National Project Officer

The National Project Officer will supervise the day-to-day implementation of the project "Building peace through religious education in Somalia" on behalf of UNESCO. The role involves managing project quality, coordinating with partners, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and providing policy advice to support peace-centered pedagogy and inclusive teaching practices in early childhood Quranic education in Somalia.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the management and quality of the project from UNESCO’s side in line with the project specific objectives, activities, and expected outputs, in cooperation with the Project Manager.
• Support the Project Manager in the overall management of the project.
• Regularly monitor and support the updating of the project workplan as necessary.
• Plan and organize the procurement of goods and services to be carried out by UNESCO and closely monitor their implementation.
• Identify suitable project implementation partners and providers of goods and services.
• Monitor the implementation of contracts, assess the quality of services provided, and request disbursement of funds.
• Liaise with other development partners, donors, and stakeholders in Somalia to ensure coordination, harmonization, and alignment of the project with other relevant initiatives and interventions in the country.
• Regularly monitor the financial status of the project for UNESCO’s side and promptly develop a budget revision if needed.
• Oversee monitoring and evaluation efforts and report on progress.
• Support the Project Manager in regularly preparing, conducting, and following up on meetings with government and stakeholders, preparing their minutes and action plans with a clear division of responsibility and timeframe.
• Prepare reports on project activities for UNESCO, the donor, and partners.
• Contribute to the dissemination of the project's results and knowledge products through various channels, such as workshops, webinars, and publications, ensuring accessibility and usability by project stakeholders.
• Provide policy advice and technical assistance to project stakeholders in Somalia on project implementation, evidence generation, framework development, piloting and operationalization, and monitoring and evaluation in line with government policies and SDGs 4 and 16.
• Mobilize UNESCO’s entities, including Headquarters, Nairobi Regional Office, and Institutes, in support of expertise and successful project implementation.
• Facilitate the sharing of international experiences and access to information, knowledge and good practices.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in the field of education, social sciences, peace studies or closely related field(s).
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in technical assistance and project management in the field of education, teacher training or skills development.
• Experience in supporting educational and training reform/development agenda of governments.
• Excellent understanding of the issues and challenges regarding religious education in Somalia.
• Good project management skills and ability to coordinate and support a complex project.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the Organization.
• Ability to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Strong IT skills.
• Fluency in English and Somali.
• Specialization in education and/or peacebuilding (desirable).
• Work experience in a UN agency or international organization (desirable).
• Work experience in the field of education in Somalia or Horn of Africa (desirable).
• Experience in policy support and capacity development in education (desirable).
• Knowledge of procedures in international development cooperation, in particular in UNESCO (desirable).

Skills

• Project Management
• Technical Assistance
• Teacher Training
• Skills Development
• Education Reform Support
• Policy Support
• Capacity Development
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Report Writing
• Peacebuilding Processes
• Religious Education Knowledge
• Multicultural Environment Coordination
• Gender-sensitive Health Practices
• Communications Skills
• IT Skills
• UN Agency Experience
• International Development Procedures
• Early Childhood Education
• Stakeholder Coordination

Languages

English, Somali