Policy Specialist for Education Emergency Response (Beirut, Lebanon) contract Full Time

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Beirut

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 15-DEC-2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Background 
Development of Lebanon’s education sector was disrupted by the onset of the recent conflict. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) had to shift its focus on coordinating and managing an emergency response to ensure learning continuity for all children and youth in the country. Since September 2024, the ongoing crisis in Lebanon has impacted over 500,000 students, with numerous educational institutions either located in affected areas or converted into collective shelters. MEHE has mobilize all resources to reopen its public schools, technical and vocational education centers, and its only public university, reaching over 360,000 students for the new academic year 2024-25. MEHE’s focus is on addressing the emergency within the sector, while at the same time ensuring that the education system is responsive and resilient in order to transition from an emergency response to meeting the development challenges of managing a protracted crisis. This is critical if Lebanon is to be able to offer all children the kind of education envisaged in Sustainable Development Goal 4 by 2030. 
UNESCO supported MEHE to develop the General Education 5 Year Plan and its Higher Education plan as a contribution to realizing its humanitarian and development goals as well as government-wide effort to transform Lebanon. UNESCO has also supported MEHE develop its multisectoral Education Emergency Costed Response Plan (EECRP) which aims to ensure the continuity of quality, inclusive and equitable learning for all students in Lebanon during the ongoing crisis. Currently, it is in the process of supporting MEHE to implement its emergency plan, and work towards transitioning to addressing the development needs of the sector with the support of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). 
This is reflected in the national development goal for Lebanon’s future: Lebanon’s high-quality human capital strengthens socio-economic development, innovation and resilience. 
 

Scope of the Assignment 

The scope of the assignment focuses on acting as a liaison between the Minister Office and the DGE Offices (General Ed, Higher Ed, and TVET) for the coordination implementation of the overall programs and activities preformed. 

This position is critical to ensure there is synchronization between MEHE Minister Office and DGE Offices and the Lebanese University that would serve the implementation of the emergency response plan and ensure the successful initiation of the GPE support in Lebanon to transition from emergency response to meeting the development challenges within the sector. This includes overseeing and reporting on the successful implementation of different education response initiatives, maintaining effective communication and coordination between DGEs and the Lebanese University core team and Minister need for frequent updates on the emergency response plan. It also includes close collaboration and consultation on strategic education policy, planning and programming between the Minister and sector partners towards. Moreover, it includes preparation for the GPE support, including conducting necessary assessments and launching and maintaining the Local Education Group.  

This position is well suited to candidates who enjoy working under pressure and be an effective part of a team. Much of the work to be undertaken by this position requires competitive project management and high communication and soft diplomacy skills.

He/She shall work under the direct supervision of the Minister of Education and Higher Education and shall provide timely reporting to the Minister on all matters related to the duties below.

Duties & Responsibilities
1.    Contribute to and provide strategic guidance to the Minister of MEHE on the implementation of the emergency response plan, projects and activities (General Ed, Higher Ed, and TVET).
2.    Identify priority areas, programs and activities related to the emergency response plan that need to be addressed by the Minister and or relayed to the Director Generals and the president of the Lebanese University and propose recommended action points for moving forward. 
3.    Relay information to the Minister based on analysis of reports, assessments, studies, AWP, and other to support recommendations for action point on the AWP and the emergency response plan. 
4.    Coordinate related meetings and agendas as per Minister of MEHE recommendations for the emergency response plan, among which are those related to the Higher Committee for the Management of Education in Emergencies, Crises and Disasters.  
5.    Coordinate with other counterparts at Minister Office and DG offices and the Lebanese University to ensure that the Minister is supported in the coordination of external partnerships and joint resource mobilization efforts including relationship between donors/partners and different parties across MEHE. 
6.    Support the Minister in overseeing the alignment of donors funded programs and projects to the emergency response plan and adherence to MEHE organizational policies & procedures.
7.    Lead the preparations for the GPE support, including overseeing the drafting of the enabling factors analysis, the drafting of the grant applications.
8.    Facilitate the alignment of the GPE support with the current education sector priorities.
9.    Facilitate discussions between MEHE and the GPE secretariat 
10.    Support the drafting of presentations-background information, work plans, budgets summary, implementation arrangements, as requested by Minister and as in liason with DGs and the president of the Lebanese University.
11.    Inform the Minister of any potential risk/issues on investment efforts and initiatives in the education sector. 
12.    Participate in and organize high profile education events to expand the emergency response plan opportunities and build solid transition plans, including on-line, aimed at increasing engagement of existing donors/partners across all funding modalities.  
13.    Coordinate with the DGs and the president of the Lebanese University and team on all funding modalities, project and donor related activities currently run at MEHE to ensure alignment with the emergency response plan.  
14.    Ensure flow of information between the DG Offices and the president of the Lebanese University and Minister Office; ensure follow up on actions required from counterparts as per AWP for the emergency response plan. 
15.    Undertake other tasks as requested by the Minister.
 

Expected Deliverables:

The Incumbent shall submit monthly activity reports in the specific responsibilities defined in this Terms of Reference that includes the following:

a.    Executive summary of the overall performance (tasks assigned vs actual accomplishments.
b.    Key Monthly objectives & activities.
c.    Implementation Plan, Milestones & Future steps (ongoing tasks and/or new cycle)

The incumbent shall submit an “End of assignment closure report” including handing over of any documentation (electronic or otherwise), assets and deliverables belonging to MEHE.

Level of Effort and Duration of the Assignment

•    This is a full-time position, requiring daily attendance at the workplace.
 

•    Master’s degree in educational management, development, business administration, communication management, computer science, engineering and or any related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience of min 5 years, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 
•    10 years’ experience working in public/private education sector with project/program management, partnership management, coordination, and donors’ relations with key local and international actors including government bodies, UN agencies, Development funding agencies, INGOs, NGOs and other. 
•    Demonstrated ability in coordinating and managing projects, reading strategies, reviewing proposals, assessing proposals, proposal development, strategic planning and donor relationships.
•    Very good knowledge of compliance & governance aspects related to institutional grants and other types of partnerships (public sector level)
•    Proven ability to work both independently and within a team of senior experts 
•    Strong tactful/soft diplomacy and communication skills with proficiency in developing high-level compelling technical written and oral presentations, 
•    Fluency in Arabic and English, French is highly desired.
•    Excellent ICT skills
•    Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
•    Ability to work with minimum supervision