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Job #: req18550
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Education
Grade: GF
Term Duration: 2 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Rabat,Morocco
Required Language(s): English and French
Preferred Language(s): Arabic
Closing Date: 8/19/2022 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit http://www.worldbank.org/.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region covers Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, the Gulf States, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian territories) and Yemen.
These countries include low-income and middle-income countries that look for technical advice and financial support, and high-income countries that request Reimbursable Advisory Services. The MENA region has been undergoing major changes over the past several years and the World Bank is poised to support the countries in the region to achieve peace and stability for economic and social development.
The Bank's MENA Regional Vice Presidency has placed Human Development including education at the heart of its engagement as a critical part of its strategy in supporting countries rebuild trust between citizens and the state, promoting regional cooperation, building resilience in countries amidst the refugee challenges in the region, and supporting recovery and reconstruction. The MENA Human Development team is led by a Director and encompasses three units (Health, Nutrition and Population; Social and Protection and Jobs, and Education). The team is guided by the MENA Human Capital Plan that aims to help MENA become a region that realizes its vast potential by harnessing its greatest untapped assets: the human capital of its population, including youth, women, and the elderly.
Countries in the MENA region have taken great strides in education in the past few decades, but challenges remain, particularly in the areas of education quality, inequality, governance and accountability, and the relevance of skills for the labor market. The World Bank MENA Education Unit focuses on helping countries build the human capital required for economic growth and social development by providing analytical products, technical and financial support, as well as advisory services. As such, the MENA Education Unit supports countries in developing and implementing strategies for learning at all levels of education from childhood to tertiary. Teams work closely with countries to improve their systems of delivery, promote equity in education, and foster better management. We also work closely with education colleagues from other regions of the World Bank as well as colleagues in other Global Practices in MENA.
Education is central to achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals: it is a reliable route out of poverty because it has large returns to income for individuals and because it can drive economic growth and shared prosperity. The main challenge in the education sector is to achieve “learning for all, learning for life”—that is, to ensure that all children and young people acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their lives. The developing world has achieved great advances in education in the past two decades, yet major challenges remain: how to remove the educational barriers faced by the poorest people and those living in fragile states, and how to improve the quality of education so that schooling leads to real learning. The MENA Education Unit is part of the Education Global Practice. We draw upon global knowledge, tools and experts. In turn, we contribute to the global agenda and make available our expertise to other regional education units.
Over the past few years, the World Bank’s Group program in Morocco has grown to become the largest education portfolio in the MENA Region. Policy dialogue has intensified in the context of the recovery efforts from the Covid-19 pandemics as well as the launch of the New Development Model which gave a new impetus to education reforms in the country to boost human capital accumulation. The World Bank plays a role in assisting the government of Morocco upgrading the education sector, most notably in terms of improving learning outcomes and sector governance. As part of its Country Partnership Framework (CPF, 2019-24), the World Bank is providing support to the education sector through both lending and Technical Assistance with a view to assist the Government of Morocco in (i) improving access to quality early childhood development (ECD) services and (ii) improving the quality and effectiveness of education systems from pre-primary to higher education. The current portfolio of WB education related activities in Morocco includes the following:
• An education Program for Results in the amount of US$500 million, approved in 2019, co-led with the Governance GP;
• An ECD Program for Results in the amount of US$450 million, approved in 2021, co-led with the HNP GP;
• A Reimbursable Advisory Services program to support human capital development under preparation, co-managed with the HNP GP.
• An active policy dialogue and technical assistance activities targeting higher education institutions and stakeholders.
• A TVET component in the North-East Economic Development Project, under preparation, led by the Transport and FCI GPs.
The MENA Education Unit is looking for an Education Specialist to support the Bank’s Education engagement and growing portfolio in Morocco with a focus on ECD and basic education. Based in the World Bank’s office in Rabat, Morocco, the successful candidate will work in close collaboration with the Task Team Leaders of the various programs, other education team members, as well as colleagues in Governance, Health and Social Protection, other sectors, and the Country Management Unit.
The primary responsibility of the Education Specialist will be to contribute to the development and implementation of the Education GP’s work program in Morocco.
• Support as core team member the preparation and implementation of lending operations, both in education and multi-sectoral, with a focus on basic education and ECE, at all stages of the project cycle.
• Contribute as core team member to the implementation of a large RAS program in human development, focusing on early childhood education and reducing learning poverty.
• Contribute 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 that respond to critical policy questions identified by the client and have an impact on policy and operational design.
• Provide hands-on program implementation support to the counterpart (Ministry of Education, National Initiative for Human Development under the Ministry of Interior) to ensure all activities are achieving expected results.
• Engage and contribute to the policy dialogue with government officials including on the new strategic roadmap to accelerate implementation the education reform.
• Coordination and Cross Collaboration: Liaise with donor partners in all activities related to education and work closely with other Global Practices to ensure synergies.
• Respond to ad-hoc and urgent requests from management as requested, including briefs, and sector notes.
• Contribute to other tasks as needed including potential work on other countries in the region.
Given the nature of the development challenges facing Morocco, and to provide the most efficient response to government’s requests, the Education Specialist is expected to routinely work with colleagues from other Global Practices. The Education Specialist may also support education teams in other regions according to business needs and priorities.
• Master’s Degree in Education or in another related human development area (Economics, Social Sciences).
• Minimum of five years of directly relevant experience in education, including specific experience working on ECD, with experience from MENA a plus.
• Experience in supporting education system reform in several countries on a broad range of issues including access and quality of early childhood education and care, teacher training and professional development, education governance, efficiency of service delivery, monitoring and evaluation of education outcomes, etc.
• Operational skills – Demonstrated knowledge of project management concepts and experience handholding of clients for implementation, and administration of trust funds.
• Drive for Results – Strong personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, with the personal organization and drive to do so.
• Technical ability, Client Orientation, Leadership and Communication, as detailed below.
• Strong analytical skills, including an understanding of core education data sets, indicators and collection thereof, tools for data analysis, education financing and the use of the resulting evidence for education policy-making.
• Good understanding of education systems, and how they interact in different social and development contexts and institutional arrangements.
• Good knowledge of the Morocco context, a plus.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.
• Strong engagement and policy dialogue skills with high-level counterparts and other stakeholders; client focused with an ability to provide prompt and high-quality responses.
• Ability to maintain client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions.
• Ability to provide evidence-based advice and practical solutions based on sound diagnosis and judgement, and mindful of political considerations and capacity limitations.
• Ability to influence and promote consensus among different stakeholders.
• Ability to manage diverse and sometimes competing interests and perspectives.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven ability to work in a team and intercultural environment with minimal supervision.
• Ability to multitask, manage competing demands, and effectively and timely delivering on tasks.
• Proven ability to identify and develop new partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including experience in working with multiple donors and education partners.
• Ability to work in a collaborative way and build relationships around a common goal. Teamwork and Inclusion by contributing productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
• Evidence of strong interpersonal skills and good judgement.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills in English and French.
• Language skills in Arabic desirable.
• Experience of presenting complex analytical conclusions and policy implications to policy makers, donors, education stakeholders and other non-specialized audiences, orally and in writing.
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.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.
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