E T Consultant

The Extended Term Consultant will provide strategic and operational leadership for the World Bank's education portfolio in the Philippines, supporting project implementation, institutional capacity building, and policy dialogue to improve education quality and outcomes. The role involves managing education projects, coordinating with government counterparts, and contributing to analytical and advisory work to advance education and skills development.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Philippines education portfolio, maintaining a strong understanding of the work program, operations, analytical and advisory activities, institutional context, and key counterparts including DepEd, TESDA, CHED, DILG, and the ECCD Council.
• Oversee portfolio performance, implementation progress, milestones, risks, results, and compliance with World Bank corporate requirements, ensuring fidelity to project design and timely escalation of issues requiring management attention.
• Lead technical assistance, institutional capacity building, and implementation support to government counterparts covering education systems strengthening, service delivery, institutional effectiveness, education financing, and implementation capacity.
• Identify and resolve implementation bottlenecks related to budgeting and expenditure, procurement, financial management, internal controls, institutional coordination, and other operational constraints.
• Strengthen portfolio-level implementation, coordination, and results management by identifying cross-cutting operational issues, facilitating solutions across projects and institutions, coordinating government agencies, implementing entities, World Bank teams, and other stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships and lead cross-sectoral collaboration with government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, research institutions, academia, and other stakeholders.
• Work proactively with the Human Development/People team, Country Management Unit, other Global Practices, and regional and global teams to leverage complementary expertise and resources, identify synergies and entry points, and advance education and skills development.
• Provide substantive leadership and contributions to analytical, advisory, knowledge, and policy work by generating, synthesizing, adapting, and disseminating global, regional, and local evidence; preparing high-quality analytical products and actionable policy recommendations; and supporting strategic dialogue with senior government counterparts and development partners.
• Promote good practices and lessons that reduce learning poverty, improve learning and human capital outcomes, expand equitable and inclusive access to quality education and relevant skills development, and strengthen institutional effectiveness, accountability, and education system resilience.
• Contribute to the strategic development and effective management of the education program, identifying emerging priorities, operational opportunities, institutional constraints, and areas for future financing, technical assistance, and analytical engagement.
• Promote strong team coordination, communication, and knowledge sharing; prepare high-quality management briefings, reports, presentations, and materials for missions, reviews, and stakeholder engagements; respond effectively to priority and ad hoc requests from World Bank management and colleagues, government counterparts, development partners, and other stakeholders.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in education, economics, public policy, business administration, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in the education sector, including experience in preparation or implementation of education and skills projects and/or analytical work on education or skills.
• Deep knowledge of the Philippine education sector; experience working with DepEd and/or TESDA is an advantage.
• Extensive experience working directly with the Government of the Philippines, including supporting institutional strengthening and capacity-building initiatives and navigating government systems, processes, operational constraints, and implementation priorities.
• At least 5 years of conducting policy dialogue and formal negotiations with government counterparts and development partners.
• Ability to maintain productive client relationships amid competing priorities and conflicting demands.
• Sound political judgment, diplomatic acumen, and negotiation skills.
• Experience working with development organizations is an advantage; experience with World Bank-supported projects is highly desirable.
• Extensive direct experience guiding clients and/or development partners in identifying and addressing key operational issues, priorities, and solutions.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in evaluating education and skills projects.
• Ability to think independently and strategically and to rapidly analyze and synthesize information from diverse sources.
• Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities effectively in a high-pressure environment, prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality work with strong attention to detail and professional ethics.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Filipino.
• Ability to prepare clear, high-quality documents on complex subjects in both languages and present ideas clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively in teams, exercising empathy and mutual respect, and to navigate multicultural environments involving diverse perspectives, priorities, and interests.

Skills

• Education Sector Expertise
• Education Project Implementation
• Skills Project Preparation
• Policy Dialogue
• Government Relations
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Government Systems Navigation
• Negotiation Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Education Project Evaluation
• Strategic Thinking
• Operational Leadership
• Client Relationship Management
• Multi-cultural Team Collaboration
• Written Communication
• Oral Communication
• Policy Analysis
• Development Partner Coordination
• Education Policy Evaluation

Languages

English, Filipino