risk analyses for the education sector, education sector analyses, education sector plan development processes, as well as operational planning and MEL framework development).
2. Capacity Development for Education Planning and Management: Expertise in design and management of integrated programs (combining knowledge management, training, and technical support) to enhance the management and planning capacities of ministries of education at the national and subnational levels.
3. Crisis sensitive planning and risk management in the education sector. Expertise in crisis sensitive planning including for climate change adaptation, and experience and knowledge of planning mechanisms for risk management in the education sector.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Senior Education Programme Specialist will lead a portfolio of technical cooperation, training and knowledge generation activities within the framework of the Climate-smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI). In particular, the incumbent will:
- Oversee the implementation and monitoring of the CSESI project in the four federated provinces of Pakistan that aim to strengthen government capacity to integrate climate change and environmental sustainability in their education sector planning processes.
- Lead project teams for up to two additional CSESI countries to deliver on expected results for IIEP’s components in each country and ensure appropriate planning, management, and accountability for their delivery.
- Contribute to the development of global public goods in the area of planning for climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability, including through drafting technical documents and policy briefs.
- Contribute to thought leadership and quality assurance for quantitative analyses and activities within the CSESI, in collaboration with the CSESI Programme manager, ensuring that programs and projects benefit from sound methodological approaches and technical advances in sector planning and management.
- Support regular consultation across IIEP’s Offices and with IIEP partners (Member States, Donors, external institutes, etc.) about IIEP’s country-specific technical cooperation activities.
- Work with the Director and the Senior Management Team to ensure alignment of IIEP’s research, training, and capacity development activities, and maintain a strong corporate focus on programme effectiveness, resource mobilization and strategic impact.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in the field of statistics, educational planning and management, international development, social sciences, or economics, with a strong foundation in quantitative data analysis.
Work Experience
- Minimum seven (7) years of relevant experience in technical cooperation, in the analysis, diagnosis, planning and/or evaluation of education, including in South and South East Asia and Latin American contexts.
- Experience in crisis-sensitive educational planning and capacity development for evidence based, multi-stakeholder decision-making processes in Ministries of Education, using variety of planning and management tools and approaches.
- Experience in the design and management of integrated capacity development programs to support the management and planning capacity of Ministries of Education at the national and subnational levels.
- Experience in delivering support to national or subnational entities in design and formulation of analyses, costed operational plans and strategic policy documents.
Skills & Competencies
- Demonstrable knowledge of the issues surrounding education in the context of developing and/or emerging countries, or those related to educational planning and management.
- Demonstrable knowledge of contemporary developments in the global education arena and of effective strategies for improving educational planning and management, including in crisis-affected contexts.
- Demonstrable knowledge of stakeholders and processes for crisis-sensitive educational planning and management.
- Proven ability to design, and implement training programmes and courses.
- Proven competency and proficiency in quantitative analytical work.
- Strong analytical and synthetic skills and good capacity to undertake analytical and synthetic writing, including preparation of training materials and policy briefs.
Languages
Fluency in English, French and Spanish (oral and written).
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