Le Groupe de la Banque mondiale (GBM) recherche un économiste spécialiste de l’éducation à Abuja au Nigeria
| Job #: | req4536 |
| Organization: | World Bank |
| Sector: | Education |
| Grade: | GF |
| Term Duration: | 3 years 0 months |
| Recruitment Type: | International Recruitment |
| Location: | Abuja,NGA |
| Required Language(s): | English |
| Preferred Language(s): | |
| Closing Date: | 10/23/2019 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC |
Description :
Established in 1944, the World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed US$67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments, and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which US$19 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.
The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and thirteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.
The education global practice :
Education is central to achieving the WBG’s twin goals: it is a reliable route out of poverty through large and consistent returns to income for individuals and as a driver for economic growth. It is also a prime vehicle for promoting shared prosperity. The main challenge in the education sector is to achieve “learning for all and learning for life”- that is, to ensure that all children and young people acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their lives and livelihoods. In the past two decades, the developing world has made great advances in education, most notably in enrolling and keeping children in school and in approaching gender equality. Despite these successes in expanding access to education, critical challenges remain: removing persistent educational barriers faced by the poorest people and those living in fragile and conflict-affected states and improving the quality of education so that schooling leads to real learning. In recent years, the WBG, and the broader education development community, have shifted their focus to include learning outcomes. Traditional input-driven programs have shown that they do not always lead to improved learning outcomes, so that the WBG’s education strategy highlights the need for a more comprehensive ‘systems approach’ to education reform, investments, and service delivery. This approach is about increasing accountability and targeting results, as a complement to providing inputs. It also requires strengthening the knowledge base on education, to highlight where systems are achieving results, where they are falling short, and what the most effective solutions are. These efforts are increasingly guided by the need to invest early; invest smartly; and invest for all. Through high-quality analytical work, collection of evidence, and practical know-how in these three areas, the WBG is helping its partner countries accelerate their progress in the education sector.
The Education Global Practice is led by a Global Director, who has overall responsibility for the practice. The Global Director works with Regional Directors, who serve as the interface between the Regions and the Practice. The Education Global Practice Management Team, which is the group that leads and manages the GP, consists of the Senior Director, the Director and seven Practice Managers.
Education and the africa region :
The WBG serves 48 client countries in the Africa Region (AFR). Clients range from low-income countries, among them several fragile and conflict-affected states, to a small but growing number of middle-income countries (MICs) but with weak human development indicators. Average annual per capita income varies widely and inequalities persist in most AFR countries, with most of the Region’s population living in poverty. The Bank’s strategy in AFR is focused on two pillars – competitiveness and employment, and vulnerability and resilience –and prioritizes cross-cutting approaches founded in governance and public sector capacity.
In AFR, many countries have achieved considerable progress in access to basic education. But challenges persist, namely: improving the quality and relevance of education at all levels; expanding access to early childhood development (ECD) and post-basic education; developing emphasis on science, technology and innovation; and improving skills development. Efforts are needed in each of these areas to produce a quality workforce to sustain, innovate, and expand on the current economic growth in the region.
The Education GP team in the region works with client countries – at the regional, sub-regional, national, and sub-national levels – to address their unique and shared challenges. We do this by addressing low quality at all levels of education, increasing the efficiency and accountability of education services, modernizing the higher end of the formal education continuum, integrating science and technology more effectively, and aligning skills formation with the needs of a fast growing Region, including MICs. The GP aims to not only deliver high quality products but also to build capacity in client countries through collaborative interactions with country counterparts and other development partners. It seeks to bring the best possible knowledge to bear on the practical challenges facing client countries and at the same time places a high priority on knowledge generation, including through rigorous impact evaluations of education interventions.
