National Associate Project Officer (Education) - UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is assisting the Ministry of Education of Ghana in the implementation of an initiative on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Education with the view to improve the quality of education for all in the context of the SDG4 Education 2030.

The incumbent will work under the overall authority of the Head of the UNESCO Office in Accra, the direct supervision of the National Professional Officer for Education, and in close cooperation with the ICT in Education Unit in UNESCO Headquarters. He/she will coordinate the activities of the UNESCO-Korea Funds-in-Trust (KFIT) project ‘ICT Transforming Education in Africa’ in Ghana, maintaining regular contact with the government and non-governmental counterparts (e.g. KFIT country project team), other stakeholders, donors (notably the Korean Embassy) and UNESCO HQ.

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Long Description

More specifically, the incumbent’s tasks will cover:Participation in organizing the detailed operational plan and coordinating the implementation of the project in compliance with the project strategic objectives, outcomes, outputs and activities by: Ensuring quality achievement of the KFIT project outputs in line with UNESCO qualitative standards and the KFIT results matrix. Supporting the design, as well as the periodic update and revision, of the detailed country project document, work plan and budget. Identifying project implementation partners and providers of goods and services. Assisting in the writing of terms of references for external vendors and in the recruitment of consultants, coordinators and interns. Following-up on the implementation of the contracts, assessing the quality of services provided and requesting disbursement of funds. Planning, coordinating and organizing network meetings, workshop and trainings to address specifics needs and capacity gaps identified in the project

Long Description

Ensuring the monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and the reporting on project activities by:Contributing to monitoring and evaluation of project activities, reporting on progress and suggesting updates of the project log frame. Regularly monitoring the financial status of the project and ensure that budget execution rates are in line with agreed plans. Moreover, in case of contracting with partners where funds are to be granted for activities, ensure the Financial Reports along with original and appropriate justifications for funds granted are duly submitted on a timely basis to financially close related activities.

Regularly conducting meetings of the project steering, preparing minutes of meetings and action plans with clear responsibility and timeframe.Conducting periodic project reviews with governmentcounterparts and other partners recording the results of the review meetings in minutes and action plans.Preparing reports on project activities for UNESCO, the donor and partners. Providing content on major project’s achievements and steps in project implementation for UNESCO’s public information services to increase the visibility of UNESCO. Fostering exchanges of information, experience, identifying new strategies of action to improve delivery of services and to achieve the project requirements and objectives.

Provision of technical support and fostering of partnerships for project implementation by:

Providing technical advice and guidance for the implementation of KFIT project activities, including participation in the production of technical deliverables and policy studies, provision of input to various framework documents as required, and support to the implementation of training programmes. Maintaining regular relations with national counterparts and key stakeholders (Ministries, regional and local authorities, etc.). Raising awareness of potential partners and solutions to boost ICT in education initiatives in the country. Participating in and facilitate the establishment of strategic long-term engagements (LTAs, PCAs, MoUs) with strategic partners in the country.

Mobilizing UNESCO’s entities in support of the implementation of ICT in education initiatives including UNESCO-HQ and UNESCO Institutes. Ensuring communication and visibility by:Implementing the project communication and visibility plan. Preparing technical briefs and status updates on the project for wider dissemination, including inputs for the period project newsletter.Organizing communication events (seminars and workshops) and liaise with local and international media. Acting as liaison between the HQ coordination team of the KFIT project and the national team

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in Education, Science (STEM), social sciences, or related areas.

Work Experience

• At least two years of work experience in the field of education, preferably related to ICTs.
• Experience in supporting and coordinating project activities, preferably in large organizations and/or with international partner organizations.

Skills/Competencies

• Strong skills in technical project management, event planning and presentation skills.
• Good written and oral communication skills, human relations and team building.
• Ability to interact with people from different disciplines, and with varying degrees of technical experience.

• Ability to manage budgets and report on implementation.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Work Experience

• Work experience in Education, particularly in Ghana and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
• Experience in the implementation of large-scale project with technical components.
• Experience with ICT hardware, mobile phones and web-based technologies in education, particularly designing or deploying tools appropriate to low-bandwidth or sub-standard infrastructure environments.

Skills/Competencies

• Understanding of national and international development issues.
• Expert knowledge or significant interest in one or more of these areas: (i) The use of technology in developing contexts particularly in Ghana; (ii) teacher training, particularly on the pedagogical use of ICT; (iii) m-learning and e-learning; (iv) ICT policy analysis and formulation; (v) educational audio-visual and multimedia materials in the classroom; and (vi) research based education platforms in distance and assisted learning platforms to education
• Basic understanding of set-up and administration of ICT services, networks and mobile services.

Languages

• Working knowledge (reading and writing) of French.

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

UNESCO’s salaries consist of a basic salary and other benefits which may include if applicable: 30 days annual leave, family allowance, medical insurance, pension plan etc.

For more information in benefits and entitlements, please consult ICSC website.

ASSESSMENT

Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.

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