ET Consultant Job at the World Bank Group, 14th November, 2018

The World Bank Group – Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2017, the WBG committed $59 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $19 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.

We are recruiting to fill the ppsition below:

Job Title: ET Consultant

Job #: req1090
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Sector: Education
Grade: EC2
Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Required Language(s): English

Job Description
Education and the Africa Region:

The World Bank has a longstanding commitment to education sector reform in Nigeria, and cooperation will likely intensify further under the recently launched Human Capital Project (HCP).  Ongoing education operations in Nigeria include the:

• Global Partnership for Education (GPE)-funded Nigeria Partnership for Education Project (NIPEP, US$100 million), which is active in 5 states in the North West, as well as Abuja, and aims to address access and quality in basic education, with a particular focus on girls’ education;
• State Education Program Investment Project (SEPIP, US$250 million International Development Association [IDA] funds), which is active in 2 southern states and the conflict-affected North East, with a focus on need-based teacher deployment and improved school-level management and accountability with the help of school grants;
• Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) PforR Operation (US$611 million IDA funds), a federal operation that aims to reduce the numbers of out-of-school children and improve literacy in basic education, as well as improving system accountability for results; and
• Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) Project (US$70 million IDA funds for Nigeria), a regional project that is active in universities in 7 states and Abuja, that aims to promote regional specialization in areas that address regional challenges, by strengthening the capacities of these universities to deliver quality training and applied research.  In addition, the World Bank is currently working with Government on preparing 2 new IDA-funded operations, the first aiming to improve the quality and relevance of skills in Nigeria, and the second working with universities and building on the experience with the ACE Project.  The GPE also recently allocated US$100 million for Nigeria, and preparations for accessing those funds have begun.

The World Bank is also active in knowledge generation on key issues in the education sector in Nigeria.  In this regard, planned analytical work for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 includes analysis of and recommendations for reform on education spending, education quality, early childhood education, secondary education (both academic education and technical and vocational education and training [TVET]), and higher education.  In addition, the Nigeria education team contributes relevant analysis and inputs to cross-sectoral and macroeconomic/public finance reports and strategic documents.

The unit is seeking to hire an Extended Term Consultant (ETC), based in Abuja, to provide analytical and operational support to the Nigeria education portfolio and related activities, who (a) has strong analytical skills; (b) has some expertise in at least one education subsector; (c) has strong communication skills and an understanding of political economy of reforms, enabling them to contribute effectively to policy dialogue; and (d) is interested in the practical aspects of World Bank operations or (for internal candidates) has experience in World Bank-funded/supported operations.

Job Summary

• The selected candidate will be based in Abuja, Nigeria, and report to the Education Practice Manager for GED13. The ETC will collaborate closely with the Nigeria education team, which has members based both in Abuja and Washington DC.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Contribution to education sector analytical work: Participate in analytical work and provide high quality customized analytical and advisory services linked to country circumstances (including relevant lessons from international experience) on wide range of issues and policies related to education. Skillfully manipulate large datasets, such as school census and national learning assessment data, summarizing findings clearly and drawing out policy recommendations. Contribute to activities such as impact evaluations, economic analysis of education operations, public expenditure reviews, and other education analytical work.
• Support to human development (HD) and other country analytical work: Provide education sector input to regular Bank products and outputs, e.g. HD-wide analytical tasks, CMU tasks.  Liaise with HD staff on integrated HD inputs and activities.
• Support to ad hoc requests and briefings: Respond to ad-hoc information requests on education from internal and external parties.  Draft briefings for management on education sector in general and specific topics as required.
• Support of operations: In consultation with the TTLs, handle operational matters on a day-to-day basis.  In this context, she/he would participate in the full cycle of project preparation, implementation support, and evaluation. She/he will support mission preparation and contribute to mission objectives, including inputs to mission aides-memoire and implementation status reports (ISRs). She/he will support monitoring and evaluation of project development objectives and implementation progress, intermediate outcomes, and results-based financing/disbursement linked indicators.  The main objective is to help ensure the effectiveness and timely implementation of projects, including close follow-up on project implementation progress and alleviation of bottlenecks.

Selection Criteria

• A minimum of a Master’s Degree (preferably PhD) in Economics, Education (Economics of Education, Education Policy, etc.), Public Policy, or a related field;
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in the education sector;
• Strong analytical and technical skills, including an understanding of the core education data sets, indicators, tools for analysis of these data, and the use of evidence for education policy;
• Strong client orientation and proven ability to work with government agencies, and with partner organizations;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work in a team and intercultural environment with minimal supervision;
• High levels of energy, initiative and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements. Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to internal and external client requests, and set priorities for self and others;
• Relevant experience with policies and interventions in the education sector, familiarity with World Bank’s operations and business processes will be a plus;
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills to convey complex technical ideas to a non-specialist audience, and lead substantive policy dialogue with clients and stakeholders;
• Fluency in written and spoken English; and
• Willingness to travel, as required by the different tasks.

Key Competencies:

• Integrative Skills: Demonstrates strong integrative thinking and ability to support project teams in developing an integrated point of view around development challenges;
• Policy Dialogue Skills: Possesses political judgment, diplomatic acumen, and negotiating skills; applies cross-country development knowledge to discussions with clients and development partners; anticipates needs and requests in the field and develops/offers relevant tools to clients;
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena: Understands policy making process and the role of own sector of expertise in that process; finds relevant information/data and examines similar policy questions in multiple regions;
• Client Orientation: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success;
• Drive for Results: Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, and has the personal organization skills to do so;
• Teamwork: Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view;
• Knowledge, Learning, and Communication:  Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner; and
• Education Sector Knowledge and Experience: Possesses strong analytical and technical skills, including an understanding of the core education data sets, indicators, tools for analysis of these data, and the use of evidence for education policy.

Deadline; 27th November, 2018 by 11:59pm UTC.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable for an additional one year, at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET Appointment of two years.