Education Officer at UNHCR Uganda

Eligible Applicants

The category of this position is not open to Ugandan nationals. Read additional information before applying.

Procedures and Eligibility

This position is open to all eligible applicants provided that requirements regarding professional experience, academic qualifications, language, etc. are fulfilled.

Duties and Qualifications

The Education Officer provides contextualized strategic and technical guidance as well as capacity building to partners and field teams resulting in the inclusion of children and youth of concern (including host children and youth) in the national education system in Uganda. The incumbent normally works under the direct supervision of the Senior Education Officer to support coordination of education in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports at national and district levels; UNICEF and sister UN Agencies and Education partners, including community-based organizations. The incumbent liaises with partners to assess the education context, identify and address gaps, support development of response and implementation plan, programme monitoring and assessment of impact. He/She will work in collaboration with in-country education partners particularly the Education in Emergencies (EiE) and Education Development Partners Group (EDP) to improve access to quality education at all levels, both formal and non-formal for refugee and host community children and youth. This may include ensuring availability and supply of trained teachers, assurance of safe learning environments, monitoring learning achievements and facilitating smooth transition from primary to secondary education and ensuring student participation in certified education programmes. He/She will develop innovative education approaches for emerging needs with attention to the specific age, gender and diversity needs of persons of concern. In line with SDG 4 and education 2030 agenda to ¿leave no one behind¿ and the CRRF, the incumbent fosters inter-sectoral linkages with child protection, SGBV, gender, community services, livelihoods and health, among other sectors.

Duties and Responsibilities

a) Offer technical advice and strategic support to field teams
1. Provide technical advice and support on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions, in line with UNHCR education policy and ERP and MOES priorities, including through remote support and field missions;
2. Support and provide technical advice to senior management, Technical, Protection and Solutions staff allowing for advocacy activities with national and district authorities and international organizations on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions, including on engaging in national planning processes, such as ERP, ESSP the development of SDG4 plans at national levels and ensuring inclusion of refugee, and host community children and youth in SDG4 plans and Education Sector Analyses and Plans in Uganda.
3. Foster inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with Technical teams in Health, Water & Sanitation, Environment, Child Protection, SGBV, gender, community services, livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in their planning;
4. Support and monitor the implementation of Global Refugee Forum pledges on Education within the Uganda;
5. Join joint assessment missions in emergencies to in receiving settlements to minimize the time refugee children and youth spend out of education (ideally a maximum of three months after arrival).
6. Prepare drafting of education input in key internal and external documents and reports.
7. Perform other related duties as required.
b) Implementation and training
1. Participate in humanitarian and development sector working groups to support that all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening;
2. Assist the Country operation to elaborate and implement strategies to address issues related to education access, quality and data, in cooperation with other UN agencies (principally UNICEF, UNESCO, WFP, etc.) and other key education stakeholders
3. Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and Ministry of Education officials on refugee education priorities and identified topics aligned to the ERP and national Education Sector Support Plan
4. Devise and oversee process of collecting `baseline¿ data for Outcome level indicators;
5. Scope options for better integrating refugee students¿ data into national M&E systems, including EMIS and District Education information system.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Education; Social Sciences; or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
4 years of experience in progressively responsible functions in education. Demonstrated work experience in education programmes. Field experience in education programme implementation and coordination in humanitarian and/or development contexts. Experience working with Governments, Ministry of Education and other line Ministries. Strong inter-personal skills in collaboration and coordination. Excellent analytical skills and drafting skills. Strong communications/presentations skills. Demonstrated capacity to work with minimum supervision.

Desirable
Demonstrated work experience in refugee education programmes. Knowledge and experience of UNHCR policies and standards. Experience in the area of child protection. Experience with educational research, teaching or education administration.

Functional Skills
*ED-Education programming design and quality assurance
*PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Community-based Protection – Planning, implementing and analysing surveys/assessments
ED-Global EiE standards and implementation
PR-Convention on the Rights of the Child / International Legal Framework
TR-Training – Virtual and face to face
*IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Community based assessment methodologies
WB – Community Services/Social Work
ED-Education capacity building – education programming
ED-Technical support to education programmes and proposals
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
Additional Information
Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a test. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. No late applications will be accepted.

Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme is subject to proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
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See below for this postion’s Operational Context
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According to the Uganda Education Response Plan ERP), there are currently more than 682,000 children school age children among the refugee population. Access to quality education in safe and inclusive learning environments will maximize protective benefits of participation in school for these children. In line with SDG 4 and education 2030 agenda to ¿leave no one behind¿, UNHCR advocates for inclusion of children and youth in national education systems to enable them access certified and recognised education. This requires diverse and comprehensive strategic planning for education for these children including oversight management, coordination, and strategic guidance to the partners and the host community children and youth. Planning requires key skills in negotiation, representation, lobbying and advocacy with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Donors, UN agencies and other partners. As one of the CRRF countries, education programming in Uganda requires provision of guidance to partners, UNHCR education staff and focal points and other interlocutors, on role of education within the CRRF framework and linkage to ReHope and the STA agenda in Uganda. It calls for understanding role of the refugee education within the humanitarian and development nexus

The Education Officer will support, and where appropriate, oversee, the roll-out of Refugee Education 2030, the Refugee Education Strategy. This will be done in line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which calls on States and relevant Stakeholders to contribute resources and expertise to expand and enhance the quality and inclusiveness of national education systems to facilitate access by refugee and host community children and youth to primary, secondary and tertiary education. Providing inclusive and equitable quality education is central to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Education Officer will ensure UNHCR’s programming is in line with the SDGs, particularly SDG4.
Leveraging the growing global momentum, UNHCR is working to translate the objectives of the GCR into impactful results, including through follow-up on pledges made through the 2019 Global Refugee Forum. Contributing to this global roll-out of the GCR, Education Officers, collaborating across Country Offices, Regional Bureaux and the Education Section in the Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS), will provide technical support to relevant UNHCR Country Office(s) and partners to advocate for and implement the objectives of Refugee Education 2030:

Closing Date – Please note that the closing date for this vacancy is Monday 11 April 2022.

How to apply

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All applicants must apply using the online application system

For more details , please read : How to apply for UNHCR Jobs