Education Officer, NOB, Pacific Multi Country Office, Honiara, Solomon Islands Field Office, Post # 128610, (Temporary Appointment, 364 days)

UNICEF Pacific is hiring an Education Officer on a temporary appointment for 364 days to be based in the Field Office in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Under the supervision of the Education Specialist, the Education Officer will provide professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for education and ECD programmes in the Solomon Islands, and within the Pacific Multi-Country Programme.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, education.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Education Specialist, the Education Officer will provide professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for education and ECD programmes in the Solomon Islands within the Multi-Country Programme from development planning to delivery of results, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, partnerships, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting. 

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Education Officer to programme preparation, planning and implementation, and monitoring contributes to the achievement of sustainable results to improve learning outcomes and universal access to relevant, quality, equitable and inclusive education in the Pacific.  

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 and ECD related programmes. 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 programme goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of education and other related information for development planning and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes 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.

1. 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 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 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 in collaboration and guidance with the Education Specialist and respective technical specialists based in the multi-country office.

1. Technical and operational support to programme implementation.

• Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and 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 for implementation of the agreed work plan activities, including NGO partners, UN system partners and other 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.

1. Networking and partnership building.

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and regional and national 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.
• Draft communication and information materials for programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support strengthening programme partnership and advocacy .
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency and coordination ) meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on UNSDCF operational planning and preparation of education programmes and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNSDCF development and planning process.
• Participate in the resource mobilization efforts, including writing concept note, programme briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

1. 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 stakeholders.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: [ Education Officer Level 2 (2).pdf]

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 years of professional experience in education policy, programme planning, community engagement and mobilization, management, and/or research is required.
• Experience in any of the following areas would be an asset: digital learning, education in emergencies, climate change, early childhood development (ECD), Teacher professional development, and Early Childhood Education.
• Experience working in Solomon Islands is required while working in another Pacific country or experience at Pacific regional level is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or Pacific regional organization/CROP is considered as an asset.

Languages 

• Fluency in English and local language is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
• Good networking and coordination skills and time management.
• Willingness to travel to provinces and remote location within Solomon Islands
• Ability to communicate and coordinate with range of stakeholder at all levels.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

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…

1. Builds and maintains partnerships
2. Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
3. Drive to achieve results for impact
4. Innovates and embraces change
5. Manages ambiguity and complexity
6. Thinks and acts strategically
7. Works collaboratively with others

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:

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 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.