The Education GP is comprised of three Practice Management Units in AFR. The HAFE3 unit covers 14 countries in West and Southern Africa, across four Country Management Units (CMUs), and includes Anglophone, Francophone, Spanish, and Lusophone countries. In that context, the unit is responsible for policy dialogue, analytical work, and operational investments in the education sector. The unit’s growing portfolio currently includes operations of about US$2 billion, sourced from IDA, IBRD, and Trust Funds, and technical assistance (TA) products in both low-income countries and MICs. The portfolio spans the full spectrum of the education sector from ECD to higher education as well as job-relevant skills development. The portfolio is increasingly using new lending instruments and approaches to support systemic reforms, including program-for-results (PforRs) and multi-phased programmatic approach (MPAs). The unit produces innovative and programmatic analytical and advisory services (ASA).
Many of our operations and analytical products are based on approaches that: (i) assist countries in developing and implementing strategies for ensuring quality teaching and learning at all levels of education (ECD, basic education, secondary education and tertiary education), and in addressing the issues that face these countries’ disadvantaged and vulnerable groups; (ii) ensure that education systems respond to the needs of labor markets; (iii) continue to stress the focus on results; (iv) build capacity for monitoring and evaluation of reforms, and foster knowledge sharing; (v) promote innovative strategies, cross-sectoral linkages, and partnerships with the private sector and other development partners whenever relevant; (vi) develop and scale up successful strategies for regional collaboration to leverage economies of scale; and (vii) aim to strengthen governance, accountability, and transparency in the education sector.
The World Bank has a longstanding commitment to education sector reform in Nigeria, and cooperation will likely intensify further under the recently launched Human Capital Project (HCP). Ongoing education operations in Nigeria include the: 1) Global Partnership for Education (GPE)-funded Nigeria Partnership for Education Project (NIPEP, US$100 million), which is active in 5 states in the North West, as well as Abuja, and aims to address access and quality in basic education, with a particular focus on girls’ education; 2) State Education Program Investment Project (SEPIP, US$250 million International Development Association [IDA] funds), which is active in 2 southern states and the conflict-affected North East, with a focus on need-based teacher deployment and improved school-level management and accountability with the help of school grants; 3) Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) PforR Operation (US$611 million IDA funds), a federal operation that aims to reduce the numbers of out-of-school children and improve literacy in basic education, as well as improving system accountability for results; and 4) Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) Project (US$70 million IDA funds for Nigeria), a regional project that is active in universities in 7 states and Abuja, that aims to promote regional specialization in areas that address regional challenges, by strengthening the capacities of these universities to deliver quality training and applied research. In addition, the World Bank is currently working with Government on preparing several new IDA-funded operations, the first aiming to improve the quality and relevance of skills in Nigeria, the second working with universities and building on the experience with the ACE Project; and the third expanding girls’ access to quality secondary education in participating states. The GPE also recently allocated US$100 million for Nigeria, and preparations for accessing those funds have begun. Analytical work in Nigeria also includes impact evaluations and programmatic ASA in the areas of education expenditure, education quality, and skills.
The World Bank is also active in knowledge generation on key issues in the education sector in Nigeria. In this regard, planned analytical work for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 includes analysis of and recommendations for reform on education spending, education quality, early childhood education, secondary education (both academic education and technical and vocational education and training [TVET]), and higher education. In addition, the Nigeria education team contributes relevant analysis and inputs to cross-sectoral and macroeconomic/public finance reports and strategic documents.
In light of the above, the unit is seeking a Education Specialist/Economist, based in Abuja, to lead or contribute the education policy dialogue, provide implementation support to the education portfolio, and lead a program of high quality analytical work and TA in Nigeria.
The selected candidate will report to the Practice Manager for HAFE3 and will be expected to work in close collaboration with the CMU. The selected candidate is expected to work with country office colleagues as well as other team members based in Washington DC working on the different programs. He/she will also interact heavily with the Human Development Program Leader based in Abuja.
Duties and Accountabilities :
The incumbent will lead (and support) policy dialogue with the client on key issues in education and skills development, provide daily implementation support to the Federal and State governments on the lending operations, as well as lead the preparation of new lending programs. He/she will also be expected to lead or/co-lead analytical work to inform policy discussions.
The main responsibilities include :
Support of Operations : In consultation with the TTLs, handle operational matters on a day-to-day basis. Participate in the full cycle of project preparation, implementation support, and evaluation. Support mission preparation and contribute to mission objectives, including inputs to mission aides-memoire and implementation status reports (ISRs). Support monitoring and evaluation of project development objectives and implementation progress, intermediate outcomes, and results-based financing/disbursement linked indicators.
Support to human development (HD) and other country analytical work : Provide education sector input to regular Bank products and outputs, e.g. Liaise with staff on integrated Human Capital inputs and activities.
Support Building Client Capacity. Supporting building client capacity to use findings of policy research/analytical work for developing new policies and undertaking sector reforms. Provide technical advice on key issues and strategic directions for the country’s education sector development.
Analytical Work and Non-Lending Services : Contribute to the design, preparation, and dissemination of analytical products (e.g. sector assessment, policy notes, impact evaluation, public expenditure reviews, country systems diagnostics, case studies, etc.); provide input on a range of issues (e.g., education finance, management and governance, teacher policies, skills development , etc.) that respond to critical policy questions identified by the client and have an impact on policy and operational design. Work on cross-sectoral teams to contribute to products such as public expenditure reviews, service delivery surveys, and impact evaluations. Contribute to the country diagnostics and other core analytical work.
In performing these roles, the selected candidate will interact with counterparts in government, a variety of international and other partner organizations, and with Bank colleagues and managers within the Education GP, the CMU, as well as those in other GPs. She/he will be expected to work in close collaboration with the other members of the education team and colleagues in other GPs.
Selection Criteria :
The education GP is seeking an experienced, versatile, and highly motivated candidate to work on a large and growing portfolio as part of the education team based in Abuja, Nigeria. The ideal candidate will combine excellent technical capabilities, a capacity to translate analytical findings into policy and into innovative Bank operations to help clients shift policies in new directions or to pilot new approaches; and operational skills to provide effective implementation support for the Bank’s growing portfolio. The candidate should have :
- Education : At least a Master’s Degree from a recognized university in economics, education policy, or related discipline ;
- Experience : A minimum of 5 years relevant work experience in education; and demonstrated expert-level knowledge of and experience in leading education projects and analytical work ;
- Analytical/technical skills: Analytical and economics skills (e.g., education, labor economics) ;
- Strong client orientation. Ability to support policy dialogue, including Federal and State Ministries of Education, Federal and State Ministries of Finance, and other stakeholders ;
- Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills. Proven ability to work effectively and collaboratively across and within practice boundaries, inspire commitment to excellence and teamwork, and to liaise tactfully as a member of a multicultural team ;
- High levels of energy, initiative, and flexibility. Proactive attitude to challenges and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements. Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to internal and external client requests, and set realistic priorities for self and others ;
- Language: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. The candidate will be expected to write concisely and expediently; present technical information to clients; and represent the WBG education team among donors and the client.
Competencies :
- Education knowledge and experience: Possesses technical skills, including an understanding of key core education issues with regard to quality, relevance, and equity at all levels. Has familiarity with analytical resources, data sets, indicators, tools for data analysis, and the use of evidence for education policy ;
- General economic knowledge and analytical skills: Possesses a demonstrated track record of working with economic and sectoral data and analytical and produce user-friendly written outputs ;
- Knowledge and experience in development arena: Understands policy making processes; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients; understanding of political economy issues as well as a good grasp of governance issues in a federal setting additional asset ;
- Integrative skills: Demonstrates strong integrative thinking and ability to support project teams in developing an integrated point of view around development challenges ;
- Analytical Services and Advisory (ASA) policy, strategic and technical analysis for country/sector Issues: Provides inputs to key ASA documents by analyzing relevant issues, soliciting input from others, and using data and facts to support conclusions and/or position ;
- Written and verbal communication: Delivers information effectively ;
- Client orientation: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success ;
- Drive for results: Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, and has the personal organization skills to do so ;
- Teamwork (collaboration) and inclusion: Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view ;
- Knowledge, learning, and communication: Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner ;
- Business judgment and analytical decision making: Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others’ work ;
- The WBG is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.