IDB3121 - Senior Global Education Specialist

Job Purpose

To provide expert level advice and support to the management in the development of strategy and long-range interventions on portfolio, policy, operations and strategic partnerships in the Education Sector. To support in conceiving, developing and promoting innovations in Bank Policy, operational procedures, project/program design in the organization and management of operations in Education Sector in IsDB Member Countries. To provide support in formulating advisory and technical guidance in the matters related to Education Sector, contribute and facilitate in building, collaborating, engaging with and nurturing a network of developers to ensure that IsDB follows the best practices in project management and in the development of sector policy and related strategies.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic & Operational Planning:

• Contribute to the development of strategy, work programs and knowledge product to ensure the unit is contributing to achievement of the strategic goals of IsDB.
• Assesses risks, benefits, impact and strategic intent in decision-making.
• Gathers varied and accurate input, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.
• Undertake the analytical/economic and sector work (ESW) as well as sector dialogue during Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS) and programming missions.
• Provide technical input for the development, review and monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the Education Unit and Core Sector Indicators (CSI) in IsDB financed projects in the Member Countries to ensure achievement of highest the highest level of efficiency.
• Contribute to mainstreaming Sustainable Development Goals in IsDB’s Education projects.

 Policies, Processes and Procedures:

• Contribute technically to the design, review and implementation of the IsDB's policies, strategies, procedures and guidelines relating to the sector interventions to ensure alignment with local and industry standards.
• Ensure compliance with IsDB’s policies and guidelines to ensure quality in the operational work of Education Sector as well as maintaining good working relationships with various clients.
• Identifies and assesses policy issues and communicates findings through economic reports, guidance notes and papers.
• Plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.

Sector Portfolio Management:

• Contribute to the quality review and improvement throughout project lifecycle of IsDB financed projects to ensure all projects abide by the high-quality standards demanded by the Bank.
• Act as a project or program team member as requested throughout the project lifecycle.
• Undertake sector work in ensuring inclusion of the international best practices.
• Closely monitor the overall sector portfolio in order to ensure its successful implementation or advise on corrective measures, if necessary.
• Participate in Education Sector Portfolio Performance Review (SPPR) and Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR).
• Participate in Quality Assurance and review Meetings and provide review and advise on technical matters.
• Carry out responsibilities for a variety of operational tasks (e.g. participating as a full member of a multi-disciplinary team) and undertaking assignments of Member Country Partnership Strategy and for quality assurance in project preparation, appraisal and supervision as well as ESW in the Education related projects.
• Leads missions for Project Completion Report and global overview of projects in the Education sector across the different regional hubs.
• Provide inputs in the preparation of diverse operational and sectoral outputs (e.g. sector and country briefings, background reports, case studies, policy note, ESW, portfolio performance reviews, and Project Completion Reports (PCR) etc.).
• Participate in missions in area of specialization in order to contribute to design of complex operations.
• Collaborate with the Regional Hubs and Operation Quality & Results to track results achieved and lessons learnt in the Education Sector.
• Participation in program/project reviews and evaluation exercises.
• Oversee the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure consistency and conformity to Bank standards.

Knowledge Sharing & Innovation:

• Contribute to building capacity of Education Sector specialists across the bank.
• Contribute to IsDB knowledge repository by documenting best practices and lessons learned.
• Share knowledge as subject matter expert related to sector issues to enhance a knowledge sharing culture across the Bank that would allow it to create more value.
• Collaborate with other pillars/sectoral teams to ensure dissemination of tailored knowledge and expertise to support project implementation, ensuring that cross-cutting issues such as capacity development, women’s empowerment, and social/environmental issues related to Education Sector are adequately addressed.
• Share key knowledge and learning outcomes with the Knowledge Management and Institutional Learning Unit in areas related to the sector.
• Represent the Bank and contribute in regional and international events/forums on Global Education to stay abreast with the latest development in the sector.
• Provide technical expertise to the Education Sector team on all strategic matters.

Education, Experience & Certification

Academic and professional qualifications:
• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Master’s or PhD Degree in Education are highly preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of experience for Bachelor holder (or 6 years for Master holder or 4 years for PhD holder) in developing and implementing Education related policy, strategy, global practices, program/projects, of which 3 years in a multi-lateral development institution, or similar institution. 

Skills & Necessary Knowledge

• Knowledge of the latest development and trends in the Global Education Sector, globally and developing countries, in particular.
• Knowledge in conceptualizing and managing Education projects/ programs.
• Knowledge of the factors influencing Education sector, especially in the developing countries.
• Project management skills.
• Analytical Skills (sector analysis, diagnosis studies and country context analysis)
• Development effectiveness.
• Stakeholder Management.
• Relationship Building.
• Report Writing Skills.
• Presentation Skills.
• MS Office skills-Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Languages

• English ( Mandatory )

•  Arabic ( Preferred )

•  French ( Preferred )