The UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning Office in Dakar (IIEP-UNESCO Dakar) serves the Africa region of the Organization. IIEP’s mandate is to help UNESCO member states develop capacity to plan and manage their education system.
IIEP-UNESCO Dakar has built a reputation as a centre of expertise on education sector analysis and the development of education sector plans. This mission aligns with the Education 2030 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. IIEP-UNESCO Dakar’s range of interventions has recently extended into additional lines of work in planning and management for technical and vocational education training, education quality management, and gender equality. Modalities of intervention comprise technical cooperation, training, applied research and development, and outreach, in partnership with national, regional and international organizations. For more information on IIEP Dakar activities, please follow this link: IIEP Dakar Office.
Based in IIEP-UNESCO Dakar office, the incumbent works under the overall authority of the Director of IIEP and the Head of Dakar Office and under the direct supervision of the Technical Cooperation Program Manager, the incumbent contributes to implementation of the activities related to the analysis, planning, implementation, management, and monitoring of education and training policies in Africa for which he/she is responsible.
The research conducted and subsequent outputs will be subject to internal review and validation procedures, as determined by the Head of the Office. She/He supports those responsible for activities carried out in identified countries and produces work in conjunction with the mobilized country team.
Duties And Responsibilities:
Assist African countries in the development, implementation and monitoring of education and training sector policies through:
Support to education sector analysis or thematic analysis, including the enabling factor analysis;
Support to discussions with top officials within the framework of educational policy tradeoffs and the development of national strategy documents (education policy documents, Simulation Models, Education Sector Plans, Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks, Action Plans, etc.).
Support the Institute efforts to boost international initiatives for the Education 2030 Agenda through :
Knowledge creation on the status of education and training in Africa;
Design of tools for analysis, planning, implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of education and training policies in Africa;
Creation of training materials and implementation of outreach strategies that meet the needs of targeted audiences.
Contribute to the capacity development of officials in charge of education planning, management and training in Africa through targeted and context-based training interventions.
Contribute to and support the implementation of training initiatives developed by the IIEP-UNESCO Dakar in collaboration with its partners.
Contribute to the creating, use and dissemination of relevant information and resource materials in the education and training sectors in Africa by :
Participating in the drafting of substantive and high quality methodological thematic and country notes in collaboration with other colleagues,
Contributing to the update of the Office’s website and interactive spaces for documentation and exchanges around education and training policies in Africa (digital bibliography, statistics, policy documents, etc.).
Supports projects in educational planning and management in collaboration with national teams from African Member States:
Data collection, validation and processing:
Liaise with representatives of national governments, national statistical offices, and development partners to collect relevant data to produce education sector and thematic analyses.
Clean and process household survey and administrative data to construct indicators on education access, financing, and quality.
Work with national teams to validate data and gather contextual information for more comprehensive analysis.
Analysis and drafting:
Analyze the collected data and lead the drafting of select chapters of education sector analyses and thematic analyses in collaboration with national teams.
Draft selects sections of education sector plans based on input from national teams.
Develop proposals for analytical work and in response to country requests for IIEP support.
Participate in the drafting of substantive and high quality methodological thematic and country notes in collaboration with other colleagues.
Sector planning and monitoring and evaluation:
Work with national teams to synthesize information gathered through analysis and drafting into priority programmes, strategies, and activities.
Develop implementation and action plans for policies including the identification of output, outcome, and key performance indicators.
Develop education financial simulation models and support national teams in the rationalization of policy priorities and activities within the financing framework.
Capacity development:
Contribute to the professional development of officials in charge of management of education planning, management and training in Africa through targeted and context-based training interventions.
Reinforce national teams capacity in educational planning and management through the provision of guidance and targeted support in analyses drafting, drawing on a learning learning-by-doing approach.
Contribute to and support the implementation of training initiatives developed by the IIEP-UNESCO in collaboration with its partners.
Representation and collaboration:
Present the results of work in meetings and conferences with national technical teams, development partners and other stakeholders.
Explore possibilities for collaboration across IIEP offices and teams.
Required Qualifications:
Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, statistics, social sciences, or related fields.
Work Experience:
Minimum two (2) years of relevant working experience in the fields of sector analysis, planning and management of education systems, of which preferably one (1) year acquired at international level.
Skills:
Excellent knowledge of statistical and econometric techniques applicable to the education sector.
Good knowledge of education systems in developing countries particularly in Africa and their associated challenges.
Good knowledge of adult learning principles and design of targeted training materials
Good knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methodologies and tools of education projects and programmes.
Excellent IT skills, including knowledge of statistical software such SPSS, SAS, STATA and spreadsheets.
Ability to communicate and conduct negotiations with diverse partners with tact and diplomacy.
Ability to work individually and in teams within a multicultural environment.
Ability to undertake regular missions, especially in challenging environments.
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Languages:
Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English or French and good knowledge of the other language.
Desirable Qualifications:
Work Experience:
Experience in the design of education and training sector development plans and budgeted action plans.
Previous experience in the field of African education systems.
Skills:
Good knowledge of the problems of education in the context of developing countries particularly in Africa.
