National Project Officer at UNESCO

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

• Under the overall authority of the Head of UNESCO Office and the direct supervision of the Education Programme Specialist in the UNESCO Abuja Office, the incumbent shall contribute to the daily coordination of the Project’s support to Teachers in the country. The project coordinator is a core member of the project management team with overall responsibility of providing leadership, ensuring effective and efficient project delivery. The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical expertise and contribute to the effective management, planning, implementation and monitoring of the "Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to Build Teachers’ Capacity and Resilience in Nigeria" (EISS) project and related teachers’ interventions at the federal level and in the six project states of Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Katsina, Oyo and Plateau. Furthermore, the incumbent will strive to align the project to government priorities on education in the states and at the federal level.
• S/he will contribute to securing and sustaining strong government and other stakeholders’ commitments to strengthening teachers’ capacities, including project scalability. 

Specifically, the incumbent will:

• Ensure the effective day-to-day administration of the project in consultation with the Programme Specialist.
• Effectively participate in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the EISS project.
• Prepare quality work plans, progress and final reports, briefs and presentations required for the successful and timely implementation of the programme.
• Ensure effective coordination of programme activities through regular consultation and collaboration with relevant stakeholders and partners.
• Oversee implementation, identify constraints and propose measures to improve the project’s operations and delivery of project outputs.
• Ensure effective and timely execution of programme-related workshops, seminars, with strict adherence to UNESCO rules, procedures, and norms, including financial procedures.
• Support the Education sectors with routine communication and consultation with relevant officials at federal and state levels.
• As may be assigned, the incumbent will represent UNESCO in appropriate coordination frameworks, such as Teachers Task Force, local education groups, and thematic meetings.
• Support UNESCO programming in collaboration with other staff working on delivering National government education priorities such as the ‘DOTS’ (Data, Out of School, Teachers, Skills) priorities, achievement of SDG4c and goals Goals 1 and 2 of Agenda 2063. 
• Support the timely implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme and reporting on UNESCO's work on Teachers.
• Facilitate the provision of technical support to the Ministry of Education and other national partners, including pre and in service teachers training institutions.
• Keep abreast with national development programmes and trends with a view to identifying, organizing, and analyzing relevant information to underpin the implementation and monitoring of the EISS project in Nigeria.
• Contribute to the work of the Education Sector and the Inter-sectoral Platform.
• Perform any other duty deemed necessary by the Head of Office or Head of the Education Sector.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)
• Professionalism (C)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Education, teachers training or related areas. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Work Experience

• At least 2 years of work experience in the field of education, preferably related to Teachers Training curriculum development, Education planning and administration.
• Experience in project management in the fields of education. 
• Experience in implementing projects and programmes in partnership with government, particularly Ministry of Education, UBEC, SUBEB, Teachers Union, and civil society partners.
• Experience in resource mobilization.
• Experience in team building

Skills and Competencies

• Good computer and other IT skills. Excellent skills in MS Office.
• Strong strategic and analytical skills.
• Ability to interact with a wide range of high–level partners.
• Ability to work in result-oriented teams.
• Ability to manage budgets, participate in monitoring and evaluation and report on implementation.
• Good understanding of the country, development work and the education sector.
• Knowledge of the UNESCO strategy and digital policies for teacher training 
• Good understanding of global report on teachers and ability to incorporate its recommendations into plans and programmes. 
• High level technical writing skills in teachers’ policy, training, and development 
• Credibility, confidence, tact, and diplomacy in networking.
• Good representational skills and ability to develop partnerships with a wide range of partners (including relevant ministries, donors, and civil society). 

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English.
• Knowledge of any of the three Nigeran Major Languages (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) .