Associate National Project Officer at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The United Nations is the one international organization with the reach and vision capable of solving global problems. The United Nations Foundation links the UN’s work with others around the world, mobilizing the energy and expertise of business and non-governmental organizations to help the UN tackle issues including climate change, global health, peace and security, women’s empowerment, poverty eradication, energy access, and U.S.-UN relations.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Associate National Project Officer

Post Number: 6NGED0003PA
Location: Abuja
Grade: NO-B
Parent Sector: Education Sector (ED)
Job Family: Education
Type of Contract: Project Appointment
Duration of Contract: 1 year

Overview of the Functions of the Post

• The Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) programme is UNESCO’s flagship programme in education for health and wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa. The O3 Programme will support the delivery of good quality comprehensive sexuality education that empowers adolescents and young people, while developing the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and competencies needed to prevent HIV, reduce early and unintended pregnancies and eliminate gender-based violence.
• Through the support of the government of Sweden and other partners, the O3 Programme builds on current efforts by UNESCO to improve sexual and reproductive health, and gender and education outcomes for adolescents and young people. Nigeria is a programme acceleration country of the O3 programme. The Associate National Project Officer will support the planning and contribute to the implementation and monitoring of UNESCO’s work on education for health and wellbeing.
• The position falls under the overall authority of the Assistant Director General for Education, general supervision of the Regional Director of UNESCO Office in Abuja, direct supervision of the National Programme Officer, O3 or Abuja and the guidance of the Regional Health Education Adviser for West and Central Africa based in Dakar.
• S/he will contribute in providing technical expertise on key themes including prevention of school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), early and unintended pregnancy (EUP) and HIV. S/he will be responsible for supporting the National Project Officer for Health and Wellbeing in Nigeria.

More particularly, s/he will:

• Support the Ministry of Education, Health and other line ministries in the development and delivery of comprehensive sexuality education curricula to ensure that they are evidence based‐gender transformative, age appropriate and culturally sensitive;
• Support the implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV), Early and Unintended Pregnancy (EUP), and HIV teaching and learning materials at the school-level through building the capacity of in-service teachers, mentorship and support supervision;
• Provide guidance to in-service teachers towards the formulation & implementation of school based guidelines (including codes of conduct) responding effectively & expeditiously to reports of gender based violence;
•  Support the engagement of all partners both at the national, States and school based levels towards the development of a project results based monitoring and evaluation framework and practices for CSE implementation within the selected project schools;
• Support the coordination of the process of conducting midterm and terminal evaluations using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, and ensure timely submission of M&E reports to inform programming;
• Support the integration and utilization of HIV sensitive indicators within EMIS through development of research & evaluation around SRH for young people aged 10 – 24 years to enhance the evidence base for planning and implementation of HIV and CSE programmes;
• Support schools to strengthen linkages with SRH service providers, parents/guardians and other community leaders to ensure promotion and access of equitable and youth friendly and gender sensitive SRH services for young people;
• Coordinate the process of documenting best practices of promising CSE/SRH interventions and programs at the school level in Nigeria to inform key areas of CSE mainstreaming with the education sector and other countries in the WCA region;
• Support development of activities to improve community engagement in young people’s access to comprehensive sexuality education & services;
• Support the development of research, monitoring & evaluation around CSE/SRH for young people to enhance evidence-based planning and implementation of programmes; and
• Ensure the visibility of the Project within and outside UNESCO, donor organization through quality social and traditional media communication on the project and timely delivery of narrative quarterly and annual reports.

Required Qualifications
Education:

• An Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) in the field of Education, Social Sciences or Public Health.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of two years of relevant work experience in fields related to sexual and reproductive health and education.
• Experience in working with Government ministries and Parastatals, international/national Non-Governmental Organizations and UN Agencies.

Skills and Competencies:

• Programme monitoring and evaluation and an ability to report on implementation.
• Capacity building in partnership with governmental partners and civil society.
• High level of technical writing skills on, HIV prevention, SRGBV, EUP and other thematic issues included in UNESCO’s Strategy on Education for Health and Wellbeing.
• Excellent communication skills including social media skills.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to multi task, prioritize and deliver to deadline, as well as work under pressure.
• Credibility and confidence, with networking and high level representational and partnership building skills, involving a wide range of partners (including relevant Ministries, UNAIDS Cosponsors, donors and civil society).

Languages:

• Excellent English (written and oral).
• Excellent knowledge of local/national language: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or Pidgin.

Languages:

• Working knowledge of French.

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.

Deadline: 14th Janaury, 2022.

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

Note

• Recruitment is open to Internal and external candidates.
• Only nationals of Nigeria may apply to this post.
• Initial duration of the contract is for 1 year, with possibility of extension subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance.