Country Engagement Lead, GPE

Country Engagement Lead, GPE

Job #: req30596 Organization: World Bank Sector: Operations Grade: GF Term Duration: 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Paris,France Required Language(s): English, French Preferred Language(s): Portuguese Closing Date: 12/17/2024 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.
Who We Are GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency.
What We Do GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue.
How We Work Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality.
Raise Your Hand In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks. A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.
Governance And Organizational Arrangements The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Ms Christine Hogan. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions. The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C., with a European office in Paris, an Africa office in Nairobi, a satellite office in Brussels, and a support office in Chennai.
ABOUT THE TEAM
There are three GPE regional teams. The regional teams set GPE's regional engagement strategy, coordinate relationships with GPE member countries and partners, manage GPE's regional grant portfolio, help countries identify and access GPE and external resources, and support evidence-informed policy dialogue at country level, including on the development and implementation of inclusive Education Sector Plans, Partnership Compacts, Joint Sector Reviews, etc. to accelerate transformative progress in policy priorities. They also inform design of GPE practice offerings with country feedback & lessons. The regional team comprises a Regional Manager, Regional Coordinator, Senior Regional Operations Assistant, Regional Gender and Inclusion Specialist, Regional Grant Finance Officer, and multiple pairs of Country Engagement Leads (CELs) and Country Program Officers (CPOs) handling multi-country portfolios.
ABOUT THE JOB
This position will be based initially in Paris but may be relocated if business needs arise that make it necessary to do so.
Description Country Engagement Lead (CEL) is a “connector” role: connecting countries with GPE and external resources and connecting partners in countries. The CEL brings deep sector, country, and partner knowledge; experience helping countries bring about education system transformation; and strong strategy, brokering and convening skills. Leads on policy dialogue, relationship coordination and resource leveraging. Leads on programmatic reviews (those that go back to the country).
Duties And Accountabilities Strategy & Policy Dialogue: • Defines GPE’s strategic engagement in country, including use of assets to support the country in achieving system transformation. • Engages in policy dialogue to support education system transformation. • Advises countries on GPE operating model, promotes GPE’s policy priorities and encourages learning from evidence. • Facilitates cross country learning and exchange.
Country Relationship Coordination: • Coordinates GPE country engagement—of regional team members as well as technical teams such as Education Finance, Innovative Finance and Strategic Capabilities—and facilitates their successful engagement in country. • Supports the CPO in interactions with country and partners to meet GPE needs. • Mobilizes, harmonizes, and aligns country partners, supporting sector coordination between them. • Prepares country briefs for leadership in coordination with CPO.
Network Building, Opportunity Identification & Brokering for Additional Funding: • Develops relationships, identifies opportunities, and helps broker innovative finance deals by: o Understanding and clearly communicating the full menu of finance mechanisms. o Cultivating a network of local organizations and individuals as potential sources of funding. o Pursuing leads (both proactively- and HQ-generated) for opportunities to mobilize and crowd in financing, from under-leveraged sovereign funds, private sector, foundations, multilateral agencies and others. o Closely coordinating with Donor, Private Sector & Foundations, and Innovative Finance teams from first contact through to deal structuring.
Program & Operations Support: • Stays abreast of GPE positions, best practices, evidence, and innovation in education to support system transformation. • Encourages identification of the best organizations to serve as Grant Agent and Coordinating Agency to meet country needs. • Participates in review of country submissions, keeping country apprised of outcomes; leads programmatic reviews (Draft Compact; QAR 1&2 for STG, Multiplier and GEA; Mid-Term Review-Compact; EFA/ITAP Package), drafting or clearing all substantive feedback to country. • Keeps Regional Manager apprised of issues/developments/needs for country portfolio. • Works closely with Regional Coordinator to respond quickly to Secretariat information requests. • Feeds information back to technical teams to inform standards and learning.

