National Project Officer Education

In December 2024, UNESCO and the European Union signed the three years Phase 3 of the TVET reform project “Green and Digital TVET for Enhancing Employability in Iraq”. Phase 3 will mobilize the institutional and technical expertise of UNESCO to support the Government of Iraq in enhancing the implementation of the Iraqi National Education Strategy targeted future-oriented skilling, reskilling, and upskilling activities focusing on greening and digitalization. This dynamic programmatic approach will enhance the employability of Iraqi youth, young women, disadvantaged groups (including Internally Displaced Persons IDPs), returnees, and refugees. And contribute to Iraq’s resilience to climate change. 

The project is under the overall Supervision of the Chief of Education, and the TVET 3 Project Manager on a day-to-day basis.

The Project will enhance the employment of Iraqi youth from 8 Technical Universities and Polytechnics, 8 Vocational schools, and 2 Vocational Training Centers by creating centers of Vocational Excellence that have strong labour market links, revised curricula and pedagogy, and a student-centred approach.

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the overall supervision of the Director of UNESCO Iraq Office and the direct supervision of the Project Officer and Chief of Education, the candidate shall carry out the following, but not limited to, functions: 

Project Implementation and coordination:

• Prepare detailed work plans, task descriptions, budgets and output indicators for projects.
• Implement project activities within established work plans and report progress against predefined performance indicators ensuring alignment with the overall objectives of the Green and Digital TVET for Enhancing Employability in Iraq project.
• Coordinate project activities across the targeted regions within the project, ensuring the project’s goals are met in each region through active collaboration with local TVET institutions.
• Oversee implementation, identify constraints, and propose measures to improve country level operations and delivery of project outputs.

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with relevant governmental directorates and local authorities in the targeted areas. that will include Directorates of Vocational Education, Directorates of Vocational Training, Vocational Schools, Vocational Training Centers, and Technical Universities.
• Foster relationships with key stakeholders, including other active agencies, local CSOs, and sectoral councils across the identified regions. ensuring updating the TVET activity matrix especially that related to greening and digitalization.
• Facilitate close working relationships and exchanges with national Institutes, ministry, National Commission, education stakeholders and networks for project design, development and implementation and reporting.

Project Monitoring and Reporting :

• Track and report on implementation using relevant tools including the System of Information on Strategies, Tasks and the Evaluation of Results (SISTER)/Core manager.
• Assist in the preparation of project reports, progress updates, and presentations focused on the activities and achievements of the TVET institutions of the targeted regions, as requested by the Chief of Education and Project Manager
• Support the project manager in ensuring accurate and timely documentation of project activities, lessons learned, and best practices from TVET institutions in targeted regions.
• Monitor project progress and outcomes, including the development of green and digital curricula and the establishment of Career Development Centres, particularly in TVET institutions in the target regions.

Budget Monitoring and Controlling :

• Monitor the correct use of budget codes per expenditure.
• Advise on the need to transfer funds between budget lines. Liaise with the Project assistant to ensure all contractual procedures are correctly followed and recorded, and all necessary files/documents are saved in an orderly file structure to facilitate future audits.
• Monitor project, activity and programme implementation and outputs within the project, as assigned, ensuring that UNESCO’s work is implemented in a timely, coherent and integrated manner consistent with sector-wide development frameworks.

Facilitate Qualitative Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer Events :

• Assist in organizing and facilitating capacity-building workshops tailored for TVET trainers, administrators, and stakeholders in the identified regions, ensuring that they acquire the necessary skills for sustainable project implementation. With maintaining a high level of visibility.
• Contribute to the creation and dissemination of training materials, guidelines, and tools for both teachers and students in the green and digital TVET sectors across the targeted TVET institutions.
• Provide substantive, logistical and administrative support to projects, consultations, meetings, events and missions.

Prepare Project Documentation and Progress Reports :

• Contribute to the design of project and activities performance/ progress monitoring and reporting both internally and to project donors.
• Contribute to public information and outreach tasks, writing, inputting to social media, hosting information points, facilitating exchanges/ meetings.
• Check contractor and consultant monthly reports and invoices against the agreed deliverables or rates of pay, in compliance with the rules and regulations of UNESCO.
• Organize and track the logistics for all consultant visits, meetings and capacity-building workshops in order to ensure necessary competencies are transferred from experts to local practitioners.
• Support the project manager in preparing the quarterly progress reports and donor reports by providing the required statistics and updated financial status, supported by pictures and other certified resources.

Conduct Follow-up Field Missions :

• Undertake regular field missions to TVET institutions in targeted areas to monitor activities, engage with local stakeholders, and provide support for on-the-ground implementation of project activities and as necessary and requested for project implementation in Iraq and elsewhere.
• Perform Additional Duties o Support additional tasks as requested by the Director, Chief of Education, and the Project team to further project goals.

Required qualifications:

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in education, social sciences, engineering, or closely related field(s). A first-level university degree in the field of education, in combination with two additional years of qualifying professional experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in education , particularly in the field of TVET, or closely related fields (4 years with first-level university degree).
• Working experience with the MoE (Ministry of Education) and MoHESR (Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research).

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent organizational and prioritization skills: the ability to manage sub-contracted implementing partners, organize multiple and simultaneous tasks, and deliver results within a specified timetable.
• Sound understanding of results-based management and monitoring and evaluation principles.
• Proven interpersonal, collaboration, and teamwork skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently under pressure within a multicultural environment and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated proficiency in basic office software tools (MS Office suite) and use of relevant IT solutions.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Languages:

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of Arabic and English.

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/Baghdad-National-Project-Officer-(Education)/811084302/