Assistant Education Officer (Economist) 246 views0 applications

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

UNOPS Vacancy Announcement

Internal/External Vacancy Notice No.: LICA/KEN/NBI/20/001

Title of Post

Assistant Education Officer (Economist)

Category /Grade

LICA-8

Duration

Up to 31 December 2020

Reporting Date

1 March 2020

Type of Contract

Local ICA

Date of Issue

16 January 2020

Location

Branch Office Nairobi

Closing Date

28 January 2020

General Background and Context

Despite significant gains in enrolment at all levels, almost half of school-age refugees are still out of school. The gap in enrolment widens with progression through the levels. One-third of refugees have access to secondary education in Kenya, and less than one-sixth have access to tertiary education, including technical and vocational education and training. Barriers to school enrolment include supply issues as well as socio-economic factors, cultural norms and traditions, many of which are shared by the communities that host refugees and asylum-seekers in Kenya.

While refugees and asylum-seekers follow the Kenyan national curriculum and sit for national examinations, camp-based learning institutions have been managed and financed by UNHCR and the international community for almost three decades. Although the Government of Kenya has made a considerable contribution to the education of refugees and asylum-seekers over the past thirty years, the governance and management of learning institutions by the international community has led to an alternative system of service delivery that is less sustainable and does not adequately respond to the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and their host communities.

In line with the Global Compact for Refugees, UNHCR Kenya promotes the inclusion of refugees and asylum-seekers in the national education system, while responding to their immediate needs by:

● Fostering an enabling environment that supports learning as well as psychosocial, socio-emotional and physical well-being.

● Adopting an area-based approach, supporting both refugees and asylum-seekers, and the communities that host them to access education and training, including through the use of technology, in their respective locations and which is protective, accredited and government-led.

● Investing in the national system to enable it to expand to provide quality education and training for refugees and asylum-seekers, and their host communities beyond the emergency phase, facilitating the transition from humanitarian response to durable solutions.

● Promoting opportunities for earning and for the use of education toward jobs, economic inclusion, community development, and self-reliance, benefitting both refugees, asylum-seekers and their host communities.

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)

• Costed plan: draft or final documents in place (June 2020)
• Country-wide monitoring and evaluation framework in place, after consultation with sub-offices (June 2020)
• Quarterly briefs/ documentation on situation of education (statistics) available (Quarterly until Dec 2020)
• Field missions carried out to provide support in data management/ planning (Quarterly until Dec 2020)

Responsibility (processes and functions undertaken to achieve results)

Under the supervision of the Education Officer, the Associate Education Officer will;

• Support development of multi-year costed implementation plan for the inclusion of refugees in the national education system
• Lead on development of internal monitoring and evaluation framework for education sector
• Collect and analyze education data and information on a quarterly basis and provide summary documentation for internal and external use
• Provide support/ capacity development to Education Officers on education data management and documentation as needed
• Contribute to internal and external planning process (including UNHCR Kenya strategic directions) at the national and sub-national levels
• Represent UNHCR in coordination meetings and technical forums
• Support other activities in the Education sector as needed
• Some travel to Kakuma and Dadaab, as well as urban areas hosting refugees (Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa and Eldoret) should be expected.

Essential Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• University degree in Education, Social Sciences or other relevant field.
• 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1-year relevant experience with Doctorate degree.

Essential:

• Work experience in education programme planning, economics/ statistics and/ or monitoring and evaluation. Excellent analytical skills and drafting skills. Strong information management skills. Experience working with Governments, Ministry of Education and other line Ministries. Strong inter-personal skills in collaboration and coordination. Strong communications/presentations skills. Demonstrated capacity to work with minimum supervision.

Desirable:

• Field experience in education programme implementation and coordination in humanitarian and/or development contexts. Knowledge and experience of UNHCR policies and standards. Experience in the area of child protection. Experience with educational research, teaching or education administration.

Desirable Qualifications & Competencies

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
• Education Knowledge and Experience – Possesses experience in working on challenging education projects, and policy-relevant analytical work
• Integrative Skills – Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
• Deliver Results – Achieves results and identifies mission-driven solutions for the client.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Initiates collaboration across boundaries and broadly across UNHCR and brings differing ideas into the forefront.
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Creates, applies and shares knowledge from across and outside UNHCR to strengthen internal and/or external solutions.

Competencies:-

Values

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity

Core Competencies

• Accountability
• Team Work & Collaboration
• Communication
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Client & Results Orientation
• Organizational Awareness

Candidates may also be tested on relevant managerial and cross function competencies. Examples are listed below:-

Managerial Competencies

• Empowering & Building Trust
• Managing Performance
• Judgement & Decision Making
• Managing Resources

Cross – Functional Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Innovation & Creativity
• Planning & Organizing