Associate Educational Policy Specialist
OVERVIEW
Post Number : 6SNIEP0095PA
Grade : P-2
Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)
Duty Station: Dakar
Job Family: Education
Type of contract : Project Appointment
Duration of contract : 1 year
Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 29-AUG-2025
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
With more than 60 years of experience developing the capacity of member states, IIEP-UNESCO is the only specialized organization with the mandate to support education policy, planning and management in the UN system. UNESCO IIEP regional Office for Africa (IIEP-UNESCO Dakar) contributes to this mission by producing rigorous analysis and data-driven evidence, developing cutting-edge analytical tools, and delivering technical assistance to identify, facilitate and promote the adoption of effective solutions to Africa's most pressing education challenges.
Over the past decade, IIEP-UNESCO has strengthened its commitment to reducing gender inequalities by integrating this issue in its activities. Since 2014, it has also been one of the Institute’s strategic priorities in line with UNESCO Strategy for gender equality in and through education (2019-2025) which focuses on a system-wide transformation to benefit all learners equally.
At the backbone of its strategy and commitment to reducing inequalities in education, IIEP UNESCO co-leads the Gender at the Centre Initiative – GCI, together with UNGEI. Launched in 2019 at the G7 Summit, the GCI aims to strengthen the gender mainstreaming capacities of education system stakeholders and support the development of resources to achieve gender equality in and through education. The initiative is currently being developed in eleven countries in Africa and seeks to expand to other countries and regions in partnership with the GCI Alliance gathering partners such as UNICEF, GPE, ECW, Plan International, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), the African Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA) and the African Union - International Centre for Girls' and Women's Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA), and donors (France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, European Union, Norway) and the participating countries.
Since 2024, GCI has entered its second phase (2024-2026) with the objectives of:
1. Generating clear data and evidence to ministries and civil society so that they are better equipped to achieve gender equality in and through education
2. Building technical capacity, promote better commitment and jointly develop effective tools for gender responsive education policy making, planning and management
3. Contributing to the development of a strong, coordinated and active movement for gender-transformative education that holds governments and actors accountable
4. Acting as a catalyst to increase demand for gender equality in and through education
To support the institute’s efforts to strengthen gender equality in its activities at the global level and the implementation of GCI, IIEP-UNESCO is looking for an Associate Educational Policy Specialist.
Long Description
Under the overall authority of the Director of IIEP, the responsibility of IIEP-Dakar Head of Office and the direct supervision of the Gender-Sensitive Education Planner, the incumbent will contribute to implement activities related to integrating gender equality in the analysis, planning, implementation, management, and monitoring of education and training policies in Africa and beyond.
The incumbent will operate under the functional and strategic guidance of the GCI Lead based in Paris, who is responsible for the overall coordination and leadership of the initiative, including strategic priorities, methodological approaches, and work planning across IIEP offices.
The incumbent will work as part of the GCI and contribute to key work streams such as country-level technical support, training and capacity development, research and knowledge production, and thematic areas including gender-responsive planning and budgeting, gender and education in crisis contexts, and integration of gender in GPE processes.
Moreover, he/she will collaborate with IIEP colleagues in Dakar, Paris and Buenos Aires to integrate a gender perspective in IIEP work in terms of technical cooperation, capacity development/training, production and dissemination of knowledge and communication.
More specifically, the selected candidate will be assigned the following tasks:
Long Description
1. Contribute to technical support in selected countries:
a. Assist UNESCO Member States, as per their requests, in the development, implementation and monitoring of educational policies with a gender perspective: development of educational policy and national strategy documents (sector analyses, institutional analysis, education policy orientation document, simulation models, education sector plan, budgeted action plan, etc.), support the development of management and monitoring and evaluation tools, and the preparation of Joint Sector Reviews.
b. Assist with developing and sustaining political and education policy management and planning dialogue with the highest authorities of target countries.
c. Contribute to manage dialogue, exchange and coordination with development partners in country.
d. Contribute to integrate gender in GPE processes and country priority reforms design and monitoring.
2. Contribute to strengthening capacities of ministries of education:
a. Through the implementation of multi-country training initiatives developed in the framework of GCI, in collaboration with its partners (courses on gender responsive planning, community of practice in gender and education, South-South collaboration, knowledge exchange and peer learning).
b. Through the professional development of officials in charge of management of education planning, management and training in selected countries (through short-term and contextualized trainings in the countries).
3. Contribute to the production and dissemination of knowledge on gender equality in and through education:
a. Contribute to the development of tools and methodologies on gender mainstreaming in the education sector.
b. Contribute to applied research projects on barriers to gender equality in education.
4. Support to projects management in collaboration with the GCI team:
a. To support the communication around the initiative.
b. To mainstream a gender perspective in IIEP’s work (technical cooperation, capacity development, research and innovation).
5. Perform any other duties as assigned by the Gender-Sensitive Education Planner, the Head of GCI and the Head of the Office of Dakar
COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)
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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in gender, education, economics, social sciences or related fields
Work Experience
- Minimum two (2) years of relevant working experience in the fields of analysis, planning and management of education systems
- Demonstrated professional experience in gender analysis and/or policies in education, preferably in low and/or middle-income countries
- Demonstrated professional experience in the design and/or implementation and/or monitoring and evaluation of education policies or education sector development plans, preferably in low and/or middle-income countries
Skills and competencies
- Gender mainstreaming expertise in education planning and ability to integrate gender perspectives into policies, programs, and projects.
- Analytical skills. Ability to assess existing policies and identify opportunities for gender-responsive improvements and to contribute to the development of gender-sensitive education policies.
- Capacity Development. Experience in designing and delivering training programs on gender equality for education stakeholders.
- Stakeholder Engagement. Experience in establishing and maintaining effective relationship with Ministries of Education, multilateral agencies, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Project management. Experience in managing and overseeing projects with a focus on gender equality.
- Communication skills. Effective written and verbal communication skills to convey complex gender concepts to diverse audiences.
- Innovation skills. Capacity to find innovative solutions and design innovative tools to advance gender equality in education.
- Strong proficiency in standard productivity software, particularly advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and the broader MS Office Suite.
Long Description
Languages
- Excellent command (written and oral) of English or French and written and oral proficiency in the other language.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Work Experience
- Demonstrated experience of designing and facilitating trainings on gender, preferably in the education sector
- Experience in gender-sensitive budgeting in the education sector
- Good and practical knowledge of statistical and econometric techniques and software
- Monitoring and Evaluation. Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of gender-responsive initiatives.
- Experience in mainstreaming gender equality at institutional level
Languages
- Knowledge of Portuguese, Spanish and/or Arabic will be considered as an asset.
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.
The approximate annual starting salary for this post is 81 310 US $.
For full information on benefits and entitlements, please consult our Guide to Staff Benefits.
SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.
The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as an interview.
UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.
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