JOB ADVERT : Education Specialist

Yaounde, Cameroon|req29174

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Education

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Department/Division: Education AFR 3 (HAWE3)

Grade: GF

Location: Yaounde,Cameroon

Term Duration: 3 years 0 months

Hire Type: Non-Managerial

Required Language(s): English, French

Closing Date: 9/25/2024 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

How to apply: https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/careers

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.  For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region

We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.
Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades. 

In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 350 projects totaling more than $38 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation- all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives. Across the continent, the World Bank’s program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% of the world’s extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved. 

Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID.  

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa  

The Human Development (HD) Practice Group (PG)

Human development is at the core of the World Bank’s strategy to improve people’s lives and support sustainable development. The Human Development research program spans education, health, social protection, and labor.

Education Global Practice  

Education is a human right, a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income and is the most important factor to ensure equality of opportunities. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education 

HAWE3 Unit

The Education team in the Western and Central Africa Region is divided into two units, each covering three CMUs.  HAWE3 covers Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana CMUs, which includes nine countries. 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.  

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, 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 LICs. The Education 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.

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 (pre-school, basic education, secondary education and tertiary education), and in addressing the issues that face these countries' disadvantaged population groups; (ii) ensures that education systems respond to the needs of labor markets, with a focus on applied sciences, engineering and technology and strengthening the links between post-basic education systems and labor markets; (iii) continue to stress the focus on results; builds capacity for monitoring and impact evaluation of reforms; fosters knowledge sharing; (iv) promote innovative approaches, cross-sectoral linkages, and partnerships with the private sector and other development partners whenever relevant; (v) develop and scale up successful strategies for regional collaboration to leverage economies of scale; and (vi) work to strengthen governance, accountability, and transparency in the education sector.

The unit currently has a portfolio of regional and country projects and programs, analytical and technical assistance activities financed through IDA grants and credits, Trust Funds, and using investment and results-based financing.  The portfolio spans the full spectrum of the education sector from early childhood development to higher education and skills development.  The unit is committed to delivering high quality technical products to support education development in the Bank’s client countries, and to do so in a manner that builds capacity through collaborative interactions with country counterparts.

In Cameroun, the Bank has a growing program. Ongoing education operations in Cameroun include two education projects and a P4R under preparation. There is also a considerable amount of policy dialogue outside of the scope of projects in areas regarding birth registration, governance of the sector and education sector strategy and donor and stakeholder coordination. The two projects are: Education Reform Support Project which has a closing date in 2026 and (ii) the Secondary Education and Skills Development Project which is slated to close at the end of 2025. 

The unit is seeking to an Education Economist/Specialist, based in Yaoundé, Cameroun, to provide operational and analytical support to the Cameroun education portfolio and related activities, who (a) has strong analytical skills; (b) has some expertise in at least one education subsector; (c) has strong communication skills and an understanding of political economy of reforms, enabling them to contribute effectively to policy dialogue; and (d) is interested in the practical aspects of World Bank operations or (for internal candidates) has experience in World Bank-funded/supported operations.

The selected candidate will be based in Yaoundé and will work on the Cameroun Education portfolio and collaborate closely with the Cameroun education team and the country team as a whole and will report to the Practice Manager.

Duties and Accountabilities

The incumbent will contribute to policy dialogue with the client on key issues in education and skills development, provide daily implementation support to the government on the lending operations, lead and/ or contribute to the preparation of new lending programs, as well as analytical work to inform policy discussions in Cameroun. While this position will be focused primarily on Cameroun, the work program could extend to other countries in the unit. 

The main responsibilities include: 

• Policy Dialogue and Building Client Capacity. Supporting building client capacity to use findings of policy research/analytical work for developing new policies and undertaking sector reforms. Providing technical advice on key issues and strategic directions for the country’s education sector development, by bringing relevant international experience and research to assist in developing local solutions.
• Operations: Leading and/or contributing to the design, preparation, implementation, and evaluation of lending operations, both in education and multi-sectoral, tapping into the Bank’s full-range of lending instruments; mobilize global experience and evidence and tailoring them to the local context. Providing day-to-day operational support and advise the government on technical and operational aspects of project implementation for ongoing projects. Working with staff from other global practices on HD/education-related issues (e.g., development policy operations (DPOs) with HD triggers, analytical work related to governance, management and financing of education sector, etc.)
• Analytical Work and Non-Lending Services. Leading and/or contributing to the design, preparation, and dissemination of analytical products (e.g., sector assessments, policy notes, impact evaluations, public expenditure reviews, country systems diagnostics, case studies, etc.) and providing 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. Working on cross-sectoral teams to contribute to products such as public expenditure reviews, service delivery surveys, and impact evaluations. Contributing 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 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 Yaounde, Cameroon. The ideal candidate will combine excellent team work and client dialogue skills, excellent technical skills, 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: Advanced degree from a recognized university in economics, education or related social sciences (with a focus on the economics of education).
• Experience: A minimum of 5 years relevant work experience in education, labor market and skills issues; and demonstrated expert-level knowledge of education policy. 
• Operational skills and understanding of World Bank processes, including preparation and implementation support for projects, is desirable. Knowledge of Bank and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) policies and procedures would be a plus.
• Analytical/technical skills: Excellent analytical/technical skills in economics (with a focus on education), along with a deep understanding of issues in public finance. Proven ability to produce high-quality reports under pressure; and translate analytical/technical skills and products into new programs, policies, and operational innovations and results.
• Strong client orientation. Proven ability to support policy dialogue with government agencies (e.g., Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance), and with 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 and communication skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills in French is a must and also 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.  

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

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, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group Staff Member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, they will retain their Regular or Open-Ended appointment. If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group Staff Member with a Term appointment that expires later than the end date of this appointment, they will retain the duration of their current Term appointment.