Education Officer (Social Safeguards), FT, NO-2, Sana'a Yemen

The Education Officer (Social Safeguards) will manage the compliance of the new World Bank-funded Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) project to the Environmental and Social Commitments Plan (ESCP) agreed between the World Bank and UNICEF during project negotiations, the implementation of the social aspects of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF, currently being developed), the preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) for each project site (1000 target schools), and capacity building, both internally and with external partners. The recruitment of this post is a requirement agreed to by UNICEF within the ESCP for the project, with recruitment to be initiated one month after project effectiveness.

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Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Safety...

Nearly five years after the start of the conflict, Yemen remains the largest emergency globally, with 24 million people out of the population of 30.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance. The conflict has left 3.6 million people, including 2 million children, internally displaced, and at least 500,000 public sector workers have been without salaries for three years, including estimated two third of teachers. Humanitarian access to vulnerable populations remains severely constrained. The damage and closure of schools are threatening children's access to education, rendering them vulnerable to serious protection concerns. At least 2 million children in Yemen are estimated to be out of school. While an estimated 46 per cent of girls and 54 per cent of boys are enrolled in school, secondary-level girls are more likely to drop out due to security issues, lack of female teachers and the lack of appropriate WASH facilities.  The emerging crisis has an impact on the overall Education system and limits current and future opportunities for children in Yemen to access learning. UNICEF is working with multiple partners to improve access to quality education for every child in Yemen. Whilst focusing on ensuring immediate humanitarian support to the education sector, UNICEF is also working with partners to improve the quality of education.

UNICEF, in partnership with the World Bank, WFP, and Save the Children, is developing Yemen’s largest ever project for the Education sector.  This new project, entitled Restoring Education and Learning (REAL), represents a much-needed investment of 153 million USD into the education sector. The project financing will be provided jointly by the World Bank/International Development Association (100 million) and Global Partnership for Education (53 million), and the project overall will be managed by the World Bank.

This four-year project will focus on ensuring continued school functioning through a package of support for schools that will benefit from the project, alongside upstream capacity development and support for alternative learning across Yemen. UNICEF, WFP, and Save the Children will work jointly to implement the project, with each agency taking responsibility for different components of the project – UNICEF will provide teacher incentives and allowances, educational supplies, school rehabilitation services, and capacity development; WFP will implement a school feeding program, and Save the Children will focus on teacher training, the production, printing and distribution of learning materials, and capacity development for school principals and administrative staff.     

How can you make a difference?

The Education Officer (Social Safeguards) is to be based in the Yemen Country Office (CO) where the Representative is at the D-2 level and the Education Programme is a component of the Country Programme. The Social Safeguard Specialist reports to the Project Coordinator who is at P-4 level.

The Education Officer (Social Safeguards) will manage the compliance of the new World Bank-funded Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) project to the Environmental and Social Commitments Plan (ESCP) agreed between the World Bank and UNICEF during project negotiations, the implementation of the social aspects of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF, currently being developed),  the preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) for each project site (1000 target schools), and capacity building, both internally and with external partners. The recruitment of this post is a requirement agreed to by UNICEF within the ESCP for the project, with recruitment to be initiated one month after project effectiveness.

Prepare all relevant Social Safeguards documents and ensure compliance with the Social specific requirements of the Environmental and Social Commitments Plan (ESCP):

• In coordination with Environmental Safeguard specialist and Project Coordinator, prepare the social management framework (SMF).
• In coordination with Environmental Safeguard specialist and Project Coordinator, prepare site specific Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMPs) to ensure compliance with relevant Environmental and Social Safety Standards (ESS) and the ESCP. 
• Refine UNICEF’s SSP draft documents, coordinate, review, consolidate and address internal feedback (from UNICEF Divisions and Offices) on the draft documents.
• Monitor UNICEF compliance to ESMF and ESMPs.
• Monitor UNICEF implementing partners compliance to ESMF and ESMPs.
• Plan and formulate any other additional necessary documents, guidance notes, templates, as well as convene internal focused group discussions instrumental towards finalizing the SSP.
• Ensure the SSP related documents are aligned with UNICEF’s internal procedures and policies, regulatory frameworks as well as the model UN approach.
• Provide technical support, guidance, advice to the project partners (WFP and SCI) when applicable.
• Closely follow up the integration of social safeguard assessment information into project planning and implementation and completion of safeguards self-screening checklist during the project development process;
• Provide technical support during project implementation to ensure compliance to the ESCP, ESMPs and ESMF
• Closely provide assistance and deliver capacity building training to the field teams to close knowledge/skill gaps and minimize the likelihood of risks to happen to sub projects
• Ensure that appropriate social mitigation measures are proposed as part of the ESMF and ESMPs.
• Undertake follow up monitoring to ensure that proposed social risk mitigation measures are implemented according to the ESCP, ESMF and ESMPs
• Prepare social risks management inputs to all project technical reports. 
• Closely provide assistance and deliver capacity building training to the sectors to close knowledge/skill gaps and minimize the likelihood of risks to happen to projects
• Handle additional assignments as directed by the Project Coordinator.