Selection Criteria

Education Master’s/Bachelor's degree in education, economics, public policy, social sciences, international development, development finance or a relevant related field.
Experience Minimum 5 years’ experience (with Master's) OR minimum 7 years’ (with Bachelor's) directly relevant experience in education sector policy and coordination in GPE partner countries. Competencies Accountability & Results Focus - Engages in productive consultation without losing sight of responsibility for own decisions, deliverables and deadlines. Doesn’t let the pursuit of perfection prevent forward progress. Seeks clarity when needed to move work forward and takes initiative to remove obstacles. Takes ownership of own mistakes, failures or oversights, and seeks to correct them. Manages differences of opinion to productive resolution so as not to impede progress. Works to ensure group efforts produce clear actions and decisions and tasks conclude.
Adaptability - Models flexibility - responds to changing circumstances by innovating and altering behavior to better fit different situations. Learns new skills and performs work in different ways. Remains calm in stressful situations and influences others do so. Professionally deals with personal discomfort in a changing work environment.
Collaboration & Teamwork - Actively collaborates with others and models and open, helpful disposition. Acts as a teammate, proactively stepping in to support colleagues as needed. Recognizes and values the role of each team in delivering on GPE’s mission. Approaches challenges and obstacles as shared challenges to be overcome. Sincerely contributes to productive group dynamics and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills - Has experience & success working in multicultural environments. Speaks and writes clearly and effectively, adapting language, tone, style and message to diverse, multicultural audiences. Skilled at communicating complex information in succinct and digestible ways. Shares information and keeps people informed; Models transparency, in a way that builds trust in a culturally diverse environment. Maintains productive working relationships with colleagues and models this behavior for junior staff. Engages in active listening and two-way conversation. Asks questions for clarification and responds to others appropriately. Learns from others’ ideas and expertise.
Planning & Organizing - Works well independently and in teams. Plans and prioritizes work effectively, making adjustments as needed to accommodate changes. Sets and meets individual and team deadlines. Works well under pressure and against tight timelines, and still delivers high-quality work. Foresees risks and identifies mitigation strategies and contingencies.
Education Program Development, Support & Management - Understanding of education reforms and their enabling conditions. Understanding of education policy lifecycle. Experience supporting and evaluating education-related programs. Experience supporting multi-stakeholder education partnerships. Understanding of core education data sets/indicators, tools for data analysis, and use of evidence for education policy. Knowledge of best practices and latest evidence-based solutions and successes in the sector.
Foundational Technical Knowledge in Education & Development - Experience supporting work on education and/or development issues in low- and middle- income countries. Understanding of the policy process. Understanding of unique considerations in fragile and conflict affected contexts. Knowledge of stakeholders, major issues and challenges. Knowledge and/or experience in one or more of the following GPE focus areas: Education finance, education planning and management, education in fragile contexts, girls' education, inclusive education, learning, teacher development, other areas relevant to work of GPE.
Networking & Brokering - Ability to identify opportunities for collaboration with external stakeholders to leverage financial and technical resources. Ability to match country needs with GPE and partner solutions. Ability to establish networking relationships with local businesses and finance community in partner countries and potential innovative financing sources.
Policy Dialogue Skills - Is aware of, and sensitive to, different stakeholder perspectives, interests and needs. Is effective at building trust and support for proposed courses of action or solutions. Possesses political judgment, diplomatic sense, negotiation, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. Understands the importance of transparency & accountability in implementation of education policies and programs, and the importance of monitoring and tracking results. Has some understanding of country context - organizational or technical capacity of country partners; policy environment, laws and sector issues; key actors relevant to dialogue. Can work effectively within constraints to facilitate system transformation.
BENEFITS FOR THIS POSITION
Term appointments include, but are not limited to, medical benefits, including dental and vision, Staff Retirement Plan, financial assistance program, life & disability insurance, comprehensive leave policy (minimum 26 days/annum) and parental leave policy (50-100 days).
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Poverty has no borders. Neither does excellence. This is why we continually search for qualified individuals with a diverse set of backgrounds from around the globe. We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, creed, race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. GPE has a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in line with its PSEAH policy. Individuals with disabilities may be provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions of the role and support in receiving other workplace accommodations. Please contact the DAF-Disability Accommodation Fund at disabilityfund@worldbank.org for further information and support.

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