Education Officer (Digital Learning and Skills)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

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.

https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/ [1]

For every child, Education.

In Viet Nam, UNICEF has been asked by the government to help nurture the entire digital-educational ecosystem creating a digital backbone across a students’ learning journey and ensuring children and adolescents in Viet Nam are prepared for a world where digital is not only a skill, but a way of thinking and exploring the world.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, UNICEF Viet Nam was addressing the digital divide by integrating digital literacy into the curriculum and teacher training, in particular targeting interventions for boys and girls from ethnic minorities. The crisis has accelerated that work and UNICEF increased its advocacy for investment in and prioritization of internet connectivity in rural and underserved areas. UNICEF Viet Nam is furthermore supporting the provision of necessary technology to disadvantaged communities; and will develop and promote the child-friendly usage of digital tools by teachers and school managers.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the job: The Education Officer reports to the Chief of Education Section for supervision. The Education Officer provides professional technical, and operational assistance to support the development of promising solutions on digital learning.  The Education Officer is responsible for preparing, executing, managing and implementing technical and operational tasks to support the work on the digital transformation of the education system currently ongoing in Viet Nam.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Support to programme development and implementation:

• Provide technical support in developing innovative personalizing learning approaches based on what children and adolescents want and need to learn – in languages they understand. Using modern technologies to build and accredit skills and track learning progress that will be critical for students, families, teachers, governments and businesses.
• Support the collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) aiming to develop an integrated approach to enhancing digital and transferable skills through in-school and extracurricular activities
• Support the Viet Nam country office and the SAP partnership in the co-creation and piloting of digital learning lesson packages that meet the learning needs of adolescents with a special focus on girls and ethnic minority adolescents
• Facilitate processes for capturing and integrating perspectives and voices of young people in the development of Viet Nam’s 10 year Strategic Education Plan, including a portfolio of scalable initiatives to promote digital literacy and skills.
• Provide technical assistance and guidance to support results reporting, evidence generation and shared learning on adolescent (digital) education, from primary to upper secondary, including alternate pathways and skills.
• Provide technical input in the design and implementation of programs to realise results in secondary education and skills. This will focus on strengthening education systems to deliver learning outcomes for adolescent girls and boys, especially the most vulnerable.
• Support strengthening of secondary education and skills programming based on current evidence and good practice.
• Provide concept papers, guidance and technical notes to strengthen the evidence base and strategic considerations leading to stronger programming, contributing to knowledge sharing.

Support networking and partnership building:

• Support UNICEF Viet Nam in its brokering role with potential national partners, corporate providers of digital learning, Mobile Network Operators and the international community in Viet Nam who can contribute to achieving results to scale on connecting every child and young person to world-class digital solutions that offer personalized learning to leapfrog to a brighter future.
• Research and documentation of potential public and private donors in support of the digital transformation of Viet Nam’s education system.
• Support partners, including the GenU-SAP partnership, to focus on secondary education digital learning and skills through co-creation of solutions and implementation of the GenU-SAP programme.
• Contribute to organizing national and regional engagement events around Digital Literacy and Transferable Skills development.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Support organizational knowledge management on quality digital learning in collaboration and partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), the private sector, multilaterals and academia. This includes documentation of good practices in promising solutions on digital learning and development of standardized tools.
• Build capacities of UNICEF staff and partners on Digital Literacy and Skills. 
• Work with young people to apply human centered design in programming and co-create solutions that address priorities and needs of adolescents.

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

Education: An university degree within one of the following fields is required: education, social science, political science or another relevant technical field.

Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in development, planning and managing of (digital) learning and skills projects. Experience working in Gender focused projects and/or Digital Literacy projects is considered as an asset. Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is considered as an asset.

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.

Core competencies

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

The functional competencies required for this post are:

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here [2].

Click here [3] to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

What we can offer you?  Our staff are offered attractive salary and excellent package of benefits:

Competitive salary: Ranging from USD31,435 (net annually), depending on qualifications and experience.

Pension benefits: You will become a participant in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (https://www.unjspf.org [4])

Health insurance scheme: You and your eligible dependents will be covered by the UN Medical Insurance Plan (https://www.un.org/insurance/plans/medical-insurance-plan-mip [5])

Professional Development: The encouragement of professional development for all staff is one of UNICEF’s core values and we put this into practice through various services and initiatives. You will have different learning opportunities to strengthen your skills and competencies.

Be part of the United Nations: As an International organization that is part of the United Nations system, you will be considered an International Civil Servant and you will have career opportunities inside and outside the country.

Quality working conditions:

• The workplace and working conditions are a huge asset for all UNICEF employees. Our staff are working in the Green One UN House- the first building in Viet Nam to be awarded gold LOTUS certification from the Viet Nam Green Building Council for efficient and environmentally sustainable use of resources and operations.
• We offer flexible working arrangements: flexible working hours, compressed work schedule, teleworking, job sharing.
• We provides different types of leave to allow for rest and relaxation as well as unforeseen events like illness: annual leave, parental leave (up to 24 weeks), sick leave and special leave.
• We  provide support for pregnancy and breastfeeding (time off from work during the day for the purpose of breastfeeding infants or expressing milk. A private room and a refrigerator for storing milk are available in the office)
• We also provide mental well-being/ psychological support.

Qualified candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents to the assigned requisition in UNICEF Vacancies: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ [6]

1. Letter of Interest
2. CV/UN Personal History Form  P 11 form.doc [7]

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/ [8]

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate. 

https://vietnam.un.org/en/86207-announcement-time-hire-un-agencies-viet-nam-national-positions [9]

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