Representation, Operations, Management and Implementation

• Identify and prepare a comprehensive plan that will avert any potentially adverse effects from project interventions on Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups.
• Ensure that the project benefits reach the Vulnerable and marginalized groups and peoples in an equitable manner and through institutions that respect and are able to serve them in a decentralized manner.
• Review bid documents to ensure social factors and mitigations are incorporated, and they are in harmony with the social safeguards’ requirements;
• Preparation of Social monitoring and evaluation reports and, perform tasks and responsibilities related to the social issues including Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and Sexual Harassment (SH), Gender Based Violence (GBV), issues related to labor influx (people coming into the project area for project related work) and child labor.
• Ensure compliance of the ESCP sensitivities and responsiveness of SEA, SH, GBV and put measures to mitigate them
• Appraise the social aspects of the Project interventions.  Advice on how the programme activities can be more gender sensitive to meet the priorities of both men and women beneficiaries.
• Undertake site visits during project execution and operation to assess how social screening and mitigation measures are succeeding or have succeeded in minimizing impacts
• Identify challenges, opportunities, priorities and needs for the development and implementation of the ESCP, ESMF and ESMPs.
• Undertake policy dialogue on social sustainability and safeguards issues and advise counterparts on technical options for social development, particularly mitigation plans and institutional development strategies.
• Handle complex technical, institutional and program implementation issues regarding social development and lead the related dialogue with counterparts.
• Participate and play a leading role in portfolio reviews on selected social development topics.
• Lead or participate in analytical studies, support other analytical work on different social development topics, and stay abreast of developments in social development globally and on cross-cutting issues
• In collaboration with the project team, make sure that the terms and conditions set for project development in line with social safeguard principles are adhered to.
• Help develop sustainable local and national consultation mechanisms and strategies.
• Supervise the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure consistency and conformity to UNICEF’s standards.
• Take stock of lessons learned from previous projects, global regional and national best practices, and current UNICEF and WB principles guidelines and procedures to ensure social safeguard documents for the project remain up to date and current.
• Supervise consultancy works and review and assess products/services provided by consultants and experts counterparts and notify/advise the Project Coordinator on quality and recommend appropriate actions to be taken for social as per the safeguard principles and guidelines.
• Advice on administrative measures and actions required for ensuring the compliance with requirements set regarding social safeguard measures prior to the validation and implementation of the project activities.

Capacity Building and training

• Provide support and direct technical assistance to develop social safeguard responsive smart strategies and plans.
• Develop and implement capacity building activities for UNICEF staff and partners where applicable.
• Provide technical support to the project and result based monitoring and evaluation.
• Carry out training on integrating safeguard principles in REAL project.
• ESMF is developed and in place.
• ESMPs are developed and in place for each project site.
• Capacity of project staff improved.
• Participation of UNICEF in all environmental safeguards’ meetings.
• All field teams well versed in safeguards issues.
• Reporting of all safeguards’ issues on the ground.
• Performs other relevant duties as required.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education: A university degree in Social sciences (anthropology, sociology, political economy, social development, etc.), or relevant similar field is required.

Experience: Two (2) years technical experience in sustainability, social safeguards and/or social development (voice and participation, gender, community-driven development, citizen engagement) and in the design, implementation and preferably monitoring of social/environmental impact assessments and management plans

Good writing and communication skills, including public speaking and presentations, is preferred.

Familiarity with the UN System is considered an asset.

Other Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Highly motivated team players with an eye for detail, understanding the bigger picture context of operations, and creative problem-solving abilities.
• Strong analytical skills and practical experience with participatory processes of stakeholder engagement and be able to integrate social development considerations in an operational context.
• This requires strong technical competency on social issues and safeguards, with demonstrated ability to contribute to project management. 
• Knowledge and experience in addressing issues covered by UNICEF’s social safeguards policies or similar policies in other international institutions in complex and challenging settings, and across practices. 
• Experience working in complex and challenging settings is highly desirable
• Experience with grievance redress mechanisms.
• Experience in areas of social inclusion such as gender; conflict, fragility, and violence; and disability. Knowledge on knowledge of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and Sexual Harassment (SH), Gender Based Violence (GBV)

Language requirements: Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

Core Competencies

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Functional Competencies:

• Analyzing (2)
• Applying technical expertise (2)
• Learning and researching (2)
• Planning and organizing (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

To view the detailed Job description please click YEM21023_SJP_Education Officer (Social Safeguards), NO-2, FT, Sana'a, Yemen.pdf

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.