Temporary Appointment – Education Officer at United Nations Children’s Fund: (Deadline 2 September 2024)

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, talent

UNICEF Rwanda is based in Kigali. It is committed to realizing the rights of all children to help them build a strong foundation and have the best chance of fulfilling their potential.  UNICEF Rwanda is currently running a Country Programme 2018-2024 and its goal is to improve the health, nutritional status, protection, education, and wellbeing of children, focusing on those who are poor, vulnerable or at risk.

UNICEF Rwanda is looking for a dynamic young person to join the education team as Education Officer (Skills Development) based in Kigali. The Education Officer will support design and implementation of programmes aimed at enhancing upskilling opportunities for youth.

Youth in Rwanda represent 27% of the country’s 13.2 million population. Although they represent a significant proportion of the population, youth currently face a range of challenges, especially in relation to employment opportunities. About one in five youth are unemployed and one in three are neither in employment, education, nor training. Unemployment rate is the highest (39%) among youth who completed secondary education because they lack skills employers expect their employees to have.

The lack of employment opportunities not only denies youth the prospects of building a better life, but it also hinders the achievement of Rwanda’s economic transformation goals as outlined in Vision 2050. As a result, the Government of Rwanda (GoR) considers youth employment a national priority. Improvement in youth employment is being approached from multiple angles, including by ensuring that there is better alignment between education/training programmes and skills required in the labour market. The government has also intensified focus on job creation opportunities for and by young people.

As a key partner to the GoR, UNICEF has been collaborating with the Ministry of Youth and Arts (MoYA) and the Ministry of Public Service and Labor of Rwanda (MIFOTRA), within the framework of the global Generation Unlimited (GenU) initiative aimed at enhancing school to work transition for young people, such as by widening opportunities for upskilling of youth and linking them up with decent jobs opportunities. In the same context, UNICEF Rwanda, in partnership with MOYA and MIFOTRA, launched Ingazi (Passport to Earning – P2E) Rwanda digital platform to provide youth in Rwanda access to career guidance support, pathways to professional development and job opportunities. This area of work has gained momentum, especially following the launch of Ingazi in May 2024.  The Education Officer position is required to strengthen implementation capacity of the education team with a focus on skills development opportunities for youth.

To learn more about UNICEF career and the work in Rwanda, please visit our website.

https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/RWA/ and UNICEF Careers | UNICEF Careers.

How can you make a difference?

You will provide technical support on planning and delivery of results for youth, including preparing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative support tasks related to implementation, progress monitoring, and reporting.

Key Expected Results

• Conduct situation analysis to understand and update the status of youth skills development needs and market requirements.
• Contribute to the implementation of programmes targeting youth, with a focus on skills for employment through Ingazi (P2E Rwanda) and other channels.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, non-governmental partners on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices to support programme implementation, operations, and delivery of results.
• Contribute to identification, synthesis, and sharing lessons learned to support evidence informed programming.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews with implementing partners and the government and prepare minutes/reports for follow up actions.
• Contribute to partnership with other government entities, NGO/CSO partners and youth-led organizations, and private sectors in supporting youth skills and career pathway development.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference (TOR) here

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• A university degree in education, sociology, psychology, or relevant technical field.
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English is required; knowledge of Kinyarwanda and French considered an asset.

Desirables:

• Demonstrated technical expertise and at least five years’ experience in youth empowerment programmes, including capacity development, skilling, and engagement for social impact.
• Prior experience working with government institutions, including experience in the planning and implementation of innovative interventions aimed at providing skilling and/or employment opportunities for youth.
• Experience leveraging successful partnerships, with public and private sectors, youth networks and influencers.
• Good understanding of issues around youth employment and empowerment programmes.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization.

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…

• Demonstrates self-awareness and Ethical awareness (1)
• Works collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 Young Female candidates 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.

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